Senior Desktop Engineer — Scientific Application Support

This position expertise requires proficiency in managing, and troubleshooting various operating systems, system configurations, user management and system optimization. Providing a full range of services essential to USD faculty and students in support of specialized scientific software products and services. This is a senior-level technical position, supporting technology with expertise with STEM application installations and deployments such as ArcGIS, MATLAB, SAS, SPSS, and more. The incumbent will be a bridge of support between the desktop and enterprise level applications, systems, and services.

Duties include level 2 and 3 support of the software and their associated hardware components. Deployment of enterprise applications such as Adobe, MS and others associated with the license server, integrated systems, and tracking devices. The incumbent will research, analyze, pilot and repair scientific software problems with a focus on clear communication and collaboration in a team environment.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Scientific and specialized Application Support:                                                                     

• User Support: Provide technical support to university faculty, staff, and students. Assist users with troubleshooting hardware and software, including desktops, laptops, and mobile devices.
• Hardware Management: Assist with the procurement, installation, diagnosing and repairing hardware problems, and maintenance of hardware devices such as servers, desktops, laptops, printers, and peripherals.
• Software Installation and Configuration: Install and configure software applications, including operating systems, productivity software, and specialized academic software used by students and faculty. Installs and maintains software that run instruments
• Interact with faculty: to understand their current and future software needs and translating their needs into action items for ITS team.
• Actively research, configure, and test potential new scientific software products, per faculty recommendations
• Troubleshooting and learning skills- analytical approach to solve and troubleshoot
• Organize and develop application testing procedures to provide for stability and performance
• Communicate design requirements to technical and non-technical faculty, students, and staff.
• Participate in all phases of technology or application development including requirements gathering, estimating time and costs for phases or tasks, building, testing and implementation.
• Documentation and design- ability to create and use a variety of tools in making technical or non-technical demonstrations- Able to create the diagram and architecture of the services and for user training
• Troubleshooting: Investigate and resolve complex technical issues that may arise in the desktop and integrated environment. Ability to diagnose hardware failures, debugging software problems, or dealing with network connectivity issues.
• Technical knowledge: Understanding of AD, GPO for managing desktop systems and how it relates to other integrated systems and services
• Update classrooms and labs: perform maintenance and installations of software and hardware.
• Security monitoring: Stays abreast of the new security, patches and desktop trends.
•  Inventory Management: Assist ITAM and ITAS with the oversight of the enterprise hardware and software inventory management tools employed for campus-wide software and hardware inventory and automation.
• Improve services: bring forward initiatives and creative to improve efficiency
• Triage and log: Use proper judgment to triage and log problems and request for support.
• Develop preventive maintenance procedures to avoid system failures.
• Managing the enterprise hardware and software inventory management tool employed for campus wide software and hardware inventory and automation.

General Technical Responsibilities:                                                                             

•  Configures, installs, maintains, and provide customer support for Windows, Macintosh, Linux, iOS, and Android computer equipment and software in science departments, including advanced industry-specific hardware and software related to primary assigned science unit.
• Oversight of the centrally managed asset management tool to deploy, track, identify and locate university assets. Create and enforce policies to ensure IT deployments are secure and running optimally.
• Endpoint systems, solutions and configurations and troubleshooting
• Disaster Recovery and High Availability Strategies for critical infrastructure, software and services.
• Installation of Complex Software for Desktop Management:  This includes the implementation and use of SCCM in order to deploy specialty scientific, engineering and academic software to PC endpoints.  In addition to software packaging for MacOS endpoint for distribution via Mobile Device Management (MDMO
• Diagnoses- repairs, and maintains various computer devices, network connections, workstations hardware and software on-site or in the repair facility.
• Inventory Management: Assist with ITAM and ITSM in keeping track of IT assets and equipment inventory. Assist in asset procurement and disposal.
• Compliance: Ensure that IT Desktop systems and practices adhere to university policies and relevant regulations, including data privacy laws.
• Troubleshooting: Diagnose and resolve hardware, software, and network issues. Escalate complex problems to senior administrators when necessary.
• Research and Evaluation: Stay updated on emerging technologies and trends in the IT field. Evaluate new software and hardware solutions for potential adoption.
• User Account Management:  responsible for creating, modifying, and deleting user accounts and managing access permissions and security settings for university users.
• Configuration and troubleshooting of network printers and other peripherals.
• Provides resolution of calls to meet SLO (Service Level Objectives).
• Assists clients in account and user management, system security, and system backups.
• Resolve and update existing request, deployment of new equipment and computer replacement process.
• Set an example by raising standards and practices.
• Evaluation of products and services, creating matrix to perform side by side assessment of technology solutions.
• Scripting and Automation: Ability to write scripts (e.g., PowerShell, Bash) to automate repetitive tasks, server automation and streamline processes
• Security: Knowledge of cybersecurity best practices and the ability to implement security measures to protect endpoint devices and services offered.
• Project Management: Skills to plan and execute desktop-related projects, such as OS upgrades or hardware refreshes, and adoption of new technology
• Communication: Strong communication skills to interact with end-users, colleagues, and vendors effectively and providing summaries and proposals
• Problem-Solving: Analytical and problem-solving skills to diagnose and resolve technical issues.
• Image and Deployment: Develop and maintain standardized desktop computer images for various departments or user groups. Deploy and manage these images across the organization using deployment tools like SCCM or similar solutions.
• Customer Service: A customer-focused approach to providing support and assistance to end-users. 

Technology Consultative Services:                                                                                      

• Good problem-solving skills, work independently, hands-on, quick learner, pro-active, high data affinity, detailed oriented, critical thinking, enjoy mentorship and educating others, innovative mind, high sense of ethics, responsibilities, and discipline.
• Maintains a current and thorough knowledge of advances and developments in computing technology, software, hardware, and peripherals, data communications equipment, printers, scanners, etc. workstation security and maintenance issues, and operating systems.
• Actively engaged with major campus rollouts and projects; make recommendations; help with planning and execution of upgrades and migrations.
• Provides technical consultative services and training to faculty and colleagues.
• Serve as the subject matter expert or primary point-of-contact to end-users for escalated incidents
• Analyze and resolve complex end-user escalation incidents or issues from other IT support staff
• Proactive in offering solutions to improve technical services; deploying software and systems improving the services of ITS within the community.
• Requires strong and complex desktop troubleshooting experience responsible for hands on client-side remediation efforts
• Tests and evaluates and makes recommendation for hardware and software acquisitions    
• Participates in Desktop Support Services and ITS meetings to provide higher level ITS support.
• Assists in planning and execution of major campus wide migrations, projects and initiatives.
• Follow policies and procedures related to how problems are identified, received, documented, distributed, and corrected.
• Recommends effective strategies to improve performance and meet customer and supervisor(s) expectation.
• Prioritize all tasks, projects, job duties and responsibilities and work effectively under pressure in a fast-paced work environment.
• Act as liaison in transmitting, disseminating, and communicating information between the technical team, networking team, systems team and the management.
• Maintain accurate documentations for system installations, configurations, upgrades and disaster recovery activities.

Special Conditions of Employment:

Vacation opportunities may be limited in August through September and during semester finals.  May be required to work variable hours and overtime, including weekends.

Effective June 1, 2023, based on CDC guidance, the University strongly encourages all campus members to stay up to date with Influenza and COVID-19 vaccination recommendations.  For more regarding information USD's COVID-19 protocols, please visit sandiego.edu/onward.

Background check:  Successful completion of a pre-employment background check.

Degree Verification Requirement: Persons offered employment in this position will be required to provide official education transcripts for degree verification purposes.