A cover letter is required for consideration for this position and should be attached as the first page of your resume. The cover letter should specifically address your interest in the position and outline particular skills and experience that directly relate to this position.  For ease of use in our hiring system, please provide these all-in pdfs with at least your last name in the filename.

The Institute for Social Research (ISR) is seeking a Desktop Support Specialist Manager/Supervisor to lead day-to-day help desk and desktop support operations while fostering strong, service-oriented relationships across ISR departments. This role provides direct supervision of desktop support staff, ensures consistent and high-quality service delivery, and partners with internal clients to identify opportunities to improve and expand end-user support services.

The Desktop Support Specialist Manager/Supervisor is primarily a supervisory and operational role, with hands-on technical involvement focused on coordination of complex issues, escalations, and deep troubleshooting as needed. This position plays a key role in staff development, service planning, and operational reporting, while collaborating closely with other teams within Computer and Multimedia Technologies (CMT).

Operational Leadership

• Supervise daily help desk and desktop support operations, including assignment of work, rotation of responsibilities, and coordination of coverage.
• Oversee ticket queue management and escalation processes using TeamDynamix (TDx).
• Coordinate and lead regular desktop support meetings and facilitate daily stand-ups as operations mature.
• Ensure consistent, timely, and customer-focused support for ISR faculty, staff, and researchers.
• Develop and deliver summary reports on service trends, workload, and operational performance to management.
• Identify opportunities to improve workflows, service delivery, and support coverage across ISR.

Staff Supervision & Development

• Directly supervise approximately eight plus desktop support staff.
• Conduct performance evaluations, provide coaching and feedback, and support professional development.
• Coordinate onboarding and training for new staff, including documentation and skill development.
• Participate in hiring processes, including candidate evaluation and interviews.
• Foster a collaborative, service-oriented team culture focused on accountability and continuous improvement.

Client & Departmental Partnership

• Serve as an operational partner to ISR departments, regularly attending meetings with larger client groups.
• Gather feedback, identify unmet needs, and work with leadership to enhance desktop and end-user support services.
• Act as a point of coordination between desktop support and other functional areas within CMT.
• Participate in university communities of practice and related professional forums to stay aligned with campus standards and emerging best practices.

Technical Oversight & Escalation Support

• Provide guidance and coordination for complex technical issues and escalated desktop support cases.
• Support troubleshooting efforts involving Windows systems, with working knowledge of macOS and mixed environments.
• Ensure appropriate use and understanding of user management, endpoint management, and support tooling.
• Maintain awareness of technical standards and service expectations, assisting as needed.

Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education, certifications, and relevant professional experience.

For  Manager level:  Eight (8) years of progressively responsible desktop or end-user support experience, including:

Three (3) plus years of experience leading or supervising a medium to large (6+ members) technical support team.

For  Lead Supervisor level:  Five (5) years of progressively responsible desktop or end-user support experience, including:

At least two (2) - three (3) years of experience leading or supervising a medium to large technical support team.

Demonstrated experience supervising staff, conducting performance evaluations, and supporting employee development.

Strong customer service orientation with experience supporting diverse client groups.

Working knowledge of:

Windows desktop environments

IT service management or ticketing systems (e.g., TeamDynamix)

Excellent communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.

Experience supporting macOS in mixed-platform environments.

Experience working in a higher education or research environment.

Relevant technical or leadership certifications (e.g., A+, ITIL, Microsoft certifications).

Monday - Friday, 8am to 5pm

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.

Openings may be filled at the Desktop Support Specialist Lead Supervisor or Manager level depending on match with opportunity, your depth and breadth of experience and qualifications.

Positions at the Desktop Support Specialist Lead Supervisor level will be filled at ($90,000-$103,000) salary range.

Positions at the Desktop Support Specialist Manager level will be filled at ($103,000-$123,000) salary range

This position is primarily on-site to support daily operations and staff supervision. Limited off-site work (up to approximately 20%) may be available at the discretion of management, based on operational needs. 

Job duties are performed during normal business hours, with occasional work outside of business hours for planned upgrades and best-effort response to major outages.

This position may work with and/or support systems that maintain or process sensitive institutional data as defined by university policy. Successful candidates must comply with federal, state, and local law, and/or university policies or agreements that require the university to implement specific privacy and security safeguards for protecting data.

This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

The Institute for Social Research (ISR) at the University of Michigan seeks to create a community of respect and authentic collaboration by recruiting and retaining individuals that represent a variety of voices as a reflection of our commitment to serve the people of Michigan, to maintain the excellence of the university, and to ground our research in varied disciplines, perspectives, and ways of knowing and learning.

The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.