How to hire a help desk team lead

How to hire a help desk team lead, step by step

Here's a step-by-step help desk team lead 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 team lead job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new help desk team lead
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the help desk team lead you need to hire. Certain help desk team lead 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

   Hiring the perfect help desk team lead also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents help desk team lead salaries for various positions.

   Type of Help Desk Team Lead	Description	Hourly rate
   Help Desk Team Lead	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	$27-43
   Support Analyst	The role of support analysts is to resolve problems with hardware, computer programs, and peripherals. They may focus on a particular aspect of the information technology (IT) department or give technical support to end-users... Show more	$24-54
   Systems Support Analyst	A systems support analyst is responsible for supporting the operations of the technology department of an organization, resolving network issues, and maintaining the safety and security of the system database. Systems support analysts must have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, identifying system process improvements, upgrading system infrastructure, and assisting end-users with navigation... Show more	$27-54

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Technical Support
   • Desk Support
   • Help Desk
   • Remedy
   • SLA
   • ITIL
   • Trouble Tickets
   • Database
   • Level Agreements
   • VPN
   • User Accounts
   • Citrix
   • Customer Support
   • SCCM

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead testing of pilot VPN software; configure technologies to aid in managing Windows/mainframe accounts.
   • Assist in managing SQL database ensuring network connectivity, integrity of data and schedule tasks are complete.
   • Manage the wireless accounts for all user's providing replacements and troubleshoot cell phone issues and billing questions.
   • Improve efficiency and reduce risk by developing managing concepts and projects for ITIL process development for service delivery.
   • Implement TCP/IP core networking services.
   • Assist setup of CITRIX for end users.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your help desk team lead job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A help desk team lead can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, help desk team leads' average salary in alaska is 41% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level help desk team leads 37% less than senior-level help desk team leads.
   • Certifications. A help desk team lead with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a help desk team lead's salary.

   Average help desk team lead salary

   $72,204yearly

   $34.71 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level help desk team lead salary

   $57,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 21, 2025

4. Writing a help desk team lead job description

   A help desk team lead 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. To help get you started, here's an example of a help desk team lead job description:

   Help desk team lead job description example

   FedPoint, previously doing business as LTC Partners, was founded in 2002 and is a versatile administrator of large-scale insurance and benefits programs. We are hiring a Help Desk Team lead to join our team! This is an exciting role working in a 400-person company with big aspirations, and a wonderful culture.
   
   The Help Desk Team Lead, is responsible for providing direction and ensuring customer support objectives are met. This role assists with management, support, and maintenance for the ongoing day to day operations of the Help Desk. They will coordinate support issues and service requests between the Help Desk staff and the System/Network Engineers. They will ensure timely distribution of knowledge and positive impact on user satisfaction and productivity. This job requires the lead to be hands-on and have the skillset to solve technical issues.
   * Associates degree in an Information Technology field preferred.
   
   * MCP and/or A+ certification preferred.
   
   * 3 year of prior experience in the operation and support of an IT Help Desk.
   
   * 1 year as a Help Desk Lead.
   
   * Experience supporting software and hardware platforms including Microsoft Windows 7 and Office 2013.
   
   * Experience troubleshooting laptop, VPN connections, remote issue, fax, printer and IP phones
   
   * Experience with VMWare View and zero clients.
   
   * Knowledge of Active Directory, antivirus, encryption, and Sharepoint preferred.
   
   * Strong customer service orientation and interpersonal skills.
   
   * Must be able to work in a team environment and communicate effectively with team members, managers and customers.
   
   Benefits:
   
   In addition to working for an excellent company, with great people and culture, what's in it for you?
   
   Here's just a sampling of some of the benefits that full-time members of the FedPoint family receive:
   
   * Comprehensive orientation and on-boarding to get you acclimated to your new job and your new company.
   * 6% matching 401k contribution, with 100% immediate vesting.
   * Lots of Paid Time off - 3 weeks' vacation, 7 sick days, 3 personal days, and 12 paid holidays!
   * Competitive benefits including Health, Dental, Vision, and disability insurance, along with Flexible Spending Accounts, and a generous Retirement Program.
   * Generous tuition reimbursement program to support career goals.
   * Corporate Giving and Matching Gifts Program.
   * A wide variety of personal, professional, and career development programs available.
   * Comprehensive wellness program offering a variety of resources and activities to help your wellbeing in the following areas: career, financial, mental & emotional, physical and social & community.
   
   FedPoint is an equal opportunity employer. Our company is a Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) federal contractor and committed to hiring veterans.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right help desk team lead for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your help desk team lead job on Zippia to find and recruit help desk team lead candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit help desk team leads, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   Sometimes, it's not enough to interview help desk team lead candidates, so you can ask them to do a test project. If you are not a technical person and don't know what a test project should be, you can use these websites:

   • 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 team lead

   Once you have selected a candidate for the help desk team lead 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 good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

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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