Sr. Manager, Service Desk & IT Automation (Hybrid, Bangalore)

Smartsheet is looking for a highly technical Sr. Manager to lead our India-based Service Desk and IT Automation operations. This is a hands-on, working manager role - you will be personally executing technical work (scripting, automation builds, escalated ticket resolution) and leading a team, not just overseeing one. If you're looking for a purely strategic or delegation-only leadership role, this isn't it.

You will manage a team spanning Service Desk, Tier 1 SOC support, and IT Automation Engineering - driving the technical maturity of our global support infrastructure through automation, scripting, deep systems integration, and increasingly, AI-augmented workflows (e.g. intelligent ticket triage, SOC alert summarisation, AI-assisted knowledge base drafting).

This role reports directly to the Director of End User Systems, with close, cooperative partnership with US-based Desktop Support managers.

You Will

IT Automation & Architecture

• Support the IT automation function, driving initiatives that reduce repetitive work and scale operations efficiently
• Identify repetitive Tier 1 tasks and drive end-to-end automation from identification through build, testing, and measurement
• Evaluate and build AI-augmented automation where it reduces toil - e.g. intelligent ticket triage, SOC alert summarisation, AI-assisted knowledge base drafting
• Mentor team on automation best practices and review technical designs before deployment

Team Leadership & Execution

• Manage India-based Service Desk team with daily coordination with US managers
• Ensure clear direction, track progress, remove blockers, and escalate capacity constraints to the Director
• Monitor team performance against SLAs, quality standards, and service desk metrics
• Lead new employee onboarding sessions

Hands-On Technical Contribution

• Resolve tickets across hardware, software, network, and user access; handle overflow and critical issues
• Perform desktop administration: software deployment, system configuration, user provisioning, and hardware lifecycle management
• Create and maintain knowledge base articles and process documentation

Security & People Development

• Oversee Tier 1 SOC operations: triage, alert response, and adherence to incident response playbooks
• Coach, mentor, and support career growth for India-based engineers; hire and develop top technical talent

You Have

Experience

• 8+ years in IT engineering or Service Desk operations, including hands-on automation engineering (scripting, API integrations, or workflow orchestration)
• 4+ years managing or leading technical support teams in matrixed or distributed organizations
• Proven track record delivering cross-functional projects with technical ambiguity

Technical Skills

• Deep proficiency in PowerShell or Python; experience building scalable IT automation workflows
• Strong hands-on experience with Freshservice (or similar ITSM), including workflow orchestration and API integrations
• Experience integrating AI/LLM capabilities into IT workflows via API, SDK, or prompt engineering
• Experience with Active Directory, M365, Jamf, and endpoint management via Intune and/or Jamf
• Working knowledge of EDR platforms, firewalls, and incident response; familiarity with ITIL or equivalent frameworks

Work Style

• Excellent English communication skills; self-motivated with strong follow-through
• Comfortable balancing hands-on technical work with management in a US-directed, India-based structure
• Flexible to accommodate daily cross-timezone coordination (India US)
• Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience
  
  

Note: This role requires daily coordination with US-based teams and flexibility in working hours to accommodate cross-timezone collaboration.