How To Become A Service Delivery Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is a service delivery manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Service delivery managers are crucial to any organization's customer service. They are in charge of ensuring clients receive the exact service requested. They perform their duties through a combination of project management, progress tracking, and budget management.

Service delivery managers may employ different techniques while performing their duties. For example, a manager employed in IT will use diagnostics and data to ensure service delivery. On the other hand, someone working in a logistics outfit will supervise inventory checks and optimize the supply chain.

Therefore, daily activities may vary slightly. However, service delivery managers are responsible for maintaining positive relationships with customers through impeccable service delivery. They often have skills like conflict resolution, leadership, project management, and communication.

Some employers require a minimum of a high school diploma to fill this position. Others require a bachelor's degree in business administration or related fields. You'll also need up to five years of customer service experience, logistics, and similar roles to become a service delivery manager.

ScoreService Delivery ManagerUS Average

Salary

7.7

Avg. Salary $102,213

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.6

Growth rate 16%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

1.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.21%

Asian 12.68%

Black or African American 6.62%

Hispanic or Latino 9.94%

Unknown 5.19%

White 65.35%

Gender

female 27.66%

male 72.34%

Age - 47

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 47

Stress level

8.6

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.7

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.1

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a service delivery manager

Explore service delivery manager education requirements

Most common service delivery manager degrees

Bachelor's

66.8 %

Master's

13.9 %

Associate

12.8 %

Start to develop specific service delivery manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Service Delivery	16.21%
Project Management	6.88%
Cloud	5.88%
Customer Service	5.86%
Customer Satisfaction	5.06%

Complete relevant service delivery manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New service delivery managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a service delivery manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real service delivery manager resumes.

Gain additional service delivery manager certifications

Service delivery manager certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific service delivery manager certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for service delivery managers include Project Management Professional (PMP) and ITIL Foundation.

More About Certifications

Research service delivery manager duties and responsibilities

Manage and maintain VCE Vblock, Cisco networking, EMC storage, and VMware server / desktop infrastructure.
Manage internal global IPVPN network services, comprise of approximately 1.6K routers / switches / Wi-Fi access points.
Manage the back office PBX for VoIP customers which includes porting of phones and ordering new hardware from 3rd party vendors.
Leverage the SDLC incremental release model to manage the design and implementation of a new integrate billing and check processing system.

Prepare your service delivery manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your service delivery manager resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a service delivery manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable service delivery manager resume templates

Build a professional service delivery manager resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your service delivery manager resume.