How to hire a help desk manager

How to hire a help desk manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step help desk manager hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a help desk manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new help desk manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a help desk manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the help desk manager you need to hire. Certain help desk manager roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A help desk manager's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, help desk managers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of help desk manager salaries for various roles:

   Type of Help Desk Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Help Desk Manager	Computer support specialists provide help and advice to people and organizations using computer software or equipment. Some, called computer network support specialists, support information technology (IT) employees within their organization... Show more	$35-60
   Support Lead	A support lead is typically in charge of overseeing the performance of a technical support team, ensuring efficiency and customer satisfaction. Their responsibilities revolve around assessing the performance of the workforce, resolving complex issues, identifying customer needs and sales opportunities, and training new team members... Show more	$30-56
   Technician Support Tier	A technician support tier focuses on providing technical support to clients or employees within a company. Typically working in a team setting, a technician support tier addresses technical problems and troubleshoots to identify the root of the issues and perform necessary corrective measures or repairs... Show more	$18-37

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Technical Support
   • Help Desk
   • Desk Support
   • ITIL
   • Phone Calls
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Project Management
   • Level Agreements
   • Remote Support
   • Customer Support
   • Remedy
   • Slas
   • Computer System

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Provide guidance to help desk and manage third party vendors to insure all SLAs are met.
   • Manage SLA, and provide metrics in order to make technical decisions regarding the allocation of technical resources.
   • Lead a team of 5 technicians in setting up a separate LAN to support the ship's reactor division.
   • Lead and contribute to the configuration and maintenance of all server, desktop and laptop hardware, OS and software.
   • Manage and troubleshoot application availability to users through Citrix MetaFrame.
   • Manage project to migrate acquire company to HealthcareSource VOIP host phone solution, email and Microsoft active directory environment.

   More help desk manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your help desk manager job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A help desk manager salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, help desk managers' average salary in kansas is 38% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level help desk managers earn 41% less than senior-level help desk managers.
   • Certifications. A help desk manager with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a help desk manager's salary.

   Average help desk manager salary

   $96,278yearly

   $46.29 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level help desk manager salary

   $74,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average help desk manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$110,876	$53
   2	New Jersey	$108,484	$52
   3	Nevada	$106,001	$51
   4	Louisiana	$104,933	$50
   5	Virginia	$102,332	$49
   6	North Carolina	$100,733	$48
   7	New Hampshire	$98,193	$47
   8	Kentucky	$95,595	$46
   9	Massachusetts	$92,212	$44
   10	Delaware	$91,595	$44
   11	New York	$90,344	$43
   12	Connecticut	$89,036	$43
   13	Georgia	$88,335	$42
   14	Iowa	$87,962	$42
   15	District of Columbia	$87,810	$42
   16	Missouri	$87,456	$42
   17	Maryland	$86,191	$41
   18	Illinois	$84,732	$41
   19	Montana	$83,142	$40
   20	Wisconsin	$82,933	$40

   Average help desk manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$152,598	$73.36	6
   2	Cantaloupe	$109,739	$52.76
   3	Salesforce	$108,493	$52.16	6
   4	OSI Systems	$98,048	$47.14
   5	Revance Therapeutics	$97,437	$46.84
   6	TEKsystems	$97,415	$46.83	130
   7	First Hawaiian Bank	$94,927	$45.64	1
   8	MRI Software	$94,377	$45.37	3
   9	CCC Intelligent Solutions	$93,942	$45.16
   10	ICF	$92,128	$44.29	1
   11	Amyx	$91,672	$44.07	4
   12	Kavaliro	$90,919	$43.71	8
   13	WNYC	$90,375	$43.45
   14	Iron Bow Technologies	$89,680	$43.12
   15	Cognosante	$87,613	$42.12
   16	Veolia Water Tech	$87,580	$42.11	2
   17	Randstad North America, Inc.	$87,522	$42.08	10
   18	Technical and Management Resources	$83,854	$40.31
   19	Colorado State Express	$82,962	$39.89
   20	Employers Direct Corporation	$82,962	$39.89

4. Writing a help desk manager job description

   A help desk manager job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a help desk manager job description:

   Help desk manager job description example

   The objective of this task order is to provide state of the art call center support across multiple technical and non-technical disciplines either at a government location or through alternative work arrangements. Expected to use its industry knowledge and technical capabilities of various modes of multi-channel communication mediums to triage, process, and improve the stakeholder's experience.
   Responsibilities The Help Desk Manager responsibilities include, but not limited to:
   • Consults with and advises the Government concerning requirements, risks, issues, project plans, schedules and required program resources.
   • Responsible for formulating and enforcing work standards, assigning Contractor schedules, reviewing work discrepancies, supervising Contractor personnel, and communicating policies, purposes, and goals of the organization to subordinates.
   • Assist with internal and external communication, improving transparency, and radiating information.
   • Assist with prioritization and resolution of conflicts, as requested.
   • Participate proactively in developing and maintaining team standards, tools, and best practices.
   • Working with the Federal Leads, identify and remove impediments, prevents distractions. Facilitate discussion and conflict resolution." Qualifications Bachelor's Degree Ability to obtain an Public Trust equivalent to ICE Entry on Duty (EOD) clearance Project Management Professional (PMP) certification HDI Certifications are required 30 days after TO award "Minimum of ten (10) years of experience in project and/or operation management within a multi-tier/level Call Center of like complexity Acceptable specialized management experience shall also include: Conducting Call Center studies and analyzing the findings to make recommendations for a functional operation and/or program Experience with:
   o Qualitative methods and quantitative analytical techniques
   o Organizational and work processes relationship
   o Administrative support activities related to performing a wide variety of analytical studies and projects
   o Project and management improvement, productivity improvement and management controls
   o Long-range planning including developing guidance on techniques for management and methods improvement, analyzing and advising on proposed reorganizations or realignment of functions, and developing manuals and directives covering varying aspects of operations
   o Planning and executing strategies to enhance productivity and efficiency throughout a call center
   o Conducting complex response center statistical analysis, identifying trends, and implementing required improvements, which translate into measurable operational improvements Ability to provide clear leadership, technical direction, and guidance to all levels of SEVP personnel Ability to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of Call Center operations including call routing and management technologies ACD, IVR Web, Chat, Email, Social Media, SMS/Text, Mobile, Fax, Phone and Mail), workforce management systems, knowledgebase systems, quality assurance applications, and business intelligence software " We can recommend jobs specifically for you! Click here to get started.

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5. Post your job

   To find the right help desk manager for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with help desk managers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit help desk managers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your help desk manager job on Zippia to find and attract quality help desk manager candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting help desk managers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   While interviews are great, you will only sometimes learn enough from a conversation with a help desk manager applicant. In those cases, having candidates complete a test project can go a long way in figuring out who's the most likely to succeed in the role. If you aren't a technical person and don't know how to design an appropriate test, you can ask someone else on the team to create it or take a look at these websites to get a few ideas:

   • TestDome
   • CodeSignal
   • Testlify
   • BarRaiser
   • Coderbyte

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new help desk manager

   Once you have selected a candidate for the help desk manager position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new help desk manager first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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