Department: MCC Information Technology
Salary/Grade: ITS/77
Job Summary:
The User Support Specialist provides IT support for multiple departments within the McCormick School of Engineering. This role involves planning, scheduling, and coordinating activities to support the organization's applications and services by combining research, fact-finding, and a deep understanding of business and IT requirements.
Key responsibilities include identifying potential application enhancements to address complex challenges, considering technology capacity, system limitations, operating efficiency, and desired outcomes. The Specialist also troubleshoots systems, analyzes code, and implements corrections as needed to maintain optimal performance.
Specific Responsibilities:
Strategic Planning
- Assess and recommend technology solutions to align with departmental and organizational goals.
- Collaborate with stakeholders to identify future IT needs and create roadmaps.
- Ensure alignment of IT strategies with emerging technologies and industry best practices.
Administration
- Manage system configurations, updates, and user access across supported applications.
- Monitor and maintain system performance to ensure availability and reliability.
- Develop and enforce IT policies and procedures to enhance operational efficiency.
Development
- Lead troubleshooting efforts and develop solutions for complex technical issues.
- Oversee enhancements to existing applications, ensuring scalability and usability.
Performance
- Provides an advanced level of troubleshooting support in response to complex problems, questions and inquiries.
Supervises
- Provide mentorship and training to junior team members on technical and procedural matters.
- Manages projects ensuring timelines and deliverables are met and meet expectations.
Miscellaneous
- Other duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Associate's degree in IT or a related field, or equivalent work experience.
- Proven experience in troubleshooting and supporting complex IT systems and applications.
- Strong knowledge of system configurations, software maintenance, and IT best practices.
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to collaborate across departments and mentor team members.
- Please see proficiency information highlighted in tables below.
Enterprise Applications
- CrowdStrike
- Kace
- JAMF
- Qualys
- Bomgar
- Zoom
- Request Tracker
- SailPoint
Infrastructure (extends across applications)
- Active directory design, administration
- Identity management/provisioning
- Information security
- macOS
- Microsoft Copilot
- Microsoft Teams
- Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Access, Outlook)
- Microsoft SharePoint
- Windows Operating System
Programming Languages and Frameworks
Analytical
- Critical thinking
- Decision making
- Judgment
- Problem solving
- Troubleshooting
Project
- Budgeting
- Collaboration and teamwork
- Cost/benefit analysis
- Functional documentation
- Organizational skills
- Planning
Minimum Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)
- Experience in customer service / customer support environment
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, organizational skills, management of own time, and respect for the time of others.
- Excellent planning and scheduling skills
- Demonstrated ability to effectively control and participate in multiple projects of varying priorities in a consistently professional manner
- Ability to establish and maintain respectful and effective relationships with management, co-workers and customers
- Strong knowledge of deploying and troubleshooting Windows and Mac desktop and laptop operating system environments
- Experience providing purchasing recommendations based on client requirements
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience in an academic environment.
Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)
- Planning and implementation of deployment projects, including the ability to set up, maintain, or repair computer equipment and related devices, such as printers and data cabling.
- Administering Active Directory resources, especially shares and permissions.
Target hiring range for this position will be between $65,124 - $91,581 per year. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.
Benefits:
At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more! Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.
Work-Life and Wellness:
Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life's challenges and opportunities, and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.
We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.
Professional Growth & Development:
Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you're interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more.
Northwestern strongly recommends COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters for people who can obtain them as a critical tool for minimizing severe illness. More information can be found on the COVID-19 and Campus Updates webpage.
The Northwestern campus sits on the traditional homelands of the people of the Council of Three Fires, the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Odawa as well as the Menominee, Miami and Ho-Chunk nations. We acknowledge and honor the original people of the land upon which Northwestern University stands, and the Native people who remain on this land today.
Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer of all protected classes, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply. Click for information on EEO is the Law.
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Northwestern University
$65,124 - $91,581
Jan 28, 2025