3rd Line engineer

Spear-heads; North East; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hartlepool role

No on-call

Training & development

Career progression

Job summary

Spear-heads Hartlepool is seeking a skilled 3rd Line IT Engineer to join our hands-on team. Based in Hartlepool, you will own advanced incidents, resolve complex issues, and act as an escalation point for other engineers across Microsoft 365, Azure, Active Directory and networking.

You will manage servers and cloud infrastructure, contribute to upgrades and projects, mentor junior staff, and help maintain security and documentation while delivering reliable IT services in a busy environment.

Qualifications

• Strong experience in 3rd line, infrastructure, or senior IT support roles.
• Experience with Windows Server, AD/GP, DNS/DHCP.
• Proficient with Microsoft 365, Azure, and Entra ID.
• Familiar with VMware or Hyper-V and networking concepts.

Responsibilities

• Act as escalation point for complex 2nd and 3rd line issues.
• Troubleshoot and resolve server, network, cloud and infrastructure problems.
• Administer Microsoft 365, Azure, Active Directory / Entra ID.
• Manage Windows Server environments, DNS and DHCP.
• Support virtualised environments with VMware or Hyper-V.
• Configure switches, firewalls, VPNs and network infrastructure.
• Produce technical documentation and mentor junior engineers.

Skills

Windows Server

Active Directory

Microsoft 365

Azure

Entra ID

VMware

Hyper-V

Networking

PowerShell

Security & backups

Tools

VMware

Hyper-V

Microsoft 365 admin

Azure

Intune

Active Directory

Job description

3rd Line IT Engineer - Hartlepool

The Role

We are looking for an experienced 3rd Line IT Engineer to join our team based in Hartlepool. This is a hands‑on technical position suited to someone with strong infrastructure experience who enjoys resolving complex issues, delivering technical projects and acting as an escalation point for other engineers.

You will take ownership of advanced incidents and service requests while supporting and improving the organisation's IT infrastructure. You'll work across Microsoft technologies, networking, cloud services, virtualisation and security, as well as contributing to infrastructure upgrades and wider IT projects.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the escalation point for complex 2nd and 3rd line technical issues
• Troubleshoot and resolve server, network, cloud and infrastructure problems
• Administer and support Microsoft 365, Azure and Active Directory / Entra ID
• Manage Windows Server environments, including Group Policy, DNS and DHCP
• Support virtualised environments using VMware and/or Hyper-V
• Configure and troubleshoot switches, firewalls, VPNs and wider network infrastructure
• Manage user access, permissions, security policies and endpoint environments
• Monitor infrastructure performance, availability, backups and security
• Deliver infrastructure upgrades, migrations and improvement projects
• Produce and maintain technical documentation
• Mentor junior engineers and provide technical guidance to the wider IT support team
• Work with third-party suppliers and technology partners where required

Skills & Experience

We're looking for someone with solid experience in a 3rd Line, Infrastructure Engineer, Systems Engineer or Senior IT Support position.

Ideally, you'll have strong knowledge of:

• Windows Server 2016/2019/2022
• Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS and DHCP
• Microsoft 365 administration
• Microsoft Azure and Entra ID
• VMware and/or Hyper-V
• Networking including TCP/IP, VLANs, routing, switching and VPNs
• Firewalls and network security
• Backup and disaster recovery solutions
• Endpoint management and security
• PowerShell scripting and automation

Experience with Intune, Microsoft Defender, Azure Virtual Desktop, SAN/storage environments or infrastructure monitoring tools would be advantageous.

About You

You'll be a technically capable engineer who is comfortable taking ownership of challenging problems and seeing them through to resolution. You'll have strong troubleshooting skills, communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical colleagues, and be able to prioritise effectively within a busy IT environment.

You should also be comfortable contributing to projects and sharing your knowledge with more junior members of the team.

What's on Offer

• Permanent 3rd Line IT Engineer position
• Hartlepool-based role
• Competitive salary based on experience
• Opportunity to work across a broad modern technology stack
• Exposure to infrastructure and cloud projects
• Training and professional development opportunities
• Career progression within the IT team
• Hours 8am-4.00pm or 9am-5pm (no on call)