The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn's distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America's Best Large Employers in 2023.
Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.
The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.
Posted Job Title Senior IT Support Specialist
Job Profile Title Information Technology Support Specialist Senior
Job Description Summary Information Systems & Computing (ISC) is the University of Pennsylvania's central IT organization, providing the core network, data, voice, video, and enterprise application infrastructure and services upon which Penn's numerous Schools and Centers build their unique tools and capabilities.
ISC's 270-plus employees work closely with the University's IT organizations in order to create, deliver and support products and services that help Schools and Centers operate efficiently and effectively. We strive to be easy to work with, and to serve as a trusted advisor to Penn's IT community, faculty, staff and students in support of an environment of discovery and progress.
ISC's focus on customer service and the high-quality, cost-effective, reliable implementation of modern IT solutions advances the mission of the University, as well as that of each individual School and Center. At Penn, technological freedom and departmental autonomy represent dearly held core values. ISC supports those ideas by providing foundational services and cogent counsel, empowering individuals and departments to employ their distinct strengths in support of their goals.
Learn more about us by visiting https://www.isc.upenn.edu/about or www.linkedin.com/company/penn-information-systems-computing/.
As a Client Care team member, the IT Support Specialist Senior (ITSS Sr.) will work on the service desk to provide computing support and related services to University clients and intake and triage incoming requests and incident reports. The ITSS Sr. will work as an advocate and facilitator for all clients of Information Systems & Computing (ISC).
A primary duty of the ITSS Sr. will be to participate as a member or lead of Client Care's Subject Matter Expert (SME) teams to provide first and second-level support for client-facing services. As an SME, the ITSS Sr. will act as a single point of contact for clients, providing expert-level consultation and support, managing requests and incidents, internal escalations, vendor management, and customer communications.
Job Description
Job Responsibilities
Act as a member of the Client Care team working on the service desk to provide computing support and related services to university clients. Work as an advocate and facilitator on behalf of all ISC clients.
Perform as a lead and/or member of Client Care's service teams whose goal is to provide first and second level support of client-facing services.
Act as single point of contact to clients for requests and incidents, manage internal escalation, vendor management and customer communications.
Provide expert level consultation and support to the campus community.
Diagnose and resolve complex technical problems with computing hardware, software, and network services.
Participate on ISC's Desktop Engineering team, providing support to campus for existing Desktop Engineering offerings and assist with developing future Desktop Engineering initiatives.
Participate on various project and campus technology teams, and occasionally lead projects and groups.
Act as project support and manage client communications on major cross-organizational projects.
Work with other units in ISC and with local support providers to implement and support computing standards.
Document supported products and communicate with clients regarding computing standards, policies, and support practices.
Maintain expert knowledge of Penn's supported computing technologies.
Attend conferences and seminars, and complete internal and external training programs to develop and improve project management, interpersonal, and technical skills.
Perform additional duties as assigned
Qualifications
Required
Bachelor of Science with a preferred focus on Computer Science or Information Systems and 2 to 3 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience is required.
2 to 3 years of experience supporting a variety of client and network systems, software, and devices. Experience in an academic computing environment with a diverse population of customers and colleagues is preferred.
Technical Support Skills: Experience supporting Windows, Mac, and mobile platforms is required. Experience with information security and/or endpoint management services is preferred. Specific experience with Jamf is desirable.
Customer Service and Communications: This role requires strong customer service skills and excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and oral. An ability to present technical materials clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences is also required.
Teamwork and Confidentiality: Candidates must be self-motivated and able to work both independently and as part of a team. The ability to learn, adopt, and support new technologies efficiently and effectively is required. Candidates are also required to maintain confidentiality of sensitive materials.
Preferred:
Experience in an academic computing environment.
Experience with information security services - CrowdStrike experience desirable.
Experience with endpoint management services - Jamf experience desirable
Experience with API scripting is beneficial.
Job Location - City, State Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Department / School Information Systems and Computing
Pay Range $51,824.00 - $75,000.00 Annual Rate Salary offers are made based on the candidate's qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, as well as internal and market factors and grade profile.
Affirmative Action Statement Penn adheres to a policy that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected class.
Special Requirements Background check required after a conditional job offer is made. Consideration of the background check will be tailored to the requirements of the job.
University Benefits
Health, Life, and Flexible Spending Accounts: Penn offers comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits to protect you and your family's health and welfare. You can also use flexible spending accounts to pay for eligible health care and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.
Tuition: Take advantage of Penn's exceptional tuition benefits. You, your spouse, and your dependent children can get tuition assistance here at Penn. Your dependent children are also eligible for tuition assistance at other institutions.
Retirement: Penn offers generous retirement plans to help you save for your future. Penn's Basic, Matching, and Supplemental retirement plans allow you to save for retirement on a pre-tax or Roth basis. Choose from a wide variety of investment options through TIAA and Vanguard.
Time Away from Work: Penn provides you with a substantial amount of time away from work during the course of the year. This allows you to relax, take vacations, attend to personal affairs, recover from illness or injury, spend time with family-whatever your personal needs may be.
Long-Term Care Insurance: In partnership with Genworth Financial, Penn offers faculty and staff (and your eligible family members) long-term care insurance to help you cover some of the costs of long-term care services received at home, in the community or in a nursing facility. If you apply when you're newly hired, you won't have to provide proof of good health or be subject to underwriting requirements. Eligible family members must always provide proof of good health and are subject to underwriting.
Wellness and Work-life Resources: Penn is committed to supporting our faculty and staff as they balance the competing demands of work and personal life. That's why we offer a wide variety of programs and resources to help you care for your health, your family, and your work-life balance.
Professional and Personal Development: Penn provides an array of resources to help you advance yourself personally and professionally.
University Resources: As a member of the Penn community, you have access to a wide range of University resources as well as cultural and recreational activities. Take advantage of the University's libraries and athletic facilities, or visit our arboretum and art galleries. There's always something going on at Penn, whether it's a new exhibit at the Penn Museum, the latest music or theater presentation at the Annenberg Center, or the Penn Relays at Franklin Field to name just a few examples. As a member of the Penn community, you're right in the middle of the excitement-and you and your family can enjoy many of these activities for free.
Discounts and Special Services: From arts and entertainment to transportation and mortgages, you'll find great deals for University faculty and staff. Not only do Penn arts and cultural centers and museums offer free and discounted admission and memberships to faculty and staff. You can also enjoy substantial savings on other goods and services such as new cars from Ford and General Motors, cellular phone service plans, movie tickets, and admission to theme parks.
Flexible Work Hours: Flexible work options offer creative approaches for completing work while promoting balance between work and personal commitments. These approaches involve use of non-traditional work hours, locations, and/or job structures.
Penn Home Ownership Services: Penn offers a forgivable loan for eligible employees interested in buying a home or currently residing in West Philadelphia, which can be used for closing costs or home improvements.
Adoption Assistance: Penn will reimburse eligible employees on qualified expenses in connection with the legal adoption of an eligible child, such as travel or court fees, for up to two adoptions in your household.
Penn has a long and proud tradition of intellectual rigor and pursuit of innovative knowledge, begun by Benjamin Franklin in 1740. That tradition lives today through the creativity, entrepreneurship, and engagement of our faculty, students, and staff. Academic life at Penn is unparalleled, with an undergraduate student body of 10,000 from every U.S. state and around the world. The entering class of 2015 is the most talented and diverse in Penn's history. Consistently ranked among the top 10 universities in the country, Penn welcomes an additional 10,000 students to our top-ranked graduate and professional schools.