Posted 19 August, 2026
Service Desk Lead
Applegreen
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Full Time
Reference: 709063878
Role Introduction:
Established in 1992, Applegreen is a leading convenience roadside retailer in the Republic of Ireland, the UK and the US in both large-scale Motorway Service Areas and Travel Plazas, as well as smaller petrol stations. The business has grown to over €4BN in annual revenue, operating 600 Motorway Service Plazas and forecourt sites internationally and employing over 17,000 people.
Applegreen is in a rapid growth phase and to support this ambitious growth, we are seeking to onboard a Service Desk Lead to join our team.
This role will form part of the IT Operations team and reports to the Service Delivery Manager. The successful candidate will be a confident people person who can fit into Applegreenseamlessly and adopt a hands-on approach to their role.
Key Responsibilities:
• Lead the day-to-day operation of the IT Service Desk, ensuring incidents, requests and escalations are managed within agreed service levels.
• Manage, coach and develop Service Desk Technicians, building technical capability, customer focus and consistent ways of working.
• Act as an escalation point for complex, high-priority and major incidents, coordinating internal teams, third-party partners and stakeholders through to resolution.
• Monitor queue performance, ticket quality, SLA adherence and aged tickets, taking proactive action to maintain service standards.
• Produce high-level service reporting on team performance, service trends, SLA performance and improvement areas.
• Support resource planning, workload distribution, cover arrangements and prioritisation of urgent business needs.
• Develop service desk processes, knowledge articles, reporting, service improvements and operational standards with the Service Delivery Manager.
• Build strong working relationships with key business users and IT colleagues to ensure support requirements are understood, prioritised and communicated clearly.
• Work with third-party vendors and service partners to support supplier performance, escalations and SLA management.
• Contribute to incident reviews, problem management and continuous improvement, identifying recurring issues and opportunities to improve the user experience.
The Candidate should have the following:
Qualifications, experience & skills
• Previous experience in an IT Service Desk, Desktop Support or IT Operations environment, with experience leading or mentoring a team.
• Strong technical understanding of end-user computing, Microsoft 365, Windows devices, mobile devices, networking fundamentals and common retail / site technology support processes.
• Strong understanding of retail environments, with a genuine interest in complex retail IT operations and the technology dependencies that support trading, customer service and operational continuity.
• Experience working with third-party vendors and managed service providers, including coordinating escalations, tracking service commitments and supporting multiple SLA streams.
• Experience working with and managing ITSM or ticket management tools (Freshservice, ServiceNow etc.), with a strong understanding of incident, request, escalation and knowledge management practices.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain technical issues clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Ability to prioritise competing demands, manage escalations calmly and maintain service quality in a fast-paced operational environment.
• A relevant third-level qualification in IT, Computer Science or a related discipline, or equivalent experience.
Additional key skills & attributes:
• A dynamic individual who adapts well to change and can thrive in a rapidly growing organisation that continues to evolve.
• Proven track record of delivering to tight deadlines.
• A highly organised individual with ability to plan and prioritise workloads effectively for maximum impact and adapt around changing priorities as required.
• Ability to execute directly at high quality and pace.
• Excellent drive, enthusiasm and commitment and a keen interest in developing a career in Applegreen.
• A 'can do' attitude and a positive solution focused mindset.
• Has strong commercial acumen and a focus on delivering value to the business.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, and ability to engage and develop relationships with individuals at all levels of the organisation.
• Be a self-starter, and also be able to work collaboratively as a member of a highly interdependent team across many parts of Applegreen.
• Is resilient, calm under pressure and comfortable dealing with ambiguity.
• Has sound judgement and objective logical decision-making skills.
• Has strong leadership potential and management skills, who will be a role model for the people and culture at Applegreen.
• Willing to travel ad hoc if required in addition to supporting out of hours as required.
Illustrative Application & Screening Process (subject to change):
• Application Process:
o Please submit an up to date tailored CV (max 2 pages).
