IT Service Desk Lead

• We are seeking a hands-on and service-oriented Infrastructure Engineer to lead our IT service desk while providing deep technical expertise across Kearney’s secure Microsoft government cloud environment. This corporate role is designed for an experienced IT professional who combines people leadership with strong Microsoft systems administration capabilities and is equally comfortable leading a team and personally resolving complex technical issues. Reporting to the IT Manager, this role will have direct reports and will play an important role in strengthening our internal IT capabilities, improving service delivery, and supporting our federal contracting environment. The position is based in Arlington, VA and requires five days per week in the office for the first 6-9 weeks.

We want to hear from you if you\:

• Have 5+ years of relevant IT experience, including at least 2 years of experience leading people or a service desk function, with demonstrated hands-on systems administration experience.

• Have deep, hands-on experience administering Microsoft 365 GCC-H, including Microsoft 365 Admin Portal, Intune, Entra ID, Defender, Teams, SharePoint, Exchange, and Microsoft Azure. Have direct experience operating and supporting secure government cloud environments subject to DoD Impact Level 4/5 (IL4/IL5) requirements.

• Have direct, practical experience working within environments subject to NIST SP 800-171 requirements and understand how those requirements affect day-to-day IT administration and operations.

• Have recent, hands-on experience supporting or completing a CMMC audit/assessment, with a strong understanding of the processes, controls, documentation, and operational rigor required in a CMMC-regulated environment.

• Have experience working within a federal government, DoD contractor, or similar regulated government contracting environment.

• Demonstrate strong systems administration experience, including managing computers, applications, accounts, users, virtual machines, and end-user devices.

• Have experience leading a service desk or help desk function, including Tier 1 through Tier 3 support, ticket triage, prioritization, work allocation, escalation management, and accountability for timely resolution.

• Are a true player-coach who is motivated to lead others while remaining hands-on and personally resolving complex technical issues.

• Demonstrate exceptional customer service skills and a strong sense of ownership and urgency around resolving user issues and closing tickets.

• Communicate complex technical and compliance-related concepts clearly and effectively, adapting your communication style to technical and non-technical audiences.

• Bring strong problem-solving, analytical, organizational, and prioritization skills.

• Are comfortable working onsite at our Arlington, VA office five days per week during the ramp-up period.

• Hold or are eligible to hold a US SECRET security clearance.

• Hold an active Security+ certification or an equivalent relevant security credential; this is preferred but not required.

• Have Information Systems Security Manager (ISSM) experience; this is preferred but not required.

• Recent Microsoft certification earned within the last three years is preferred; one certification is ideal, though certifications earned within the last five years are acceptable. Relevant certifications include SC-300, MD-101 (now MD-102), MS-102, and AZ-900.

Key Responsibilities\:

Service Desk Leadership & Operations

• Lead the day-to-day operations of the IT service desk, providing direct people leadership, coaching, direction, and accountability to team members.

• Oversee Tier 1 through Tier 3 support, ensuring issues are appropriately assigned, escalated, and resolved based on urgency, business impact, and technical complexity.

• Manage service desk ticket queues and establish clear priorities to ensure requests are addressed efficiently and tickets are driven through timely closure.

• Distribute work effectively across the team while personally taking ownership of complex or higher-tier technical issues requiring deeper technical expertise.

• Build a service-oriented culture centered on responsiveness, accountability, high-quality support, and continuous improvement.

• Establish and maintain effective service desk processes, workflows, documentation, and escalation procedures.

• Identify recurring issues and opportunities to improve service delivery, reduce resolution times, and enhance the overall end-user experience.

Microsoft 365 GCC-High and Azure Government Technical Oversight

• Serve as a hands-on technical expert across Kearney’s secure Microsoft environment, including Microsoft 365, Microsoft 365 GCC High, Azure Government, Microsoft Entra, Microsoft Intune, and other services within the Microsoft ecosystem.

• Administer and support computers, applications, user accounts, access, devices, and other components of the Microsoft technology environment.

• Manage end-user computing activities, including laptop configuration, imaging, deployment, troubleshooting, and ongoing device management.

• Build, administer, and troubleshoot virtual machines and related Microsoft infrastructure.

• Use Microsoft Intune to administer devices and applications and support effective management of the end-user computing environment.

• Administer identity and access capabilities through Microsoft Entra and troubleshoot complex identity, account, access, and authentication issues.

