IT Service Desk Queue Specialist

About the Position

Job Title: IT Service Desk Queue Specialist

Job Location: Hybrid - Des Moines, IA, USA

Please note, this role is not able to offer visa transfer or sponsorship now or in the future

We are seeking an experienced IT Service Desk Queue Specialist to manage and govern ITSM ticket queues within a large-scale enterprise Service Desk environment. The ideal candidate will be responsible for ensuring the efficient management of Incident, Service Request, and Task queues, maintaining SLA compliance, driving operational excellence, and serving as a key escalation point for ticket management activities.

This role requires strong expertise in ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus ITSM, ITIL practices, service desk operations, ticket governance, reporting, and stakeholder communication. The successful candidate will work closely with Service Desk analysts, resolver groups, infrastructure teams, application teams, and business stakeholders to ensure service delivery objectives are consistently achieved.

Responsibilities

Queue Management & Ticket Governance

• Monitor, manage, and govern Incident, Service Request, and Task queues within the ServiceDesk Plus ITSM platform.
• Ensure tickets are appropriately categorized, prioritized, assigned, and routed according to defined support processes and service workflows.
• Proactively monitor queue health, identifying aging tickets, backlog risks, unresolved incidents, and potential SLA breaches.
• Conduct regular queue reviews and drive timely ticket progression through all stages of the incident and request lifecycle.
• Balance workload across Service Desk analysts and support teams to ensure optimal resource utilization.
• Validate ticket quality by ensuring accurate documentation, work notes, resolution details, categorization, and closure codes.
• Ensure compliance with organizational ticket management standards, governance controls, and audit requirements.
• Drive continuous queue optimization initiatives to improve efficiency and reduce resolution times.

SLA Monitoring & Operational Performance Management

• Monitor and track SLA compliance across all service desk queues and service categories.
• Take proactive actions to prevent SLA breaches through queue reviews, escalations, and workload balancing.
• Analyze operational metrics and service trends to identify areas requiring improvement.
• Track and report key performance indicators (KPIs), including:
  • First Contact Resolution (FCR)
  • Mean Time to Respond (MTTR)
  • Mean Time to Resolve
  • SLA Compliance
  • Ticket Aging
  • Backlog Volumes
  • Reopened Tickets
  • Escalation Rates
  • Queue Throughput
• Generate and distribute daily, weekly, and monthly operational reports and dashboards.
• Conduct trend analysis to identify recurring incidents, service disruptions, and process improvement opportunities.
• Support management reviews through detailed reporting and service insights.

Escalation & Incident Coordination

• Serve as the primary operational escalation point for ticket queue management issues.
• Coordinate ticket resolution activities across:
  • Service Desk Teams
  • Infrastructure Support
  • Network Operations
  • Cybersecurity Teams
  • Application Support Groups
  • Vendor Management Teams
• Expedite resolution of Priority 1 (P1) and Priority 2 (P2) incidents and business-critical requests.
• Facilitate stakeholder communications during major incidents and service disruptions.
• Ensure escalations follow established ITIL Incident Management and Major Incident Management procedures.
• Participate in bridge calls and incident reviews for high-severity incidents.
• Support Root Cause Analysis (RCA) activities and service restoration efforts.

ServiceDesk Plus Administration & Optimization

• Administer queue configurations, assignment groups, business rules, categories, templates, workflows, and notification settings within ServiceDesk Plus.
• Monitor and optimize ticket routing logic and workflow automation capabilities.
• Support ITSM platform enhancements, process improvements, and automation initiatives.
• Collaborate with ITSM administrators and platform owners to improve:
  • SLA Policies
  • Queue Structures
  • Workflow Automation
  • Reporting Frameworks
  • Ticket Classification Models
• Leverage ServiceDesk Plus dashboards and analytics to improve operational visibility and service performance.
• Assist in testing and deployment of new ServiceDesk Plus enhancements and upgrades.

Reporting, Analytics & Continuous Improvement

• Develop operational dashboards and executive reports using Excel, Power BI, and ServiceDesk Plus reporting capabilities.
• Analyze ticket trends, service performance, workload patterns, and customer experience metrics.
• Identify recurring issues and support Problem Management initiatives.
• Recommend service improvements, process enhancements, and automation opportunities.
• Support knowledge management initiatives designed to improve First Contact Resolution and reduce ticket volumes.
• Contribute to Continuous Service Improvement (CSI) programs and operational transformation initiatives.

ITIL Process Compliance

• Ensure adherence to ITIL best practices and organizational ITSM governance standards.
• Support Incident, Request, Problem, Knowledge, and Change Management processes.
• Maintain documentation, standard operating procedures, workflow guides, and operational runbooks.
• Participate in process audits, reviews, and compliance assessments.
• Assist management in implementing operational dashboards and governance mechanisms.

Requirements

Required Skills

• Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Information Systems, or equivalent experience.
• 5-8+ years of experience supporting enterprise Service Desk and ITSM operations.
• Minimum 3+ years of hands-on experience managing ticket queues in ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus or a similar ITSM platform.
• Strong understanding of ITIL service management processes and operational governance.
• Experience working in managed services, outsourcing, public-sector, or large enterprise environments.
• Demonstrated experience managing SLA-driven support operations.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving capabilities.
• Excellent written, verbal, and stakeholder communication skills.

