Support Specialist II or Senior Support Specialist

The Support Specialist II is responsible for a variety of support efforts related to desktop hardware, operating systems, and applications. This is a go-to position for assisting users in efficient use of County provided hardware and software, resolving any technical issues, document workflow improvement suggestions, and convey feedback to other teams to test and further advance the products.

The Senior Support Specialist will be responsible for a wide variety of configuration and support efforts related to desktop hardware, operating systems, network support for the operating systems, and applications resident on the hardware.  The Senior Support Specialist will also be responsible for mentoring and guiding the work of less experienced Support Specialists, acting as a backup to the Support lead, as well as providing technical leadership on highly complex support tasks.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: (The following examples are illustrative only and are not intended to be all inclusive.) 

Support Specialist II:

• Provide primary computer, peripheral, process, and application support to customers by phone and in person.  
• Diagnose and resolve technical hardware and software problems using multiple troubleshooting techniques and all available resources.  
• Determine the extent of customer reported issues.
• Take ownership of reported incidents and problems, maintaining consistent communications and ensuring resolution.
• Perform initial assessment and prioritization of reported issues.
• Work with other IT personnel to investigate and resolve performance problems with applications and/or systems.
• Perform remote and in person support of PC’s and other devices. 
• Provide lifecycle management of the county desktop computing environment.  This includes security updates, virus scan reviews, and hardware maintenance as needed.   
• Conduct formal and informal training sessions for PC applications. 
• Respond to a wide range of procedural questions from the user community.
• Support County users of critical, non-standard systems.
• Create, develop, and maintain functional documentation for applications, hardware, and processes.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED: Work is often performed mostly independently with review of work. 
            
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: This position does not directly supervise other employees.
 
INDEPENDENT JUDGMENT:  Incumbent must be able to use good judgment and problem-solving skill to accomplish goals, meet deadlines, and achieve desired results.

Senior Support Specialist:

• Application of systems analysis techniques and procedures, including consulting with users, to determine hardware and software specifications for standard and special use systems; evaluating hardware, software and vendor alternatives; and providing strategic recommendations.
• Determine County Supported standards. (ie. Desktops, Laptops, Printer, Plotters, MS Office, Browser, Remote Control, Deployment software) by mapping user needs to the costs/benefits of available alternatives.
• Work with various vendors to identify the best solutions for Douglas County (ie. Gateway, Dell, Toshiba, HP, Okidata, Epson) including negotiation for special pricing, availability and support services.
• Research special use systems (ie. Digital Pen, mobile printers, high-resolution digital cameras) and determine applicability to user needs and deployment/support strategies.
• Design, development, documentation, analysis, creation, testing and modification of the desktop computing environment, including prototypes, based on and related to user or system design specifications.
• Proactively examine the migration path of system hardware, operating systems and software and the implications for end user environments.
• Develop tiered computing alternatives that match user work profiles to cost effective platforms and configurations.
• Implementation, configuration and testing of client security agents.
• Test computer programs and create system images and software deployment packages based on specifications and interoperability configurations.
• Test viability of application packages before deployment in the Support group lab environment. (ie. RealWare, POSSE, ASCEND, ARCGIS)
• Create lab environments that emulate user environments.
• Facilitate user acceptance evaluation of proposed changes and upgrades.
• Verify multiple applications work harmoniously. (ie; Pictometry, RealWare, ARCGIS, other .dll’s)
• Develop, document, and modify operational procedures and best practices, including strategic deployment and incident management systems.
• Proactively refine the techniques and procedures for deploying software, systems and provisioning users to increase efficiency and dependability.
• Perform root cause analysis that leverages incident data to highlight system flaws and recommend system improvements.
• Manage the capture and reporting of metrics related to the support function across the County.
• Provide highly skilled support to system users for complex, unique and challenging issues; assess and solve advanced technical hardware and software problems.
• Responsible for all communication (email, voice mail, etc) from the Support Staff to the user community. 
• Performs other duties as assigned.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: This position has no direct supervisory responsibility over other positions, although the position is responsible for providing mentoring of less experienced Support Specialists.  In addition, the Senior Support Specialist will be responsible for providing technical leadership on the deployment and support of operationally based projects. This position would also be responsible to act as a backup to the Support team lead as necessary.

