Service Desk Technician (G4)

The University  
  
At Durham University we are proud of our people. A globally outstanding centre of educational excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, a unique and historic setting – Durham is a university like no other. Across the University we have a huge variety of roles and career opportunities, which together make us a large and successful community, which is a key hub of activity within our region and nationally. Whether you are at the very start, middle or end of your career, there is a role for you. We believe everyone has their own unique skills to offer. We would be thrilled if you would consider joining our thriving University. Further information about the University can be found here
  
The Role and the Department  

The Computing and Information Services (CIS) has an annual operational budget in the order of £10m, multi-million-pound programmes of change within year, and approximately 140 staff who are predominately based at the Durham University campus. The Senior Leadership Team report directly to the Chief Information Officer with the following portfolios: Strategy and Change; Operations; and Information Systems. CIS provide academic, teaching and administrative services across the organisation that underpin the day-to-day activities of the whole organisation.

Recent infrastructure improvements include investment in a new network backbone, including new cable runs throughout the city to all of the Universities core buildings, new scalable user facing storage, and a new hosting environment. Corresponding business led investment also continues to be made with a new Oracle Enterprise Resource Planning suite, investment in research administration, and maximising the breadth of opportunities available to the University through Office365, alongside numerous other important initiatives. 

CIS is a friendly, but demanding department, where much is expected and can be achieved by competent, self-motivated individuals who are demonstrable in their team work ability.

The Role

As a Service Desk Technician you will act as first line support for University Staff, Student, and Visitors, utilising various communication channels such as LiveChat, Self Service, Telephone, Email, and Face to Face interactions to meet user requests, provide assistance, and resolve incidents and issues.

The Service Desk Technician will be expected to provide effective, high quality, responsive, customer focused support to all users of University IT in a timely and professional manner. The post holder will have a willingness to develop new technical competencies and an ability to be flexible and work extended hours if required. Occasional travel may be required to attend user groups or conferences.

Working at Durham    
  
A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University: you will also receive access to the following fantastic benefits:   

•    27 Days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year – a total of 39 days per year.  The University closes between Christmas and New Year 
•    No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered.  We have parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies.  
•    Lots of support for health and wellbeing including discounted membership for our state of the art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme.  
•    On site nursery is available and children’s clubs in the summer holidays.
•    Family friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, which are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).  
•    There is a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally.  There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University.  All staff have dedicated annual time to       concentrate on their personal development opportunities.   
•    The opportunity to take part in staff volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community  
•    Discounts are available via our benefits portal including; money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, the cinema and days out at various attractions.   
•    We offer generous pension schemes.   

Durham University is committed to equality,  diversity and inclusion

Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and we believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work.    

As a University equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key part of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do.  We also live by our values and our Staff Code of Conduct.  At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive. It’s important to us that all of our colleagues are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI.  

We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. If you have taken time out of your career, and you feel it relevant, let us know about it in your application. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role.

What you need to demonstrate when you apply/Person Specification  

To be considered for this role, here are the skills/experience we’re looking for:

Qualifications/Experience

1.      Five GCSE’s at least Grade C or level four (or equivalent) including English Language and Mathematics or equivalent experience.

2.      Experience of working in a buildings, estates, services or IT service provision or a similar area or having relevant qualifications for the role.

3.      Experience of managing time to meet deadlines.  

Skills/Abilities/Knowledge

4.      Good spoken and written communication skills.

5.      Good digital skills including experience in using digital devices and apps including the internet, email, digital communication tools, Microsoft 365 applications, digital booking systems.

6.      Knowledge relevant to the role ideally supported by relevant courses or certifications.

7.      Committed to continuing professional development.

8.      Ability to provide support for projects.

9.      Knowledge of health and safety issues, such as risk assessments.

10.   Ability to solve problems and resolve straightforward issues yourself and as part of a team. 

Desirable Criteria  

• Relevant industry and professional recognition and certification of achievement of skills and knowledge, for example, Service Desk Institute (SDI) Service Desk Analyst qualification, ITIL Foundation Version 3 or later.
• Experience of using an IT Service Management system to manage, allocate and monitor support tasks.
• Experience of using and configuring one or more device platforms such as iOS, Android, etc.

How to apply  
To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification above. Where there are desirable criteria we would also urge you to provide any relevant evidence. Please don’t forget to check if there is any weighted criteria (see above).  
  
While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview.    
  
Submitting your application   
  
We prefer to receive applications online. We will update you about your application at various points during the process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to ensure you receive all emails   
   
What you are required to submit:  

Contact details   
If you would like to have a chat or ask any questions about the role, Andy Scott (Senior Manager Service Desk and Field Team) would be happy to speak to you. [email protected] .

Typical Role Requirements

Service Delivery

• Show a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and the University’s values.
• Provide an excellent and timely service to our students, your colleagues and anyone else you come across as part of your role.
• Use your experience and problem-solving skills to investigate and resolve issues with things relevant to your role such as IT, buildings, facilities, infrastructure and provide information and updates to help your team find solutions.
• Collect, organise and record data and information accurately and provide reports as required.
• Create and provide to your colleagues standard technical data and specifications.
• Carry out some tasks that may require specialist skills.
• Follow and provide guidance on health and safety requirements which are relevant to your role.
• Promote positive wellbeing arrangements which benefit you and your team.
• When carrying out your role, use and apply relevant industry and regulatory standards.
• Explain and demonstrate tasks to others to make sure a wide range of physical and digital equipment and tools are used safely.

Teamwork

• Help your colleagues to organise, plan and prepare for events/meetings and contribute to team planning activities.
• Resolve queries and respond to requests for information and advice and bring any complex issues to the attention of more experienced team members.
• Help your team provide safe, secure and infrastructure services across the University.
• Help to carry out and complete risk assessments and safety records and follow established procedures when responding to potentially harmful situations.
• Help to plan and organise a schedule of maintenance, repair, recovery checks to meet compliance and regulatory standards.

Communication/Liaison

• Seek feedback from students, staff and anyone else that you come across as part of your role on their requirements from your service to ensure that their reasonable expectations are being met.
• Record information [e.g. bookings for activities/events] and respond to queries which you receive.
• Liaise with staff in other areas to ensure that services are being delivered in an efficient and collaborative way.
• Liaise with external suppliers, contractors, specialists and service providers.
• Any other reasonable duties.

Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement https://www.durham.ac.uk/about-us/governance/information-governance/privacy-notices/privacy-notices/job-applicants/   which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.   

When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas.