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Help desk leader vs help desk specialist

The differences between help desk leaders and help desk specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a help desk leader and a help desk specialist. Additionally, a help desk leader has an average salary of $56,781, which is higher than the $51,065 average annual salary of a help desk specialist.

The top three skills for a help desk leader include technical support, troubleshoot and remedy. The most important skills for a help desk specialist are customer service, troubleshoot, and technical support.

Help desk leader vs help desk specialist overview

Help Desk LeaderHelp Desk Specialist
Yearly salary$56,781$51,065
Hourly rate$27.30$24.55
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs67,74075,004
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age4242
Years of experience22

Help desk leader vs help desk specialist salary

Help desk leaders and help desk specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Help Desk LeaderHelp Desk Specialist
Average salary$56,781$51,065
Salary rangeBetween $38,000 And $84,000Between $35,000 And $73,000
Highest paying City-New York, NY
Highest paying state-Alaska
Best paying company-Schulte Roth & Zabel
Best paying industry-Technology

Differences between help desk leader and help desk specialist education

There are a few differences between a help desk leader and a help desk specialist in terms of educational background:

Help Desk LeaderHelp Desk Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common majorBusinessComputer Science
Most common collegeStanford UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Help desk leader vs help desk specialist demographics

Here are the differences between help desk leaders' and help desk specialists' demographics:

Help Desk LeaderHelp Desk Specialist
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 67.2% Female, 32.8%Male, 79.4% Female, 20.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 11.6% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between help desk leader and help desk specialist duties and responsibilities

Help desk leader example responsibilities.

  • Lead a support team in the global transition of a new VPN remote access tool.
  • Develop within SharePoint and manage the SharePoint environment.
  • Improve efficiency and reduce risk by developing managing concepts and projects for ITIL process development for service delivery.
  • Streamline processes using SharePoint to save department time and money.
  • Resolve user problems regarding batch processing, twinax and TCP/IP connectivity.
  • Monitor SLA activity to ensure HD tickets meet the SLA guidelines.
  • Show more

Help desk specialist example responsibilities.

  • Manage network software deployment, imaging/backup and unattend OS installations
  • Develop, implement, and support customized manage VPN solutions for customers.
  • Work as tier II/III technical support representative helping customers troubleshoot hardware/software problems in high volume call center.
  • Support CITRIX by resolving connectivity issues when problems are reported.
  • Assist clients with Cisco VoIP, or Cisco AnyConnect troubleshooting, and escalation to higher tiers, as necessary.
  • Repair PCs and printers install software supervise interns
  • Show more

Help desk leader vs help desk specialist skills

Common help desk leader skills
  • Technical Support, 8%
  • Troubleshoot, 6%
  • Remedy, 6%
  • Help Desk, 5%
  • Desk Support, 5%
  • Customer Satisfaction, 5%
Common help desk specialist skills
  • Customer Service, 13%
  • Troubleshoot, 8%
  • Technical Support, 6%
  • Desk Support, 6%
  • Phone Calls, 5%
  • Client Facing, 4%

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