Senior Helpdesk Manager

WHO WE ARE 
Next Level Games is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nintendo Co., Ltd. 
We’ve been passionate about video game development for 20 years now, shipping award-winning games for fans across the world and still going strong. Some of our titles include Super Mario Strikers, Mario Strikers Charged, Punch-Out!!, Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, Metroid Prime Federation Force, Luigi’s Mansion 3 and most recently Mario Strikers™: Battle League. 
At NLG, we believe that a project finds success when we collaborate. Therefore, we place careful consideration to build an environment where everyone feels welcome and has fun in the process of achieving our shared goals.
WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING
This is a new role, and it's a foundational one. You'll take a support function that has grown organically and turn it into a mature service desk. That means building the model as much as running it: how tickets flow, what we commit to, how we track our hardware, and what “good” looks like when we measure it.
You'll lead a small front-line team and set the standard for how IT shows up for the studio. If you believe great support is a craft rather than a queue, this is your room to build.   You will report to NLG’s IT Director to ensure alignment with the broader studio vision. 
Please note that this is an on-site position, requiring five days per week at our Vancouver studio. 
The Service Model

• Design and run our ticketing workflow end to end — intake, routing, prioritization, escalation
• Build automation into processes to reduce admin and free the team to focus on employee experience
• Define SLAs that matter to the studio and help the team deliver on them
• Establish the KPIs worth tracking — first-contact resolution, time to resolution, backlog health, CSAT — and report on them honestly
• Build out self-service and a knowledge base so common problems stop being tickets at all

• Own all user-facing hardware and software across the studio
• Set the tone for customer service: responsive, human, and genuinely helpful
• Make support proactive, not reactive — regular floor walkabouts, meeting-room and AV health checks, follow-ups after significant issues
• Be the escalation point the studio trusts, and the calm one when something breaks during crunch

Assets and Hardware

• Own workstation and monitor inventory end to end — accurate records, not just a spreadsheet
• Run the hardware refresh cycle, including the judgment call of where machines are best placed to support development and production
• Manage procurement intake, receiving, spares, and disposal

The Team

• Lead, coach, and grow a small front-line team
• Build a rotation and coverage model so knowledge isn't stuck with one person
• Create a genuine development path from the desk into deeper technical work
• Lead by example, consistently demonstrating qualities including flexibility, respect, and kindness, and helping to maintain a culture where we are all responsible for making great games for our players to enjoy

WHO WE'RE LOOKING FOR
This is a support leadership role, not a backend infrastructure one. Servers, storage, networking, and build infrastructure sit with our Systems team. If your goal is to own the studio's support experience and build a service function properly, while leading and engaging a team to high performance, this is the role for you.
IT here isn't a cost centre and doesn't behave like one. We're close to development, we care about how the studio experiences us, and we measure whether we're helping. You'll have the mandate to build this the right way, the support to do it, and IT leadership who has done it before and won't micromanage you through it.
Requirements:

• Proven experience leading or anchoring a service desk in a fast-moving environment
• Hands-on strength across Windows and macOS endpoint support, identity basics (AD/Entra, SSO, MFA), and common studio-adjacent tooling
• Practical ownership of an ITSM/ticketing platform
• A track record of building processes from the ground up and driving adoption across teams
• Asset management experience, including hardware lifecycle and refresh planning
• Genuine customer-service instincts — you understand business needs, take initiative and ownership, and follow through on commitments
• The judgment to know when to be hands-on, when to involve the right people, and when to escalate

Nice to Haves

• Game studio, VFX, animation, or other creative production experience
• Familiarity with high-performance creative workstations, GPUs, and large-file workflows
• Exposure to Perforce or similar version control in a production pipeline
• Scripting or automation ability (PowerShell, Python) for the boring parts
• Experience introducing a service model to a team that didn't have one

WHY YOU'LL LOVE WORKING HERE

• Competitive annual leave and benefits, including discretionary performance bonus program, health coverage and RRSP matching  
• Support for mental health, financial well-being, legal assistance and more through our Employee Assistance Program 
• Access to our in-studio gym and extensive media library  
• Join a committee – board games, sports, or something else – it’s all here!  
• Discounted shopping for Nintendo products and merchandise at the online employee store 
• A workplace that values inclusivity and encourages continuous growth   
• A chance to be part of Nintendo, creating award winning games that make an impact  

The hiring range for this position is $110,000 to $137,500 CAD annually and is subject to change. The final base salary compensation will be based on factors such as skills, education, and experience. 
At NLG, we know the best teams are made up of players with different skills, perspectives, and experience. We're committed to creating a workspace where everyone can contribute and feel included. If you need any accommodations during the hiring process, please contact [email protected], and we will do our best to support your needs.
We wish to thank all applicants in advance; however, only those under consideration will be contacted.   We are currently only considering applicants who already have work eligibility and are residing in or willing to relocate to Metro Vancouver.