• Diagnose and resolve complex Microsoft systems and infrastructure issues requiring escalation beyond standard service desk support.

• Maintain effective technical administration of Microsoft government cloud environments in alignment with applicable federal and DoD requirements.

• Develop internal technical capability and knowledge to reduce reliance on external managed service providers where appropriate.

CMMC, NIST & DoD Environment Support

• Apply direct experience with CMMC, NIST SP 800-171, and DoD IL4/IL5 requirements to the administration and operation of Kearney’s secure IT environment.

• Support ongoing CMMC audit and assessment readiness, ensuring relevant IT processes, technical practices, controls, and supporting documentation are consistently maintained.

• Translate compliance requirements into practical day-to-day IT administration and service desk processes.

• Partner with cybersecurity and other IT stakeholders to ensure systems administration and service desk activities support applicable federal contractor and DoD requirements.

• Maintain appropriate rigor across identity and access management, device management, application administration, systems configuration, documentation, and other IT operational processes.

• Assist with identifying and remediating technology or operational gaps that could affect CMMC, NIST SP 800-171, or other applicable federal compliance requirements.

• Support internal and external assessments by providing technical knowledge, documentation, and evidence related to applicable IT systems, processes, and controls.

People Leadership & Team Development

• Provide direct leadership and day-to-day management to assigned IT team members.

• Set clear expectations, provide ongoing coaching and feedback, and hold team members accountable for service quality and timely execution.

• Develop the technical capabilities of the team through hands-on coaching, knowledge sharing, and effective delegation.

• Balance leadership responsibilities with direct technical execution, stepping into operational work when needed rather than operating solely as a people manager.

• Foster collaboration across IT and with internal stakeholders to deliver a consistent, high-quality technology experience.

Stakeholder Support & Operational Excellence

• Build trusted relationships with internal stakeholders by providing responsive, practical, and solutions-oriented IT support.

• Communicate technical issues, compliance requirements, risks, priorities, and resolutions effectively to audiences with varying levels of technical knowledge.

• Partner closely with cybersecurity and other IT stakeholders while maintaining clear ownership of service desk and Microsoft administration responsibilities.

• Evaluate recurring issues and service trends to identify opportunities for process improvement, automation, and long-term capability building.

• Support the continued evolution of Kearney’s internal IT operating model and help strengthen capabilities currently supplemented by external service providers.

Who You Are

After 100 years, we know this business is fundamentally about making connections—between facts, figures, insights, strategies, tools, technologies, and above all, people. That’s why we look for collaborative, insightful, and inquisitive problem-solvers who don’t accept the first thing in front of them and who are always unapologetically themselves.

What we can offer you

Every day, our people work to be the difference for our clients, our communities, and our colleagues. Helping them to make an impact, they are sustained by a competitive remuneration package plus comprehensive benefits and perks, including but not limited to\:

• Generous retirement/pension saving contributions

• Comprehensive medical insurance for employees and their families

• Structured and on-the-job learning and development opportunities

• Personalized opportunities to help you chart a unique journey to pursue your own personal and professional goals

• Learn more at Kearney.com/careers.

IT Service Desk Lead compensation range\: $145K-$160K

It is important to note that at Kearney, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at the top of the range for their role. Individual salaries within each range are determined through a wide variety of factors, including but not limited to education, experience, knowledge, and skills. Kearney reviews compensation regularly and may adjust base salaries to reflect market competitiveness. In addition to salary, individuals may be eligible for a discretionary performance bonus. Our full suite of benefits includes paid time off, paid sick leave, 401(k) match and profit sharing, medical, dental, and vision coverage, healthcare concierge services, backup child/adult care, annual employer HSA contributions, a home office stipend, subsidized gym membership, an annual wellness program, and leaves of absence when needed to support employees’ physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

Equal employment opportunity and non-discrimination

Kearney prides itself on providing a culture where our employees belong and thrive equally, which means our people feel comfort, confidence, and joy as they do great things for our firm, our colleagues, and our clients. That’s why Kearney is committed to building a diverse workforce and inclusive environment. Kearney is an equal opportunity employer; we recruit, hire, train, promote, develop, and provide other conditions of employment without regard to a person’s gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, race or ethnicity, religion, age, national origin, disability, marital status, pregnancy status, veteran status, genetic information, or any other differences consistent with applicable laws. This includes providing reasonable accommodation for disabilities or religious beliefs and practices. We encourage everyone to apply, including those who may not feel historically represented in consulting. #LI-DNP

• We are seeking a hands-on and service-oriented Infrastructure Engineer to lead our IT service desk while providing deep technical expertise across Kearney’s secure Microsoft government cloud environment. This corporate role is designed for an experienced IT professional who combines people leadership with strong Microsoft systems administration capabilities and is equally comfortable leading a team and personally resolving complex technical issues. Reporting to the IT Manager, this role will have direct reports and will play an important role in strengthening our internal IT capabilities, improving service delivery, and supporting our federal contracting environment. The position is based in Arlington, VA and requires five days per week in the office for the first 6-9 weeks.

