Help Desk Specialist

Description

Choate is recruiting for the role of Help Desk Specialist to join our Information Technology Systems team. The Help Desk Specialist provides frontline support for a variety of information technology, telecommunications, and computer-use issues. This role identifies, researches, and resolves common technical problems; responds to phone, in-person, and email support requests; and documents issues to ensure timely resolution. The Help Desk Specialist escalates more complex issues to a Technical Specialist or another member of the department. This is an entry-level role with full training provided by our internal team - no prior Help Desk experience is required, just strong customer service instincts and a willingness to learn.

Job Responsibilities and Essential Functions of the Position:

• Answer incoming calls, greet walk-in visitors, and respond to email inquiries, providing frontline troubleshooting for software, hardware, and general computer and tablet use issues.
• Create, triage, and route support tickets to the correct queue or technician based on issue type and priority.
• Analyze and resolve common end-user issues, following up to confirm the request was resolved to the user's satisfaction.
• Reset passwords and manage user account access, including multi-factor authentication (MFA) resets.
• Use remote support software to diagnose and resolve issues on end-user devices.
• Monitor network and associated devices for potential issues; identify and escalate critical incidents with a strong sense of urgency and ownership.
• Escalate tickets to other appropriate resources when an issue is beyond the Level 1 scope.
• Notify and coordinate with field technicians when a new ticket comes, to support faster on-site response.
• Provide basic troubleshooting support for commonly used software packages (e.g., learning management systems, Microsoft Office).
• Assist with training end users on basic Mac and iPad skills and computer usage policies.
• Assist clients with access issues to faculty, staff student, and parents' portals.
• Create, update, and maintain articles in the ITS knowledge base to support self-service and consistent issue resolution.
• Use the ITS Help Desk ticketing and knowledge base system to record, assign, track, close, and analyze all Help Desk requests.
• Assist the Procurement and Budget Administrator with maintaining the Purchase and Asset database.
• Participate in internal training provided by the ITS team to build skills and take on more responsibility over time.
• Perform these Office Coordinator functions:
  • Oversee departmental supplies and mail
  • Orders items for the kitchen
  • Sort mail and distribute to the correct mailboxes
  • Receive incoming mail and shipments and record them in the Purchase and Asset database
• Provide support for Standardized testing on Saturdays (six times a year).
• Create signage and coordinate details for ITS events on campus (TechConnect during registration periods).
• When open, cover shifts in the ITS Extension, a satellite location near the Dining Hall.
• Perform other duties as assigned, including attending department, organizational, or outside meetings and trainings as requested.

Leading Others: No

Requirements

Position Requirements/Skills/Abilities:

• Strong Mac skills and working knowledge of Windows; PC experience a plus.
• Previous experience working in a Help Desk environment is beneficial.
• Previous experience working in a school, college, or university is desirable.
• Strong customer service, phone, and organizational skills.
• Willingness to learn and be trained on internal systems and processes.
• Basic understanding of networking fundamentals.
• Basic understanding of client-server concepts.
• No prior Help Desk experience required - comprehensive training is provided.