As ICT Desktop Support Team Lead, my primary responsibility is to oversee and guide a skilled team in resolving technical issues, managing incidents, and responding to customer requests. I also lead targeted training sessions to ensure continuous development across the team.
July 2023 to present
3 years and 3 monthsSince July 2023, I’ve been responsible for delivering a desktop support service that is efficient, responsive, and aligned with both national standards and internal performance targets.
My focus is on refining operational workflows to improve service speed, consistency and measurable performance outcomes. This includes:
I hold responsibility for the organisation’s IT asset estate, maintaining oversight of lifecycle management, compliance, and governance. This includes procuring new and replacement equipment within agreed budgets, ensuring value for money whilst maintaining operational resilience.
Alongside operational leadership, I promote greater self-sufficiency across the organisation by encouraging adoption of appropriate self-service tools. This empowers colleagues, reduces dependency on first-line support, and improves overall service efficiency.
In collaboration with other ICT managers, I contribute to the assessment and introduction of new systems, technologies, and support methodologies. By embedding practical, user-focused solutions, we continue to strengthen service quality, reliability, and long-term sustainability.
My role is about maintaining a support service that works for users, for systems, and for the organisation as a whole.
Alongside core operational delivery, my team provides structured technical support for local and national government elections, working closely with Democratic Services to ensure systems remain secure and fully operational during critical democratic events.
This includes:
Election support operates within immovable legal deadlines and heightened public scrutiny. My role ensures that technical provision is stable, compliant, and responsive, minimising disruption and enabling Democratic Services teams to focus on delivery of the electoral process.
This work demands precision, resilience, and clear escalation pathways, reinforcing the wider objective of maintaining reliable technology in environments where failure is not an option.
A significant element of our operational delivery focuses on device handling, repair, and lifecycle management. On average, the team handles 127 laptops per month, with volumes ranging between 78 and 177 devices—approximately 6 laptops per working day.
Another key aspect of the role involves managing end-user turnover. Devices from leavers are returned, securely wiped, and re-imaged to ensure they are ready for re-issue to new starters.
Laptops are not always swapped out because they are broken. Following initial triage, the time required to resolve certain technical issues may exceed the operational efficiency of replacing the device with a fully imaged laptop preloaded with the appropriate software. This approach aligns with ITIL 4 principles of value co-creation and optimising service delivery, prioritising outcomes over processes to restore user productivity quickly while supporting incident and service request management practices that emphasise both speed and quality.
This sustained throughput relies on structured triage, prioritisation, and consistent turnaround standards, ensuring user downtime is minimised while maintaining service continuity.
Device handling includes:
The emphasis remains on restoring service efficiently, maintaining governance standards, and delivering predictable, reliable turnaround times.
Beyond core operational leadership, the Desktop Support team is responsible for a wide range of daily activities that ensure smooth, reliable IT services across the organisation. These include:
Incident and Service Request Management
Hardware and Software Management
User Support and Training
System Monitoring and Maintenance
Documentation and Process Improvement
Security and Compliance
Special Projects and Event Support