Available for New Opportunities

Clay Clark

Senior Technical Support Manager & Global Operations Leader — building high-performance support teams where AI meets real-world reliability.

View Experience Contact Me
13+
Years in Tech
3
Global Teams Led
25%
Ticket Reduction
T1–T3
Full Stack Support
About Me

Support leader who
builds systems that scale.

I've spent 13+ years turning reactive support organizations into proactive, AI-driven operations. From Tier 1 triage to executive escalations, I own the full support lifecycle — and I do it across global teams, complex SaaS/IaaS platforms, and high-stakes environments.

At Eleven Software, I lead worldwide engineering and support teams delivering managed Wi-Fi and connectivity for hospitality and multifamily environments. Before that, I spent 9 years at Avast Software building the operational backbone of their global SMB support organization.

My background in Industrial Technology, Linux/Windows administration, and network infrastructure means I can go deep on the technical side — not just manage the queue, but understand what's in it.

🤖

AI-Led Transformation

Deploying chatbots, Copilot integrations, and AI-assisted workflows at scale

⚡

Incident Command

Code red response, RCA, cross-functional escalation ownership

📊

SLA & Queue Mastery

Full Zendesk ownership — logic, routing, automation, T1–T3 management

🌐

Global Team Builder

Hiring, coaching, and scaling distributed support engineering teams

Capabilities

Skills & Expertise

Deep technical roots with broad operational reach — from Linux admin to AI automation to enterprise SLA frameworks.

🐧

Systems & Infrastructure

Linux Windows Virtualization LAMP Stack Network Admin
🌐

Networking

Cisco Routers/Switches Firewalls Wireless Load Balancers
🤖

AI & Automation

Microsoft Copilot ChatGPT Claude Chatbot Deployment AI Workflows
🎫

Support Operations

Zendesk Admin SLA Design Escalation Mgmt Queue Optimization RCA
👥

Leadership

People Management Coaching Performance Mgmt Hiring PRINCE2
🔒

Certifications

CompTIA A+ TestOut Security Pro TestOut Network Pro TestOut Linux Pro Cisco Admin
Career

Experience

13+ years across SaaS, cybersecurity, hosting, and higher education — always leading from the technical front.

Senior Technical Support Manager May 2025 – Present
Eleven Software · SaaS/IaaS · Global

Leading worldwide team of engineers and support professionals delivering managed Wi-Fi and connectivity solutions for hospitality and multifamily environments.

  • Deploy and refine AI-powered chatbots for Tier 1 case deflection, reducing ticket volume and improving response times
  • Lead Microsoft Copilot integrations across support workflows to accelerate engineer productivity
  • Own full Zendesk administration: SLA logic, ticket routing, triggers, automation, and T1–T3 queue management
  • Command code red outage response including real-time communication, cross-functional coordination, and RCA
  • Design KPI/reporting frameworks to drive accountability and surface optimization opportunities
Technical Support Manager May 2015 – May 2024
Avast Software (now Gen Digital) · Cybersecurity/SMB · Charlotte, NC

Led global support organization for SMB cybersecurity and endpoint protection products over 9 years, building the operational backbone from the ground up.

  • Reduced support ticket volume 25% through self-service documentation and knowledge base improvements
  • Developed SLAs, escalation procedures, training programs, and quality standards adopted org-wide
  • Led UAT team for all SMB products pre-launch, reducing post-release defects
  • Introduced Zendesk automation and process improvements to improve resolution speed and engineer productivity
  • Managed outsourced support provider relationships ensuring SLA compliance
Technical Support Manager Sep 2013 – Aug 2015
Caronet · MSP · Charlotte, NC
  • Designed and implemented ticket escalation processes ensuring free-flowing escalation across Tier 1 and Tier 2
  • Worked with engineering to implement formal feedback mechanisms for incidents, causes, and resolutions
  • Led continual process improvement and IT cost savings initiatives
  • Trained, coached, and mentored IT Specialists including structured career development
Linux / Microsoft Administrator Jun 2012 – Sep 2013
Caronet Engineered Hosting · Charlotte, NC
  • Administered routers, switches, firewalls, and load balancers across hosted infrastructure
  • Managed Wintel/Linux servers, virtual machines, and voice/data circuits
  • Served as high-level escalation point for network system issues
  • Created and maintained hardware/software standards documentation
Information Technology Analyst Feb 2011 – Jun 2012
Central Piedmont Community College · Charlotte, NC
  • Provided Tier 1/2 support for college computer systems and personal devices
  • Reported weekly on ticket incident metrics and root cause analysis to management
  • Installed, configured, and maintained hardware, software, and network devices
Projects

Built, Not Just Managed

Self-hosted infrastructure running on hardware in my home — because understanding systems starts with owning them.

Live Project

Self-Hosted LAMP Web Server

Designed, built, and deployed this site on a home Linux server running Apache, MySQL, and PHP on Ubuntu 24.04. Configured dynamic DNS via Namecheap API with automated cron-based IP updates, SSL/TLS via Let's Encrypt with auto-renewal, and UFW firewall hardening. The domain clayleeclark.me resolves to this machine — running 24/7 from my home lab.

Ubuntu 24.04
Apache 2.4
MySQL 8.0
PHP 8.3
Let's Encrypt
Namecheap DDNS
Education

Academic Background

East Carolina University
Bachelor of Science — Industrial Technology (BSIT)
Central Piedmont Community College
Associate's Degree — Computer Technology Integration
Central Piedmont Community College
Diploma — Network Administration
Central Piedmont Community College
Certificate — Cisco Administration & Microsoft Systems Administration
Certifications

Professional Certifications

🛡️
TestOut Security Pro
🌐
TestOut Network Pro
🐧
TestOut Linux Pro
💻
CompTIA A+
📋
PRINCE2® Foundation

Let's Connect

Open to new opportunities in technical support leadership, operations, and AI-driven service transformation.

✉️ clayleeclark@gmail.com 💼 LinkedIn