IT Service Team Leader, Cincinnati

We are Kao, listed as one of the world’s most ethical companies for the last 19 years.

Our brand portfolio spans across three sectors; Consumer Care (John Frieda, Bondi Sands, Bioré, Jergens, Curél), Professional Hair (Goldwell, Oribe, KMS Hair, Kerasilk), and Molton Brown.

Our corporate philosophy, the Kao Way, guides us in everything we do – acting with integrity, courageously driving innovation, and treating each other with trust and respect.

About our role:

The IT Service Team Leader (known as OneDesk inside the company) provides regional leadership for IT service desk services across AEMEA, covering Service Desk, End User Computing, and Site Support. You are accountable for the quality, performance, and continuous improvement of services delivered through a managed service provider model, ensuring they are aligned with business priorities, governed effectively, and delivered consistently.

Acting as the primary link between the business and Enterprise Infrastructure Services (EIS), this role represents business needs within EIS and communicates service direction back to the business. It oversees day-to-day service desk delivery, supports decision-making in non-standard situations, manages exceptional business requests, and works with stakeholders, IOM architects, service teams, and external providers to improve service quality, shape roadmaps, and enhance the end-user experience. The role also defines and maintains standards for end-user compute technologies, including PCs, tablets, and smartphones, within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.

At Kao, we offer amazing benefits that are available to you on your first day of employment (healthcare, 401(k) plus company match, etc.), 36 total days off (vacation + holidays + sick) and a competitive salary range of $85,000 - $100,000. We also offer a hybrid work schedule.

What you will do:

Build and maintain strong relationships between business stakeholders and Enterprise Infrastructure Services across the AEMEA region.
Provide day-to-day oversight and direction for OneDesk services, including Service Desk, End User Computing, and Site Support, in line with business priorities and enterprise standards.
Govern managed service provider performance and delivery quality, including user satisfaction, operational stability, service-level compliance, continuous improvement, and decisions in non-standard or out-of-scope situations.
Manage demand intake, prioritization, and governance for workplace and infrastructure initiatives, balancing exceptional business requests with operational delivery priorities.
Coordinate and oversee delivery of projects and service improvements, ensuring effective execution and smooth transition into operations.
Define and drive standards, governance, and lifecycle direction for end-user compute technology (PCs, tablets, and smartphones) across the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.
Drive continuous improvement through service metrics, user feedback, and performance data to enhance service quality and user experience.
Support budget forecasting and technology-refresh (hardware lifecycle) planning for the OneDesk area.
Collaborate with the IOM architects (security, network, and server) to build a portfolio of services that meets business requirements.

What you will need:

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, System Analysis, or a related field; equivalent relevant experience will also be considered.
Significant experience in Information Technology, including project management, business analysis, and service delivery in complex environments.
Experience in global or multi-regional environments with cross-functional stakeholder exposure.
Strong working knowledge of IT service management practices, with ITIL certification strongly preferred.
Strong stakeholder management, communication, and influencing skills, including confidence in working with senior leaders.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate business needs into practical service solutions.
Strong experience governing managed service providers, including service quality, delivery performance, provider management, and continuous improvement.
Solid understanding of service metrics, key performance indicators, and service levels to drive operational improvement.
Experience owning IT budget forecasting and technology-refresh (hardware lifecycle) planning.
Strong knowledge of the Microsoft end-user computing environment, including technologies such as Intune, Autopilot, Entra ID, Microsoft 365, and endpoint management in an enterprise setting.
Experience defining and operationalizing end-user computing standards for PCs, tablets, and smartphones in a Microsoft 365 environment (e.g., Intune/Autopilot, MDM/MAM, security baselines, device lifecycle management, and compliance).
Power BI knowledge preferred.
Familiarity with Mac OS, including support considerations for Apple devices within an enterprise workplace.

Why join this role:

Own and shape how workplace and infrastructure services are delivered across AEMEA.
High visibility across multiple brands, functions, and regions.
Strong exposure to senior business and IT stakeholders.
Ability to shape service direction, improve user experience, and support service transformation in a global environment.
Collaborative international setting with responsibility for critical services delivered through external partners.
Autonomy to run the OneDesk service area end to end, with real ownership and decision-making.

At Kao, we believe the diversity of our teams strengthens our global mission. Here we trust and respect each other, collaborating in a friendly and inclusive work environment to achieve great results.

What you can expect from us:

An entrepreneurial environment where passionate and innovative teams come together.
Respect, teamwork and collaboration are at the heart of how we work.
A workplace culture that prioritizes employee wellbeing
A broad range of benefits, including flexible working, competitive salaries, health and wellbeing offers, retirement, insurance options, and more…
Learning and development opportunities

Your voice matters here — we value entrepreneurial thinking and innovation from our teams.

To find out why 33,000 people across the Globe work at Kao please visit:

https://www.kao.com/americas/en/careers/

Discover careers at Kao and how we live our purpose, Kirei – Making Life Beautiful.https://kao.voyse.io/

Kao is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disabled and veterans.

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