Helpdesk Manager

At CesiumAstro, we are developers and pioneers of out-of-the-box communication systems for satellites, UAVs, launch vehicles, and other space and airborne platforms. We take pride in our dynamic and cross-functional work environment, which allows us to learn, develop, and engage across our organization. If you are looking for hands-on, interactive, and autonomous work, CesiumAstro is the place for you. We are actively seeking passionate, collaborative, energetic, and forward-thinking individuals to join our team.

The Helpdesk Manager leads CesiumAstro's IT Service Desk operations in support of secure, mission-critical aerospace programs. This role owns the end-to-end user support experience for engineering, manufacturing, and corporate teams, ensuring responsive, high-quality, and compliant resolution of incidents and service requests. The Helpdesk Manager establishes service objectives, drives continuous improvement initiatives, and ensures alignment with federal cybersecurity expectations including NIST 800-171 and CMMC. Operating with broad managerial discretion, this position develops staff, standardizes processes, manages performance metrics, and partners cross-functionally to support secure and scalable IT operations.

JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Actively execute and resolve service desk tickets, including complex Tier II/III issues, while overseeing daily triage, prioritization, and escalation management aligned to service level objectives.
• Maintain an individual ticket workload in addition to leadership responsibilities to ensure timely resolution of high-impact and technically complex incidents.
• Monitor ticket metrics and personally lead root cause analysis initiatives to reduce repeat incidents and improve service quality.
• Standardize workflows and knowledge documentation to enable consistent and scalable support across Level I and Level II administrators.
• Provide direct technical guidance and day-to-day mentorship to Level I and Level II Helpdesk Administrators, including side-by-side troubleshooting and coaching during incident resolution.
• Review and validate ticket quality, documentation standards, and resolution approaches to elevate team capability and technical depth.
• Lead performance management, hiring, onboarding, and workforce planning to ensure adequate operational coverage during high-demand periods.
• Ensure support processes and individual ticket execution align with ITAR/EAR regulations and cybersecurity requirements such as NIST 800-171 and CMMC.
• Personally enforce endpoint baselines, access controls, and patch coordination standards while partnering with Information Security to maintain audit readiness.
• Model and reinforce proper handling of controlled data and secure practices across engineering and enterprise environments.
• Serve as escalation point for complex or sensitive user-impacting issues, directly engaging stakeholders to drive resolution and restore operations.
• Provide leadership reporting on ticket trends, workload distribution, and recurring technical issues, while recommending corrective actions.
• Drive service management maturity through automation, improved knowledge management, and hands-on identification of process gaps.
• Support budgeting and vendor coordination for end-user technologies while ensuring practical alignment with daily support realities.
• Oversee endpoint lifecycle management and personally validate deployment standards, imaging processes, and configuration compliance.
• Evaluate and recommend technology solutions that improve team efficiency while maintaining direct awareness of frontline operational challenges.

JOB REQUIREMENTS AND MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field.
• 1-3 years of relevant leadership or management experience.
• Working knowledge of IT service management principles (ITIL concepts preferred).
• Strong understanding of enterprise endpoint support and identity and access management.
• Experience supporting engineering software environments and secure lab infrastructures.
• Ability to interpret and implement cybersecurity and compliance requirements.
• Demonstrated leadership skills including coaching and cross-functional collaboration.
• Experience of overseeing ITSM/ticketing systems such as ServiceNow or Jira Service Management.
• Strong skills in Microsoft 365 including Exchange, Teams, and SharePoint.
• Experience ensuring support with Windows 11, Windows Server, Ubuntu/Linux, and Active Directory.
• Working knowledge of endpoint management tools such as Intune and virtualization platforms such as VMware, and remote support tools and endpoint security platforms.

• Strong analytical thinking and decision-making skills required.
• Ability to lift IT equipment of up to 25 pounds.

$110,000 - $143,000 a year

CesiumAstro considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate's work experience, education/training, and key skills. Full-time employment offers include company stock options and a generous benefits package including health, dental, vision, HSA, FSA, life, disability and retirement plans.

CesiumAstro is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected Veteran Status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Please note: CesiumAstro does not accept unsolicited resumes from contract agencies or search firms. Any unsolicited resumes submitted to our website or to CesiumAstro team members will be considered property of CesiumAstro, and we will not be obligated to pay any referral fees.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.