ITSM Career Paths
Today, IT is one of the most lucrative career fields in the world. While other industries may see declines in positions and employment opportunities, almost anything in the IT sector shows not only steady job growth, but well-above-average compensation and salaries for employees.
Depending on your experience and expertise, you may be qualified for a position in IT service management. There are a wide variety of ITSM career paths, with opportunities continuing to increase and evolve each year. In this article, we’re sharing some of the most common ITSM career paths, including specific jobs, what they entail, necessary skills, and additional resources.
If you know what you’re looking for, jump right into these career paths and positions:
Service Strategy & Design
Service Level Manager
IT Architect
Security Architect
Cyber Resilience Consultant
Service Transition
Release Manager
Change Manager
Configurations Manager
Service Operation
Service Desk Technician/Agent
Security Analyst
Incident Manager
IT Operations Manager
Additional resources
The ITSM field of service strategy and design determines the IT services your company delivers. Roles in this category focus on creating value and defining services, assets, and ROI for your products.
Service Level Managers are effective negotiators who are responsible for connecting service levels and key performance indicators (KPIs). You’ll document these in a set of service level agreements (SLAs) and contracts to ensure various IT support teams understand the capabilities they need to deliver. You’ll also be responsible for monitoring and analyzing performance, managing contracts, and contributing to plans to improve services.
Common tasks & responsibilities
Potential next steps
Business Relationship Manager, Supplier Relationship Manager, IT Service Operations Manager
Skills and abilities
The skills and abilities required for a Service Level Manager will vary greatly depending on the size and complexity of the IT organization and the maturity of its service level management process. In general, service level managers need to be effective communicators, negotiators, team players, and analytical thinkers. Some necessary skills for this position include:
The IT Architect title encompasses a breadth of jobs that vary significantly in both scope and responsibilities. Overall, the Architect team develops, maintains, and governs information and communication technology solutions across the organization. IT Architects usually specialize in a specific technology and utilize this expertise to evaluate new solutions or technologies and lead the move towards it.
Common tasks & responsibilities
Potential next steps
IT Project Manager, IT Program Manager, Chief Technology Officer, Business Analyst
Skills and abilities
IT Architects must be experts in a specialized technology area. IT Architects are skilled at planning and communicating, as you’ll often work in, lead teams, and attend meetings with key decision makers and stakeholders. Some necessary skills for this position include:
IT Security Architects are technical specialists responsible for designing cyber resilience solutions and are experts in security models, software, tools, and standards. You’ll design, build, and oversee the implementation of network and computer security for an organization and ensure the company complies with best practices, governance, and regulatory mandates. You’ll have to learn constantly to stay ahead of industry security trends and developments.
Common tasks & responsibilities
Potential next steps
Chief Information Security Officer
Skills and abilities
It is required that IT security architects have a strong technical background in systems and network security, and are comfortable being leaders. You must be willing and able to stay informed of security trends and understand all necessary government regulations in order to maintain compliance. Some necessary skills for this position include:
Cyber resilience consultants typically have a variety of roles relating to cyber resilience and information security, sometimes working on strategy and framework development while also conducting cyber risk assessments to identify key areas of potential compromise. Collaborating with IT teams to mitigate those specific risks, you must be able to provide advice on which activities to prioritize in how to best address any risks for the business.
Common tasks & responsibilities
Potential next steps
Cyber Resilience Manager, IT Security Architect, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
Skills and abilities
Consultants need excellent communication and collaboration skills as you’ll work closely with teams and clients. You’ll also need strong analytical and problem-solving skills, continually training in order to stay up to date in a rapidly evolving security field. Some necessary skills for this position include:
In ITSM, service transition refers to the implementing of new or updated changes, fixing or innovating your current services for an improved service. Sub-areas of service transition include release management, change management, and overall project and product management.
Release Managers specialize in planning and managing the release of new or changed software and hardware into test and live environments. You’ll bring together the multiple project deliverables that are typically required for the release to occur and ensure that these work together in an integrated package. Release Managers own and plan the full release lifecycle, from defining the release plan through to testing and coordinating release activities.
