Service Desk Manager

Lead the Experts Behind Secure Federal Identity & Authentication Systems!

Location: Remote Opportunity

Requirements: US Citizenship

Technical Leadership

• Lead a small support team handling complex, multi-system PIV issues (certificate failures, smart card logon errors, middleware failures, CRL/OCSP issues, workstation trust issues, email signing/encryption problems).
• Oversee deep-dive investigation of incidents that cannot be resolved by Tier 1/2.
• Guide root-cause analysis and create remediation plans for recurring identity issues.
• Provide expert troubleshooting covering Windows, AD/Entra ID, certificate authorities, PKI validation, workstation cert stores, CRLs/OCSP, middleware, VPN, and secure email.
• Serve as the highest level of technical escalation for PIV and identity-related support issues.

Stakeholder & Engineering Coordination

• Act as the coordination point between Tier 3 support and engineering, Identity Management, and additional VA support teams assisting end users.
• Drive technical investigations and collaborate on changes or fixes affecting PIV/ICAM workflows.
• Communicate technical findings and recommended improvements to VA program leadership.

Incident, Problem & Change Management

• Own all Tier 3 escalations, ensuring they meet SLA for response and resolution.
• Lead Problem Management efforts: document known errors, identify trends, propose permanent fixes.
• Validate technical solutions or workarounds before push-down to lower tiers.
• Review and approve changes impacting identity/authentication systems (cert authority updates, CRL distribution changes, middleware upgrades, GPO updates).

Knowledge & Process Development

• Create and maintain detailed runbooks and troubleshooting guides for complex PIV issues.
• Provide technical coaching and mentoring to Tier 2 analysts.
• Identify automation opportunities to reduce manual troubleshooting.

Compliance & Security

• Ensure Tier 3 operations adhere to federal identity, credentialing, and security standards.
• Maintain strict handling of sensitive data (PII/PHI) within identity systems.
• Support audit activities with technical evidence and documentation.

Required Qualifications

• 5-10+ years in IT support, with 3+ years managing advanced technical teams.
• Experience leading or mentoring a small technical support team while remaining hands-on with advanced technical troubleshooting.
• Strong hands-on experience with PIV, certificates, smart card authentication, and Windows trust environments.
• Deep experience troubleshooting authentication failures, smart card logon issues, certificate validation, middleware, Active Directory, Group Policy, certificate authorities, and CRL/OCSP validation.
• Experience leading escalations and root-cause investigations in enterprise/federal environments.
• Proficiency in ServiceNow or similar ITSM tools.
• Ability to obtain/maintain Public Trust clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting VA identity systems, PIV environments, or ICAM workflows.
• Understanding of HSPD-12, FIPS 201, NIST SP 800-63 and related federal identity standards.
• Previous work with certificate authority platforms (Entrust, HID/ActivID, RSA, etc.).
• Familiarity with secure email (S/MIME) and authentication integrations with cloud services.
• ITIL v4 certification.
• Familiarity with secure email (S/MIME) and authentication integrations with cloud services.

Core Competencies

• Expert-level troubleshooting & analytical thinking.
• Strong leadership for technical teams.
• Tier 3/Tier 4 technical support expertise.
• Clear communication of complex issues to non-technical stakeholders.
• Process rigor (ITIL, RCA, documentation).
• Root cause analysis and problem management.
• Cross-team collaboration with Engineering and Identity Management.
• Cross-team collaboration & diplomacy in high-visibility escalations.

Compensation Range: $80,000 - $90,000

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