CONSEQUENCE OF ERROR:  As technical lead, errors may result in projects not coming in on time.  In addition, consequence of error may result in extended system downtime and/or disruption of user productivity.

CONTACTS:  This position has daily contact with other employees, supervisors, and managers.  May have occasional contact with outside firms/vendors. Need to maintain customer focus, be able to talk to non-technical as well as technical staff.   Keep a professional attitude and show respect to all users.

INDEPENDENT JUDGMENT:  Work is performed independently.  Incumbent must be able to use individual judgment and problem-solving skill to accomplish goals and achieve desired results.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE: 

Support Specialist II:

• A high school diploma or GED supplemented by two years of computer related education. 
• Minimum of 3 years of work experience including 1 years of Helpdesk experience.  

 
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
 
KNOWLEDGE:

• Professional experience in support of a Windows Enterprise environment. This experience should include basic support of email and Office Suite of applications within Office 365, support for Windows 10 in an enterprise environment, hardware break/fix and working knowledge of Apple Mobile devices (iPhone and iPad) preferred. Strong experience in customer support is crucial to the success of any candidate in this role. Knowledge of the following required: IT Service Desk operations, Microsoft Operating Systems, basic TCP/IP networking skills, and Office 365.   Knowledge of the following desired: SCCM, Symantec Enterprise Protection antivirus client.  Some knowledge of training practices and principles.    

SKILLS:

• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships. Possess the ability to communicate in both oral and written form, in both technical and nontechnical levels. Must have strong troubleshooting skills. 

ABILITIES:

• Ability to meet deadlines and work efficiently in a fast paced, fluid environment. Strong time management, prioritization, and organization skills. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills. Excellent problem-solving and customer service skills. Willingness to quickly learn and follow complex procedures. Demonstrated ability to work both independently and as part of a team. Adaptable to change in processes, procedures, and responsibilities. A positive, self-starter attitude with a desire to meet and exceed expectation. Ability to provide exceptional levels of customer service.

CERTIFICATIONS, LICENSES, & REGISTRATIONS:

• Must possess a valid Colorado Driver’s License upon hire, with complying insurance. Review of motor vehicle record is required at time of hire and periodically throughout employment.
• ITIL Certification or equivalent preferred. This position requires successful completion of a criminal background check including fingerprinting through a national database.

Senior Support Specialist:

• Generally, a high school diploma or GED supplemented by two years of computer related education, and 5 years of user support experience OR equivalent combination.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

LANGUAGE SKILLS:

• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships.  Ability to communicate in both oral and written form, in both technical and system user levels.

REASONING ABILITY:

• Ability to organize and prioritize numerous tasks.  Ability to develop logical plans of action for troubleshooting.  Ability to work with little or no supervision. 

OTHER SKILLS and ABILITIES:

• Considerable knowledge of software applications and hardware used for automated processes.  
• Advanced knowledge of the following required: Standard desktop operating system, –basic TCP/IP networking skills, standard Office suite, email, and advanced troubleshooting skills.  
• Knowledge of the following desired: Client Management Suite, Anti-Virus client.  
• Knowledge of training practices and principles.  
• Skill in the use of a variety of data processing and office equipment.  
• Must possess strong time management skills.  
• Ability to work beyond scheduled hours and respond to afterhours pager calls in a time critical manner.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS: 

• This position requires successful completion of a criminal background check including fingerprinting through a national database.
• Must possess a valid Colorado Driver’s License upon hire, with complying insurance. Review of motor vehicle record is required at time of hire and periodically throughout employment.
• A certificate required, MCP preferred and may be substituted for A .  

Salary : $66,665 - $99,997