Common tasks & responsibilities
Potential next steps
IT Project Manager, IT Change Manager, IT Configuration Manager
Skills and abilities
A Release Manager needs to be able to interface and communicate effectively with test managers, development managers, and IT managers on a daily basis, as well as with those in higher positions. Along with a technical background, release managers need some project management experience in order to coordinate activities across teams. Some necessary skills for this position include:
Changes in the IT environment are constant and can be highly disruptive if poorly managed. IT Change Managers are responsible for protecting the live environment by ensuring effective control and scheduling of software and hardware modifications. You’ll also ensure all service levels and targets are met during change, and that any problems that might occur are resolved in a timely manner to minimize disruption.
Common tasks & responsibilities
Potential next steps
Release Manager, IT Configuration Manager
Skills and abilities
Change managers can be expected to have strong organizational and planning skills along with strong attention to detail. Some necessary skills for this position include:
The IT Configuration Manager is responsible for the identification of all IT infrastructure (software, hardware, virtual machines, cloud services and mobile services) within the organization. You’ll record the relationships between individual configuration items and business processes in order to provide actionable and useful information to the IT teams.
Common tasks & responsibilities
Potential next steps
Release Manager, IT Change Manager
Skills and abilities
IT Configuration Managers must have great attention to detail as configuration items (CIs) are tracked through their full lifecycle, from requisition through to retirement. You’ll also need a strong understanding of configuration concepts, organizational skills, and good communication. Some necessary skills for this position include:
ITSM professionals in service operation work to ensure the IT services you deliver work as intended, ensuring the right value for customers. Subtopics include operation management, event and incident management, and problem management and response.
The Service Desk Technician, sometimes known as a Service Desk Agent, provides technical support to end-users who need assistance with computer software or hardware. A majority of the work is likely to be performed over the phone or by email, which makes clear and concise communication skills all the more necessary. This could be a good entry-level position for those with little IT experience or qualifications.
Common tasks & responsibilities
Potential next steps
Service Desk Supervisor/Manager, Project Coordinator, Application Support Analyst
Skills and abilities
Service Desk Technicians must have excellent problem-solving and communication skills, as most of your work will be completed remotely. You must also be able to explain technical concepts or steps in easy-to-understand ways. Service desk techs must have some technical knowledge of the hardware, software, and networking systems the company supports. Some necessary skills for this position include:
Security Analysts are crucial in preventing unauthorized access or deliberate cyber-attacks on both networks and information systems. You’ll monitor network traffic and servers using diagnostics and automated software, looking for signs of any suspicious activity or intrusions. Security Analysts may also perform audits on your company’s networks in order to better locate vulnerabilities and develop solutions.
Common tasks & responsibilities
Potential next steps
Cyber Resilience Manager, Cyber Resilience Consultant, IT Security Architect, Cyber Resilience Auditor
Skills and abilities
As information security is a knowledge-intensive field, Security Analysts must stay abreast of the latest trends and developments, threats, and new solutions in this quickly evolving landscape. Some necessary skills for this position include:
Incident Managers establish the policies and systems of a high-quality incident management process, ensuring these are adopted and adhered to across the organization. You’ll also be responsible for monitoring and reporting trends in any incidents or issues, implementing ITSM best practices, and responding to significant incidents swiftly.
Common tasks & responsibilities
Skills and abilities
Incident Managers are proactive individuals with excellent communication skills and the ability to build relationships at all IT levels. Some necessary skills for this position include:
The IT Operations Manager is responsible for effectively delivering live service operations that meet both the expectations and criteria agreed upon with customers. ITOps Managers often lead the service desk teams and might monitor and analyze service provision, plan processes for incident management, and manage IT change.
Common tasks & responsibilities
Potential next steps
Business Relationship Manager, Chief Information Officer
Skills and Abilities
Service Operations Managers must have experience with supported technology and strong leadership skills. You’ll commit to delivering excellent customer service, and foster that culture within your team. Some necessary skills for this position include:
Choosing a role in the rapidly evolving IT service management field will provide a wide variety of career paths and positions, each one suitable to your goals and abilities. No matter which ITSM career you may consider, you will continue to see growth as IT demands change and increase.
For more information on ITSM professional opportunities and general IT careers, see these BMC Blogs:
For IT careers in general, including Agile and DevOps, explore these articles: