Senior IT Helpdesk Technician (Tier 2)

The Senior IT Helpdesk Technician (Tier 2 Support
Specialist) is responsible for providing advanced technical support and serving
as a key escalation point for Tier 1 Helpdesk Technicians.

Key Responsibilities

1. Advanced Technical Support & Escalations

• Act as
  a primary technical escalation point for Tier 1 Helpdesk Technicians.
  
• Diagnose
  and resolve complex Windows, hardware, software, peripheral, application,
  and network-related incidents.
  
• Troubleshoot
  issues that cannot be resolved through standard Tier 1 procedures.
  
• Perform
  root-cause analysis (RCA) on recurring or high-impact technical incidents.
  
• Identify
  permanent corrective actions rather than relying on temporary workarounds.
  
• Diagnose
  and support speci alised endpoint and business applications.
  
• Support
  remote and onsite users across corporate environments.
  
• Escalate
  incidents to Systems, Network, Security, vendors, or other specialist
  teams when required.
  
• Validate
  that appropriate troubleshooting has been completed before incidents are
  escalated further.
  

2. Systems Administration & Identity Management

• Perform
  Active Directory and Microsoft Entra ID administration.
  
• Provision,
  modify, disable, and troubleshoot user accounts and access.
  
• Manage
  security groups, distribution groups, organisational units, and role-based
  permissions.
  
• Apply
  and troubleshoot Group Policy Objects (GPOs).
  
• Support
  Microsoft 365 services and user access.
  
• Troubleshoot
  authentication, MFA, account lockout, permissions, and identity-related
  issues.
  
• Maintain
  elevated administrative permissions responsibly and in accordance with
  security policies.
  
• Assist
  with user onboarding, transfers, access changes, and offboarding
  activities.
  

3. Endpoint & Application Management

• Configure,
  deploy, troubleshoot, and maintain Windows 10/11 workstations and laptops.
  
• Support
  macOS endpoints where required.
  
• Install,
  configure, package, and troubleshoot approved business applications.
  
• Diagnose
  hardware failures involving desktops, laptops, monitors, headsets,
  peripherals, and other endpoint equipment.
  
• Assist
  with operating system deployments, software upgrades, patches, and
  configuration changes.
  
• Test
  and stage new endpoint hardware and software before wider deployment.
  
• Assist
  with standardisation of workstation builds and configurations.
  
• Support
  remote administration and endpoint management tools.
  

4. Network & Connectivity Support

• Troubleshoot
  TCP/IP connectivity and network configuration issues.
  
• Diagnose
  DHCP, DNS, gateway, routing, and connectivity problems.
  
• Troubleshoot
  VLAN assignment and endpoint network access issues.
  
• Support
  VPN and secure remote-access troubleshooting.
  
• Perform
  network connectivity testing and assist with isolating LAN, WAN, ISP,
  Wi-Fi, and endpoint-related faults.
  
• Work
  with Network Engineers or Network Specialists when incidents require
  deeper infrastructure investigation.
  
• Coordinate
  with ISPs and telecommunications providers where required.
  

5. Incident & SLA Management

• Monitor
  and manage escalated Tier 2 ticket queues.
  
• Ensure
  incidents and service requests are handled according to agreed SLAs.
  
• Prioritise
  incidents according to business impact, urgency, and severity.
  
• Take
  ownership of escalated incidents through to resolution or appropriate
  technical escalation.
  
• Maintain
  accurate ticket notes, troubleshooting records, timestamps, actions, and
  resolution details.
  
• Identify
  recurring incidents and recommend Problem Management investigations.
  
• Assist
  with major incidents and service outages where required.
  
• Provide
  clear technical and operational updates during high-impact incidents.
  
• Ensure
  resolved incidents contain sufficient information for future
  troubleshooting and reporting.
  

6. Vendor & Third-Party Coordination

• Engage
  with second-line vendor support where internal troubleshooting has been
  exhausted.
  
• Coordinate
  support cases with ISPs, OEM hardware suppliers, software vendors, and
  other technology providers.
  
• Provide
  vendors with appropriate diagnostic information, logs, screenshots, and
  troubleshooting evidence.
  
• Track
  vendor incidents through to resolution.
  
• Coordinate
  warranty replacements and hardware repairs where required.
  

7. Documentation & Knowledge Management

• Create
  and maintain technical Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
  
• Develop
  troubleshooting guides, technical runbooks, and knowledge base articles.
  
• Document
  known errors, recurring incidents, workarounds, and permanent resolutions.
  
• Ensure
  technical documentation remains accurate and current.
  
• Convert
  frequently escalated issues into documented Tier 1 procedures where
  appropriate.
  
• Contribute
  to continuous improvement of the Service Desk knowledge base.
  