Preferred Skills

• Experience supporting public-sector or government clients.
• Experience in large-scale managed services environments supporting 5,000+ users.
• Exposure to service automation and workflow orchestration initiatives.
• Knowledge of ServiceNow, Jira Service Management, or other ITSM platforms.
• Familiarity with PowerShell, scripting, or automation tools.
• Experience with KPI reporting and executive-level dashboard development.

We Offer

• Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance
• Paid holidays plus Paid Time Off
• 401(k) plan and contributions
• Long-term/Short-term Disability
• Paid Parental Leave
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Work Model

At Cognizant, we strive to provide flexibility wherever possible, and we are here to support a healthy work-life balance through our various wellbeing programs. Based on this role’s business requirements, this is a hybrid role requiring 3 days a week at client site in Des Moines, IA, USA.

The working arrangements for this role are accurate as of the date of posting. This may change based on the project you’re engaged in, as well as business and client requirements. Rest assured; we will always be clear about role expectations.

We're excited to meet people who share our mission and can make an impact in a variety of ways. Don't hesitate to apply, even if you only meet the minimum requirements listed. Think about your transferable experiences and unique skills that make you stand out as someone who can bring new and exciting things to this role.

Disclaimer: The salary, other compensation, and benefits information is accurate as of the date of this posting. Cognizant reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law.

“Cognizant is an equal opportunity employer. Your application and candidacy will not be considered based on race, color, sex, religion, creed, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

About the Company

Cognizant (Nasdaq: CTSH) es un creador de soluciones de IA y proveedor de servicios tecnológicos que conecta la inversión en IA con el valor empresarial mediante el desarrollo de soluciones de IA full‑stack para sus clientes. Su profundo conocimiento de la industria, junto con su experiencia en procesos e ingeniería, permite incorporar el contexto único de cada organización en sistemas tecnológicos que amplifican el potencial humano, generan resultados tangibles y mantienen a las empresas a la vanguardia en un entorno en constante cambio. Más información en cognizant.ai o @cognizant.

Additional Employment Information

La información de compensación es precisa a la fecha de esta publicación. Cognizant se reserva el derecho de modificar esta información en cualquier momento, sujeto a la legislación aplicable.

Es posible que se requiera que los solicitantes asistan a entrevistas en persona o por videoconferencia. Además, es posible que se requiera que los candidatos presenten su identificación actual emitida por el estado o gobierno durante cada entrevista.

Cognizant es un empleador que ofrece igualdad de oportunidades. Tu solicitud y candidatura no serán consideradas en base a raza, color, sexo, religión, credo, orientación sexual, identidad de género, origen nacional, discapacidad, información genética, embarazo, condición de veterano o cualquier otra característica protegida por las leyes federales, estatales o locales.

Si tienes una discapacidad que requiere adaptaciones razonables para buscar una vacante de trabajo o enviar una solicitud, puedes enviar un correo electrónico a [email protected] con tu solicitud e información de contacto.

Benefits That Help You Thrive and Grow

Nuestro programa de beneficios está diseñado pensando en ti, para que puedas disfrutar de una vida plena, equilibrada y saludable.

Financial Well-being

Revisamos regularmente los datos del mercado para asegurarnos de que la compensación refleje el valor que aportas. Tus beneficios van más allá del salario y pueden incluir planes de jubilación, educación financiera, etc.

Physical and Mental Health

Te damos las herramientas para que priorices tu bienestar a través de tiempo libre remunerado, opciones de trabajo flexible cuando sea posible, planes de atención médica, servicios de asesoramiento, nuestro programa de Mental Health Allyship y mucho más.

Your Career, Your Way

Con más de 350,000 puestos en Cognizant, tendrás oportunidades de explorar nuevas tecnologías, industrias y ubicaciones, y desarrollar las habilidades que necesitas para hacer crecer tu carrera.

Real-world Impact

Piensa en las marcas más grandes en las que confías. Lo más probable es que ellas confíen en nosotros para ayudar a fortalecer su negocio. Aquí, convertirás ideas audaces en soluciones que mejoran la vida en todas partes.

Your Path to Cognizant

Esto es lo que puedes esperar de nuestro proceso de contratación. Ten en cuenta que puede variar según el puesto y la ubicación. Explora nuestras preguntas frecuentes para obtener más información.

Step 1: Apply to the Right Opportunity

Encuentra un puesto abierto que coincida con tus habilidades y objetivos profesionales y muéstranos por qué eres la persona indicada para el trabajo. ¿No ves la oportunidad adecuada? Considera unirte a nuestra Comunidad de Talento.

Step 2: Connect with Your Recruiter

Si uno de nuestros reclutadores ve una coincidencia, organizará una breve llamada introductoria para conocer más sobre ti y cómo tus experiencias y habilidades se ajustan al puesto.

Step 3: Showcase Your Skills

Si junto a nuestro equipo desean continuar con el proceso, tendrás una entrevista con nuestro equipo de contratación. Algunos roles también pueden requerir evaluaciones técnicas y/o entrevistas con clientes.

Step 4: Time to Decide

Nuestro equipo revisará entonces el potencial de cada candidato para tener éxito en el puesto. Este paso puede tomar algún tiempo porque queremos encontrar la oportunidad adecuada tanto para ti como para nosotros, pero puedes contar con que te mantendremos informado.

Still Haven't Found the Right Opportunity?

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