We want to hear from you if you\:

• Have 5+ years of relevant IT experience, including at least 2 years of experience leading people or a service desk function, with demonstrated hands-on systems administration experience.

• Have deep, hands-on experience administering Microsoft 365 GCC-H, including Microsoft 365 Admin Portal, Intune, Entra ID, Defender, Teams, SharePoint, Exchange, and Microsoft Azure. Have direct experience operating and supporting secure government cloud environments subject to DoD Impact Level 4/5 (IL4/IL5) requirements.

• Have direct, practical experience working within environments subject to NIST SP 800-171 requirements and understand how those requirements affect day-to-day IT administration and operations.

• Have recent, hands-on experience supporting or completing a CMMC audit/assessment, with a strong understanding of the processes, controls, documentation, and operational rigor required in a CMMC-regulated environment.

• Have experience working within a federal government, DoD contractor, or similar regulated government contracting environment.

• Demonstrate strong systems administration experience, including managing computers, applications, accounts, users, virtual machines, and end-user devices.

• Have experience leading a service desk or help desk function, including Tier 1 through Tier 3 support, ticket triage, prioritization, work allocation, escalation management, and accountability for timely resolution.

• Are a true player-coach who is motivated to lead others while remaining hands-on and personally resolving complex technical issues.

• Demonstrate exceptional customer service skills and a strong sense of ownership and urgency around resolving user issues and closing tickets.

• Communicate complex technical and compliance-related concepts clearly and effectively, adapting your communication style to technical and non-technical audiences.

• Bring strong problem-solving, analytical, organizational, and prioritization skills.

• Are comfortable working onsite at our Arlington, VA office five days per week during the ramp-up period.

• Hold or are eligible to hold a US SECRET security clearance.

• Hold an active Security+ certification or an equivalent relevant security credential; this is preferred but not required.

• Have Information Systems Security Manager (ISSM) experience; this is preferred but not required.

• Recent Microsoft certification earned within the last three years is preferred; one certification is ideal, though certifications earned within the last five years are acceptable. Relevant certifications include SC-300, MD-101 (now MD-102), MS-102, and AZ-900.

Key Responsibilities\:

Service Desk Leadership & Operations

• Lead the day-to-day operations of the IT service desk, providing direct people leadership, coaching, direction, and accountability to team members.

• Oversee Tier 1 through Tier 3 support, ensuring issues are appropriately assigned, escalated, and resolved based on urgency, business impact, and technical complexity.

• Manage service desk ticket queues and establish clear priorities to ensure requests are addressed efficiently and tickets are driven through timely closure.

• Distribute work effectively across the team while personally taking ownership of complex or higher-tier technical issues requiring deeper technical expertise.

• Build a service-oriented culture centered on responsiveness, accountability, high-quality support, and continuous improvement.

• Establish and maintain effective service desk processes, workflows, documentation, and escalation procedures.

• Identify recurring issues and opportunities to improve service delivery, reduce resolution times, and enhance the overall end-user experience.

Microsoft 365 GCC-High and Azure Government Technical Oversight

• Serve as a hands-on technical expert across Kearney’s secure Microsoft environment, including Microsoft 365, Microsoft 365 GCC High, Azure Government, Microsoft Entra, Microsoft Intune, and other services within the Microsoft ecosystem.

• Administer and support computers, applications, user accounts, access, devices, and other components of the Microsoft technology environment.

• Manage end-user computing activities, including laptop configuration, imaging, deployment, troubleshooting, and ongoing device management.

• Build, administer, and troubleshoot virtual machines and related Microsoft infrastructure.

• Use Microsoft Intune to administer devices and applications and support effective management of the end-user computing environment.

• Administer identity and access capabilities through Microsoft Entra and troubleshoot complex identity, account, access, and authentication issues.

• Diagnose and resolve complex Microsoft systems and infrastructure issues requiring escalation beyond standard service desk support.

