Service Desk Lead

Role Introduction:

Established in 1992, Applegreen is a leading convenience roadside retailer in the Republic of Ireland, the UK and the US in both large-scale Motorway Service Areas and Travel Plazas, as well as smaller petrol stations. The business has grown to over €4BN in annual revenue, operating 600 Motorway Service Plazas and forecourt sites internationally and employing over 17,000 people.

Applegreen is in a rapid growth phase and to support this ambitious growth, we are seeking to onboard a Service Desk Lead to join our team.

This role will form part of the IT Operations team and reports to the Service Delivery Manager. The successful candidate will be a confident people person who can fit into Applegreenseamlessly and adopt a hands-on approach to their role.

Key Responsibilities:

· Lead the day-to-day operation of the IT Service Desk, ensuring incidents, requests and escalations are managed within agreed service levels.

· Manage, coach and develop Service Desk Technicians, building technical capability, customer focus and consistent ways of working.

· Act as an escalation point for complex, high-priority and major incidents, coordinating internal teams, third-party partners and stakeholders through to resolution.

· Monitor queue performance, ticket quality, SLA adherence and aged tickets, taking proactive action to maintain service standards.

· Produce high-level service reporting on team performance, service trends, SLA performance and improvement areas.

· Support resource planning, workload distribution, cover arrangements and prioritisation of urgent business needs.

· Develop service desk processes, knowledge articles, reporting, service improvements and operational standards with the Service Delivery Manager.

· Build strong working relationships with key business users and IT colleagues to ensure support requirements are understood, prioritised and communicated clearly.

· Work with third-party vendors and service partners to support supplier performance, escalations and SLA management.

· Contribute to incident reviews, problem management and continuous improvement, identifying recurring issues and opportunities to improve the user experience.

The Candidate should have the following:

Qualifications, experience & skills

· Previous experience in an IT Service Desk, Desktop Support or IT Operations environment, with experience leading or mentoring a team.

· Strong technical understanding of end-user computing, Microsoft 365, Windows devices, mobile devices, networking fundamentals and common retail / site technology support processes.

· Strong understanding of retail environments, with a genuine interest in complex retail IT operations and the technology dependencies that support trading, customer service and operational continuity.

· Experience working with third-party vendors and managed service providers, including coordinating escalations, tracking service commitments and supporting multiple SLA streams.

· Experience working with and managing ITSM or ticket management tools (Freshservice, ServiceNow etc.), with a strong understanding of incident, request, escalation and knowledge management practices.

· Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain technical issues clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.

· Ability to prioritise competing demands, manage escalations calmly and maintain service quality in a fast-paced operational environment.

· A relevant third-level qualification in IT, Computer Science or a related discipline, or equivalent experience.

Additional key skills & attributes:

· A dynamic individual who adapts well to change and can thrive in a rapidly growing organisation that continues to evolve.

· Proven track record of delivering to tight deadlines.

· A highly organised individual with ability to plan and prioritise workloads effectively for maximum impact and adapt around changing priorities as required.

· Ability to execute directly at high quality and pace.

· Excellent drive, enthusiasm and commitment and a keen interest in developing a career in Applegreen.

· A ‘can do’ attitude and a positive solution focused mindset.

· Has strong commercial acumen and a focus on delivering value to the business.

· Exceptional interpersonal skills, and ability to engage and develop relationships with individuals at all levels of the organisation.

· Be a self-starter, and also be able to work collaboratively as a member of a highly interdependent team across many parts of Applegreen.

· Is resilient, calm under pressure and comfortable dealing with ambiguity.

· Has sound judgement and objective logical decision-making skills.

· Has strong leadership potential and management skills, who will be a role model for the people and culture at Applegreen.

· Willing to travel ad hoc if required in addition to supporting out of hours as required.

Illustrative Application & Screening Process (subject to change):

· Application Process:

o Please submit an up to date tailored CV (max 2 pages).

· Interview & Selection Process:

o Two interview rounds will be required for this role.