Deputy Director for Customer Experience

Deputy Director for Customer Experience
Minimum Requirements

• Experience: 6+ years in IT leadership, with a strong focus on customer success, support operations, or ITSM.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Business Administration, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• Certifications: ITIL v4 Managing Professional or Expert certification preferred.
• Skills: Deep knowledge of ITSM toolsets, strong change management capabilities, and excellent executive communication skills.
• It is the policy of Allegheny County that in order to receive a final offer of employment, candidates must successfully pass a background check, which includes verification of Allegheny County Real Estate Tax Status.

Position Summary
Reporting to the CIO, the Deputy Director for Customer Experience leads the strategy, delivery, and continuous improvement of all IT services that support end users across the County. You will oversee service desk operations, application support, and IT service management (ITSM) to ensure a reliable, high‑quality technology experience for all employees and departments. In this role, you will guide the organization through technology and service transformation, helping staff adopt new tools and processes, strengthening customer service practices, and building an efficient and resilient organization. You’ll set clear direction for teams, build strong relationships with stakeholders, and work to improve service quality, performance, and productivity. A key part of this role is assessing how the department operates today and shaping how it can work better in the future. You will evaluate existing workflows, team structures, and service processes, identifying opportunities to streamline, align, and modernize. As responsibilities grow or shift, you will help integrate new functions and support employees through change in a steady, thoughtful way — focusing on clarity, consistency, and the overall user experience.
Duties

• Lead customer service standards, daily operations, and escalations.
• Oversee service desk and application support to ensure fast, clear issue resolution.
• Manage core ITSM processes and improve workflows and self‑service options.
• Support user adoption of new tools and partner with training teams.
• Oversee hardware/software lifecycles and maintain an accurate CMDB.
• Track KPIs, SLAs, and satisfaction metrics; use insights to drive improvements.
• Mentor staff, build a strong team culture, and manage budgets and vendor relationships.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Knowledge of:

• IT Service Management (ITSM) Leadership: Understanding of ITIL frameworks, incident management, problem resolution and change control practices.
• Customer Experience Principles: Strong grasp of user‑centric design, customer journey mapping, and methods for measuring user sentiment.
• Modern Support Architectures: Familiarity with omni‑channel service desk operations, AI‑driven self‑service tools, and knowledge management systems.
• Asset Lifecycle Management: Comprehension of hardware/software procurement, compliance auditing, and configuration Management Database (CMDB).
• Change Management Frameworks: Understanding of structured methodologies to drive technology adoption and minimize user friction. Lead organizational change around ITSM and customer experience improvements.
• Regulatory and Compliance: Oversee the compliance with IT policies, data privacy, and regulatory requirements.

Skill in:

• Data‑Informed Analysis, Metrics and Outcomes: Utilizing ITSM metrics, SLAs and CSAT/NPS scores to identify trends, manage measurable outcomes, and implement continuous service improvements.
• Strategic Communication: Translating complex technical concepts into clear, non‑technical language for executive stakeholders and end users.
• Team Empowerment: Mentoring, coaching, and developing diverse technical teams into high‑performing customer‑centric units.
• Vendor and Contract Management: Negotiating service contracts and managing third‑party providers to ensure strict adherence to performance standards.
• Conflict Resolution: De‑escalating high‑pressure technical incidents and managing sensitive user complaints with diplomacy and tact.
• Culture Leadership: Drive an inclusive and diverse team culture.

Ability to:

• Cultivate an Experience Culture: Champion a user‑first culture across the entire IT organization, ensuring technical staff prioritize the human element of support.
• Drive Strategic Vision: Align day‑to‑day service desk operations with the long‑term digital transformation goals of the enterprise.
• Adapt to Ambiguity: Pivot quickly during major system outages or rapid organizational shifts while maintaining operational stability.
• Collaborate Across Boundaries: Build strong partnerships with business unit leaders to understand their unique workflows and enablement needs.
• Manage Financial Resources: Oversee complex operational budgets, optimize licensing costs, and justify technology investments based on ROI.
• Continuous Improvement: Lead ongoing processes for continuous improvement, optimization and innovation.