IT Services Escalation Manager

Job description

AHEAD builds platforms for digital business. By weaving together advances in cloud infrastructure, automation and analytics, and software delivery, we help enterprises deliver on the promise of digital transformation. At AHEAD, we prioritize creating a culture of belonging, where all perspectives and voices are represented, valued, respected, and heard. We create spaces to empower everyone to speak up, make change, and drive the culture at AHEAD. We are an equal opportunity employer, and do not discriminate based on an individual's race, national origin, color, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, marital status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law, whether actual or perceived. ***We embrace all candidates that will contribute to the diversification and enrichment of ideas and perspectives at AHEAD.*** The IT Services Escalation Manager (internally known as Client Assurance Resolution Leader), is responsible for driving the end-to-end management and resolution of critical client escalations while advancing quality, operational excellence, and continual improvement across AHEAD’s Service Deliver organization. This role ensures that client-impacting issues are swiftly contained, root causes are identified, and long-term corrective actions are implemented through disciplined quality and service improvement practices. The Resolution Leader acts as the central point of accountability during high-visibility situations—bridging AHEAD’s delivery, engineering, and client success teams to restore confidence, strengthen relationships, and drive sustainable improvements. ### Roles & Responsibilities **Escalation Leadership & Resolution Management** - Lead critical, high-impact client escalations from initiation through closure, ensuring containment, clarity, and complete resolution. - Serve as the single point of accountability for escalation resolution, coordinating cross-functional response teams across Engineering, Delivery, Operations, and Client Success. - Provide structured escalation management, including clear recovery plans, ownership assignments, and communication cadences. - Facilitate daily or weekly stand-ups, executive briefings, and client updates for active escalations. **Quality Management & Root Cause Analysis** - Drive structured Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA) for all major client incidents. - Embed quality management practices in every stage of escalation handling, ensuring data-driven and sustainable resolutions. - Partner with Product, Service Delivery, and Quality teams to identify recurring issues and integrate findings into the AHEAD Quality Management System (QMS). - Lead post-incident reviews and “lessons learned” sessions to strengthen AHEAD’s quality culture and client assurance model. **Continual Improvement & Process Excellence** - Identify systemic challenges, process gaps, and improvement opportunities across escalation management and service delivery. - Collaborate with the Continual Improvement and Operational Excellence teams to enhance Client Assurance processes, tools, and frameworks. - Develop and execute improvement plans aligned with AHEAD’s CX Quality Objectives, measuring outcomes through defined KPIs (e.g., time-to-resolution, CSAT, recurrence rates). - Promote knowledge sharing, best practices, and proactive risk mitigation across teams to prevent future escalations. **Client Communication & Advocacy** - Act as a trusted advisor and advocate for clients, ensuring transparent, empathetic, and outcome-oriented communication throughout the resolution process. - Represent client perspectives in internal governance meetings and improvement forums. - Reinforce client trust by ensuring accountability, responsiveness, and continuous follow-up until full closure. **Governance, Metrics & Reporting** - Track and analyze escalation performance metrics including time-to-resolution, RCA completion, and post-resolution client satisfaction. - Prepare and present executive summaries and performance insights to leadership and governance boards. - Ensure alignment with AHEAD’s Client Assurance Program, Quality, and Service Excellence standards. - Contribute to quarterly and annual program reviews to highlight systemic improvements and quality outcomes. ### Qualifications **Education and Experience** - Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Information Technology, Business, or related field (Master’s preferred). - 8+ years of experience in Client Experience, Technical Support, Quality Management, or Service Operations leadership roles within IT services or consulting. - Proven success managing complex client escalations and driving cross-functional process improvement initiatives. **Knowledge, Skills, Abilities** - Strong understanding of AHEAD’s technology, cloud, and service delivery ecosystem. - Expertise in RCA, CAPA, ITIL, and continual improvement methodologies