Help Desk Lead

Kendall Howard•Chisago City, MN

About The Position

The GEMSTONE program supports critical operational equipment used in advanced technical environments. The support desk serves as the primary operational intake point for incidents, service requests, and connectivity hardware management. The Help Desk Lead is responsible for ensuring the support desk operates efficiently, that technicians have the resources needed to resolve incidents, and that operational systems supporting connectivity hardware and device lifecycle management remain accurate and reliable. The Help Desk Lead is responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the GEMSTONE Help Desk and ensuring that incidents, service requests, and connectivity hardware lifecycle tasks are handled efficiently and according to program procedures. This role provides leadership and technical guidance to Help Desk Technicians, ensures service tickets are properly triaged and escalated, and maintains operational oversight of device lifecycle management, including cellular dongles and SIM-based connectivity hardware. The Help Desk Lead works closely with engineering teams, field engineers, and program leadership to maintain reliable support operations and continuous operational improvement.

Requirements

Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in IT, engineering technology, customer service, business, or related field, or related experience.
5+ years’ experience in technical support, help desk, or operations environments.
Strong troubleshooting and incident management skills.
Experience using ticket management systems.
Strong organizational and leadership abilities.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting hardware devices or connectivity equipment.
Experience managing device inventory or asset tracking systems.
Experience working in a 24/7 operational support environment.
Experience coordinating with engineering and field service teams.

Responsibilities

Provided daily leadership and technical guidance to Help Desk Technicians.
Monitor ticket queues and ensure incidents are triaged promptly.
Assist technicians with troubleshooting complex issues.
Ensure service tickets follow GEMSTONE procedures and escalation paths.
Coordinate escalation of incidents to engineering teams or field engineers when necessary.
Review ticket documentation to ensure completeness and accuracy.
Identify recurring operational issues and escalate patterns to engineering teams.
Ensure compliance with service level objectives for response and resolution times.
Oversee lifecycle management of connectivity hardware, including cellular dongles and SIM cards.
Ensure accurate inventory tracking of all connectivity devices.
Monitor device provisioning and assignment processes.
Ensure replacement hardware is issued quickly when failures occur.
Oversee RMA processes for defective hardware.
Monitor inventory levels and coordinate replenishment when required.
Ensure device recovery procedures are followed during employee offboarding.
Coordinate communication between the Help Desk, engineering teams, and field engineers.
Support operational reporting by reviewing ticket metrics and system performance trends.
Maintain troubleshooting documentation and operational procedures.
Assist with training and onboarding of new Help Desk Technicians.
Support process improvements that enhance support desk efficiency.