• Maintain effective technical administration of Microsoft government cloud environments in alignment with applicable federal and DoD requirements.

• Develop internal technical capability and knowledge to reduce reliance on external managed service providers where appropriate.

CMMC, NIST & DoD Environment Support

• Apply direct experience with CMMC, NIST SP 800-171, and DoD IL4/IL5 requirements to the administration and operation of Kearney’s secure IT environment.

• Support ongoing CMMC audit and assessment readiness, ensuring relevant IT processes, technical practices, controls, and supporting documentation are consistently maintained.

• Translate compliance requirements into practical day-to-day IT administration and service desk processes.

• Partner with cybersecurity and other IT stakeholders to ensure systems administration and service desk activities support applicable federal contractor and DoD requirements.

• Maintain appropriate rigor across identity and access management, device management, application administration, systems configuration, documentation, and other IT operational processes.

• Assist with identifying and remediating technology or operational gaps that could affect CMMC, NIST SP 800-171, or other applicable federal compliance requirements.

• Support internal and external assessments by providing technical knowledge, documentation, and evidence related to applicable IT systems, processes, and controls.

People Leadership & Team Development

• Provide direct leadership and day-to-day management to assigned IT team members.

• Set clear expectations, provide ongoing coaching and feedback, and hold team members accountable for service quality and timely execution.

• Develop the technical capabilities of the team through hands-on coaching, knowledge sharing, and effective delegation.

• Balance leadership responsibilities with direct technical execution, stepping into operational work when needed rather than operating solely as a people manager.

• Foster collaboration across IT and with internal stakeholders to deliver a consistent, high-quality technology experience.

Stakeholder Support & Operational Excellence

• Build trusted relationships with internal stakeholders by providing responsive, practical, and solutions-oriented IT support.

• Communicate technical issues, compliance requirements, risks, priorities, and resolutions effectively to audiences with varying levels of technical knowledge.

• Partner closely with cybersecurity and other IT stakeholders while maintaining clear ownership of service desk and Microsoft administration responsibilities.

• Evaluate recurring issues and service trends to identify opportunities for process improvement, automation, and long-term capability building.

• Support the continued evolution of Kearney’s internal IT operating model and help strengthen capabilities currently supplemented by external service providers.

Who You Are

After 100 years, we know this business is fundamentally about making connections—between facts, figures, insights, strategies, tools, technologies, and above all, people. That’s why we look for collaborative, insightful, and inquisitive problem-solvers who don’t accept the first thing in front of them and who are always unapologetically themselves.

What we can offer you

Every day, our people work to be the difference for our clients, our communities, and our colleagues. Helping them to make an impact, they are sustained by a competitive remuneration package plus comprehensive benefits and perks, including but not limited to\:

• Generous retirement/pension saving contributions

• Comprehensive medical insurance for employees and their families

• Structured and on-the-job learning and development opportunities

• Personalized opportunities to help you chart a unique journey to pursue your own personal and professional goals

• Learn more at Kearney.com/careers.

IT Service Desk Lead compensation range\: $145K-$160K

It is important to note that at Kearney, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at the top of the range for their role. Individual salaries within each range are determined through a wide variety of factors, including but not limited to education, experience, knowledge, and skills. Kearney reviews compensation regularly and may adjust base salaries to reflect market competitiveness. In addition to salary, individuals may be eligible for a discretionary performance bonus. Our full suite of benefits includes paid time off, paid sick leave, 401(k) match and profit sharing, medical, dental, and vision coverage, healthcare concierge services, backup child/adult care, annual employer HSA contributions, a home office stipend, subsidized gym membership, an annual wellness program, and leaves of absence when needed to support employees’ physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

Equal employment opportunity and non-discrimination

Kearney prides itself on providing a culture where our employees belong and thrive equally, which means our people feel comfort, confidence, and joy as they do great things for our firm, our colleagues, and our clients. That’s why Kearney is committed to building a diverse workforce and inclusive environment. Kearney is an equal opportunity employer; we recruit, hire, train, promote, develop, and provide other conditions of employment without regard to a person’s gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, race or ethnicity, religion, age, national origin, disability, marital status, pregnancy status, veteran status, genetic information, or any other differences consistent with applicable laws. This includes providing reasonable accommodation for disabilities or religious beliefs and practices. We encourage everyone to apply, including those who may not feel historically represented in consulting. #LI-DNP