1st Line Support Engineer

Searchability; Essex; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

Searchability, a UK technology services business, seeks a 1st Line Helpdesk Engineer in Essex. You’ll provide remote and occasional on-site IT support for Microsoft 365, Windows, AD and networking, handling incidents from initial contact to documentation with high service standards.

The role includes an on-call rota and a hands-on approach to resolving issues, escalating more complex cases to senior engineers while keeping customers informed throughout the lifecycle.

Qualifications

• Experience in 1st line IT support in a customer-facing role.
• Comfortable troubleshooting day-to-day IT issues remotely.
• Strong communication with customers during incidents.

Responsibilities

• Provide remote 1st Line IT support via phone and email.
• Diagnose and resolve hardware, software and user issues.
• Support Windows 10/11 desktop environments and Microsoft 365 services.
• Manage users and permissions in Active Directory; basic Group Policy tasks.
• Escalate complex incidents to 2nd/3rd Line as needed.

Skills

1st Line Support

Helpdesk

Service Desk

IT Support

Troubleshooting

Customer communication

Prioritisation

Tools

Microsoft 365

Office 365

Active Directory

Azure AD

Entra ID

Group Policy

DNS

DHCP

Windows 10/11

Job description

1st Line Helpdesk Engineer

Salary: £25,000–£30,000 DOE

Location: Essex

Employment: Full Time, Permanent

This is an opportunity to join a well-established UK technology services business, providing IT support and managed technology services to a diverse customer base.

We’re looking for a 1st Line Helpdesk Engineer with a solid grounding in Microsoft technologies who enjoys troubleshooting, speaking with customers and resolving day-to-day IT issues.

This is a hands‑on support position where you’ll be one of the first points of contact for customers, providing remote technical support across Microsoft 365, Windows, Active Directory and networking.

You’ll diagnose and resolve technical issues wherever possible, escalating more complex incidents to senior engineers while maintaining a high level of customer service throughout.

The Role

Working as part of an established technical support team, you’ll provide 1st Line IT support to customers primarily via phone and email, with some in‑person support where required.

You’ll troubleshoot issues across Windows devices, Microsoft 365 environments, user accounts, permissions and basic networking, ensuring incidents are resolved efficiently and accurately documented.

The position also participates in a 24×7 on‑call rota, so you’ll need to be comfortable providing occasional out‑of‑hours support.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide remote 1st Line IT support to customers via phone and email.
• Diagnose and resolve hardware, software and user‑related technical issues.
• Support Windows 10/11 desktop environments.
• Support users across Microsoft 365 / Office 365.
• Manage users, accounts and permissions within Active Directory.
• Support basic Group Policy administration and troubleshooting.
• Assist with Microsoft 365 services including Exchange, OneDrive and SharePoint.
• Provide basic support across Azure / Azure AD / Entra ID environments.
• Troubleshoot basic networking issues including IP addressing, DHCP and DNS.
• Support antivirus and endpoint security solutions such as Sophos.
• Escalate more complex incidents to 2nd and 3rd Line engineers where required.
• Maintain accurate IT documentation, ticket notes and internal knowledge bases.
• Communicate clearly with customers throughout the lifecycle of incidents.
• Provide customer‑facing support via phone, email and in person when required.
• Participate in the out‑of‑hours on‑call rota.

What We’re Looking For

You’ll probably be a great fit if you’ve:

• Previously worked in a 1st Line Support, Helpdesk, Service Desk or IT Support position.
• Supported users within a customer‑facing technical environment.
• Good hands‑on knowledge of Windows 10/11.
• Experience supporting Microsoft 365 / Office 365.
• Worked with Active Directory, including users, groups and permissions.
• Some understanding of Group Policy / GPO.
• Exposure to Microsoft 365 services including Exchange, OneDrive and SharePoint.
• A basic understanding of Azure / Azure AD / Entra ID.
• Good networking fundamentals covering IP addressing, DHCP and DNS.
• Strong troubleshooting and problem‑solving skills.
• Confidence communicating with customers over the phone and via email.
• The ability to prioritise multiple support tickets and manage your own workload.
• A reliable, organised and self‑motivated approach.

Highly Desirable

• Experience working within an MSP or managed services environment.
• Experience with Sophos or other antivirus/endpoint security technologies.
• Experience supporting or administering Mac / macOS devices.
• Broader networking knowledge.
• Previous experience providing both remote and onsite IT support.
• Exposure to Azure-based environments.

Key Skills: 1st Line Support, First Line Support, Helpdesk Engineer, Service Desk Analyst, IT Support Engineer, Technical Support, Microsoft 365, Office 365, Active Directory, Azure AD, Entra ID, Group Policy, GPO, Windows 10, Windows 11, Exchange, OneDrive, SharePoint, Azure, DNS, DHCP, TCP/IP, Networking, Sophos, Antivirus, Mac, macOS, Basildon, Essex.