8. Tier 1 Mentoring & Technical Leadership

• Mentor
  and coach Tier 1 Helpdesk Technicians.
  
• Assist
  junior technicians in developing structured troubleshooting methodologies.
  
• Provide
  guidance on escalation criteria and incident prioritisation.
  
• Review
  ticket quality and provide feedback where troubleshooting or documentation
  is insufficient.
  
• Share
  technical knowledge with the broader IT team.
  
• Support
  the development of Tier 1 technicians toward more advanced technical
  responsibilities.
  
• Promote
  a culture of ownership, accountability, documentation, and continuous
  improvement.
  

9. IT Operations & Continuous Improvement

• Identify
  opportunities to automate repetitive IT support activities.
  
• Assist
  with PowerShell scripts and other operational automation.
  
• Participate
  in testing and deployment of new technologies.
  
• Assist
  with IT infrastructure and endpoint projects.
  
• Recommend
  improvements to IT support processes and technical standards.
  
• Participate
  in change implementation and post-change validation.
  
• Assist
  with capacity, asset, and configuration management activities where
  required.
  

Requirements

Education

• Diploma,
  Associate Degree, Bachelor's Degree, or equivalent qualification in
  Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems, or a
  related discipline.
  

Relevant professional certifications may be considered
alongside practical experience.

Preferred Certifications

One or more of the following would be advantageous:

• CompTIA
  A+
  
• CompTIA
  Network+
  
• CompTIA
  Security+
  
• Microsoft
  Certified: Endpoint Administrator (MD-102)
  
• Microsoft
  Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900)
  
• Microsoft
  Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals (SC-900)
  
• ITIL
  Foundation
  
• Relevant
  Microsoft 365 or Azure certifications
  
• CCNA
  or equivalent networking certification
  

Experience

• Minimum 3–5 years of professional IT support experience.
  
• At
  least 1–2 years in a Tier 2, Senior Helpdesk, Desktop Support, or
  equivalent technical support role.
  
• Demonstrable
  experience resolving incidents beyond standard first-line troubleshooting.
  
• Experience
  working within a structured Service Desk or ITSM environment.
  
• Experience
  working against defined SLAs and escalation procedures.
  
• Experience
  supporting users in a corporate or enterprise environment.
  

Experience within a 24/7, BPO, contact center, managed
services, or high-availability environment would be advantageous.

Technical Competencies

The successful candidate should demonstrate strong practical
knowledge of:

• Windows
  10 and Windows 11
  
• macOS
  support
  
• Active
  Directory
  
• Microsoft
  Entra ID / Azure AD
  
• Microsoft
  365
  
• Group
  Policy
  
• User
  and access administration
  
• Multi-factor
  authentication
  
• TCP/IP
  networking
  
• DHCP
  and DNS
  
• VLANs
  
• VPNs
  and remote-access technologies
  
• Endpoint
  hardware troubleshooting
  
• Application
  installation and troubleshooting
  
• Remote
  administration tools
  
• ITSM/helpdesk
  platforms
  
• Endpoint
  security fundamentals
  
• PowerShell
  fundamentals
  
• Technical
  logging and diagnostics
  
• Root-cause
  analysis
  

Exposure to virtual desktop technologies such as Citrix,
Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD), or VMware Horizon would be advantageous.

Behavioral Competencies

Analytical Problem Solving

Able to systematically diagnose complex technical problems,
distinguish symptoms from underlying causes, and develop sustainable solutions.

Ownership & Accountability

Takes responsibility for escalated incidents and drives them
toward resolution rather than simply transferring tickets between teams.

Communication

Communicates technical information clearly to users, junior
technicians, management, vendors, and specialist technical teams.

Technical Documentation

Produces concise, accurate, and reusable technical
documentation.

Mentorship

Supports the development of junior technicians through
coaching, knowledge sharing, and constructive feedback.

Customer Service

Maintains professionalism and urgency while supporting users
experiencing technical disruption.

Prioritisation

Able to manage multiple incidents simultaneously while
considering SLA, severity, operational impact, and business priorities.

Security Awareness

Understands the responsibility associated with privileged
access and follows security, access-control, and change-management procedures.

Key Performance Indicators

Performance may be measured against:

• Tier 2
  SLA achievement
  
• Mean
  Time to Resolution (MTTR)
  
• Escalated
  ticket resolution rate
  
• First-touch
  resolution of Tier 2 incidents
  
• Ticket
  backlog and ageing
  
• Repeat
  incident reduction
  
• Quality
  and completeness of ticket documentation
  
• Root-cause
  analysis quality
  
• Knowledge
  base and SOP contributions
  
• Successful
  Tier 1 knowledge transfer
  
• Customer/user
  satisfaction
  
• Change
  success rate
  
• Compliance
  with security and access-management procedures