• Interview & Selection Process:
o Two interview rounds will be required for this role.
Established in 1992, Applegreen is a leading convenience roadside retailer in the Republic of Ireland, the UK and the US in both large-scale Motorway Service Areas and Travel Plazas, as well as smaller petrol stations. The business has grown to over €4BN in annual revenue, operating 600 Motorway Service Plazas and forecourt sites internationally and employing over 17,000 people.
Applegreen is in a rapid growth phase and to support this ambitious growth, we are seeking to onboard a Service Desk Lead to join our team.
This role will form part of the IT Operations team and reports to the Service Delivery Manager. The successful candidate will be a confident people person who can fit into Applegreenseamlessly and adopt a hands-on approach to their role.
Key Responsibilities:
• Lead the day-to-day operation of the IT Service Desk, ensuring incidents, requests and escalations are managed within agreed service levels.
• Manage, coach and develop Service Desk Technicians, building technical capability, customer focus and consistent ways of working.
• Act as an escalation point for complex, high-priority and major incidents, coordinating internal teams, third-party partners and stakeholders through to resolution.
• Monitor queue performance, ticket quality, SLA adherence and aged tickets, taking proactive action to maintain service standards.
• Produce high-level service reporting on team performance, service trends, SLA performance and improvement areas.
• Support resource planning, workload distribution, cover arrangements and prioritisation of urgent business needs.
• Develop service desk processes, knowledge articles, reporting, service improvements and operational standards with the Service Delivery Manager.
• Build strong working relationships with key business users and IT colleagues to ensure support requirements are understood, prioritised and communicated clearly.
• Work with third-party vendors and service partners to support supplier performance, escalations and SLA management.
• Contribute to incident reviews, problem management and continuous improvement, identifying recurring issues and opportunities to improve the user experience.
The Candidate should have the following:
Qualifications, experience & skills
• Previous experience in an IT Service Desk, Desktop Support or IT Operations environment, with experience leading or mentoring a team.
• Strong technical understanding of end-user computing, Microsoft 365, Windows devices, mobile devices, networking fundamentals and common retail / site technology support processes.
• Strong understanding of retail environments, with a genuine interest in complex retail IT operations and the technology dependencies that support trading, customer service and operational continuity.
• Experience working with third-party vendors and managed service providers, including coordinating escalations, tracking service commitments and supporting multiple SLA streams.
• Experience working with and managing ITSM or ticket management tools (Freshservice, ServiceNow etc.), with a strong understanding of incident, request, escalation and knowledge management practices.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain technical issues clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Ability to prioritise competing demands, manage escalations calmly and maintain service quality in a fast-paced operational environment.
• A relevant third-level qualification in IT, Computer Science or a related discipline, or equivalent experience.
Additional key skills & attributes:
• A dynamic individual who adapts well to change and can thrive in a rapidly growing organisation that continues to evolve.
• Proven track record of delivering to tight deadlines.
• A highly organised individual with ability to plan and prioritise workloads effectively for maximum impact and adapt around changing priorities as required.
• Ability to execute directly at high quality and pace.
• Excellent drive, enthusiasm and commitment and a keen interest in developing a career in Applegreen.
• A 'can do' attitude and a positive solution focused mindset.
• Has strong commercial acumen and a focus on delivering value to the business.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, and ability to engage and develop relationships with individuals at all levels of the organisation.
• Be a self-starter, and also be able to work collaboratively as a member of a highly interdependent team across many parts of Applegreen.
• Is resilient, calm under pressure and comfortable dealing with ambiguity.
• Has sound judgement and objective logical decision-making skills.
• Has strong leadership potential and management skills, who will be a role model for the people and culture at Applegreen.
• Willing to travel ad hoc if required in addition to supporting out of hours as required.
Illustrative Application & Screening Process (subject to change):
• Application Process:
o Please submit an up to date tailored CV (max 2 pages).
• Interview & Selection Process:
o Two interview rounds will be required for this role.
