CLIENT EXPERIENCE MANAGER - 40000774

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*Please note this position is subject to close at any time and without prior notification*

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

The purpose of this position is to provide strategic leadership and oversight of client-facing IT support functions, ensuring high-quality, consistent service delivery aligned with organizational goals. The Client Experience Manager will drive the adoption of best practices, emerging technologies, and AI-enabled solutions to improve client-facing service quality, operational efficiency, and user satisfaction. This position works under general supervision and exercises independent judgment in developing methods and approaches to service delivery.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

The essential functions listed below are those that represent the majority of the time spent working in this class. Management may assign additional functions related to the type of work of the class as necessary.

•Champions the transformation of the County’s IT support functions by leveraging automation, AI-powered solutions, and modern service management platforms to improve efficiency, responsiveness, and user experience.

•Evaluates and continuously improves IT service management processes (e.g., incident, request, knowledge, and problem management) using industry frameworks such as ITIL, and drives adoption of service excellence models tailored to evolving business needs.

•Defines and enforces SLAs, KPIs, and operational metrics across all support functions. Regularly analyzes and reports performance data to leadership, using insights to guide improvements in service quality, responsiveness, and team accountability.

•Establishes client-focused service delivery practices by engaging departments, capturing feedback, and proactively aligning support services with County business priorities. Leads initiatives to simplify client interfaces, streamline intake channels, and enhance self-service adoption.

•Provides strategic direction and mentorship to a diverse technical support team, ensuring continuous training, professional development, and alignment with emerging technologies and support trends. Models a culture of collaboration, inclusion, and technical excellence.

•Coordinates planning and deployment of new or upgraded service management tools, ensuring adequate training, documentation, and change readiness across the support organization.

•Develops staffing models, shift schedules, and resourcing plans that support 24/7 availability expectations, while balancing workloads across support tiers and functional areas to ensure service continuity.

•Ensures compliance with internal policies, data protection standards, and County governance protocols. Recommends and enforces operational procedures that promote consistency, reliability, and risk mitigation across all end-user support services.

•Partners with IT leadership, project managers, cybersecurity, and application teams to ensure seamless delivery of IT services that align with broader technology modernization efforts and strategic objectives.

•Performs related work as assigned.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

•Expert-level understanding of IT Service Management (ITSM) frameworks, including ITIL (v4 preferred), with working knowledge of complementary models such as COBIT, ISO/IEC 20000, and VeriSM.

•In-depth expertise in enterprise service platforms, particularly ServiceNow, including incident, request, knowledge, and change modules, with hands-on experience in workflow automation and AI/ML-powered virtual agents and chatbots.

•Strong working knowledge of AI techniques and emerging technologies used to modernize ITSM practices, streamline client service delivery, and drive automation, personalization, and predictive support.

•Comprehensive knowledge of end-user computing environments, including endpoint management, AV system support, mobile device management, and modern collaboration tools.

•Proficient in service analytics and performance monitoring tools, with the ability to analyze trends, conduct root cause analysis, and ensure SLA/KPI compliance.

•Transformational leadership skills, with the ability to inspire high performance, drive organizational change, and foster a culture of accountability and innovation.

•Strategic communication abilities, capable of translating technical concepts into plain language for executive audiences and frontline stakeholders alike.

•Process improvement expertise, including Lean, Six Sigma, or other methodologies relevant to ITSM and customer service optimization. 

•Skilled in implementing and sustaining service delivery best practices and standard operating procedures (SOPs), ensuring consistency, compliance, and quality across all IT support functions.

•Capacity to configure and enhance ServiceNow front-end experiences, including portals, knowledge bases, and virtual agent flows, to improve user experience and service efficiency.

•Foresight to anticipate future technology trends and support needs, proactively designing scalable support models and capacity plans.

•Demonstrated expertise in designing, building, and scaling enterprise service desks using ITIL-aligned practices and modern ITSM technologies, including AI-powered solutions, automation, and self-service enablement.

•Hands-on experience with the ServiceNow platform including configuration, workflow design, reporting, and user interface optimization.

•Proven ability to lead service transformation initiatives, incorporating AI, self-service portals, automation, and knowledge-centered support frameworks.

•Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to influence at all organizational levels and translate technical concepts into clear business language.

•Excellent written communication skills, including the development of user-facing knowledge base content, internal SOPs, and executive-level reporting.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

•Bachelor’s degree in information technology, business administration, or related discipline.

•7+ years of progressive leadership experience in IT service management, end-user support, or enterprise IT operations, including 5+ years in a senior or strategic leadership capacity.

•5+ years of experience directly managing Service Desk and/or Network Operations Center (NOC) functions, with a proven track record of leading high-performing, multi-tiered support teams (onsite and remote).

SPECIAL CERTIFICATIONS AND LICENSES:

•ITIL 4 Foundation certification.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

•Advanced certifications (e.g., ITIL Managing Professional, SIAM, HDI-SDSM, COBIT, or ISO/IEC 20000) strongly preferred.

•Familiarity with public sector or government IT environments, including understanding of compliance, transparency, and service expectations in citizen-facing organizations.

•Experience applying AI/ML tools to streamline service operations, enhance user self-service, or personalize end-user support is highly desirable.

•Practical experience leveraging ITSM toolsets and customer feedback platforms (e.g., CSAT, NPS, sentiment analysis) to inform continuous service improvement.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

Physical demands refer to the requirements for physical exertion and coordination of limb and body movement.

Performs sedentary work that involves walking or standing some of the time and involves exerting up to 10 pounds of force on a regular and recurring basis or sustained keyboard operations.

UNAVOIDABLE HAZARDS (WORK ENVIRONMENT):

Unavoidable hazards refer to the job conditions that may lead to injury or health hazards even though precautions have been taken.

•None.

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT COMPLIANCE:

Durham County is an Equal Opportunity Employer. ADA requires Durham County to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. Prospective and current employees are encouraged to discuss ADA accommodations with management.