3Rd Line Technical Support - MSP

Planet Recruitment; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

Planet Recruitment in Manchester is seeking an experienced 3rd Line Engineer to join our managed services team, providing senior‑level technical support across client environments. You will act as escalation point for complex incidents, own investigations to resolution, drive RCA and problem management, and collaborate with vendors to deliver permanent solutions.

A strong networking background with hands‑on experience in routing, switching, firewalls, VPNs, DNS/DHCP, and enterprise Microsoft

Qualifications

• Senior 2nd/3rd Line experience in MSP or infrastructure
• Strong hands-on networking: TCP/IP, DNS/DHCP, routing/switching
• Experience with security, backups, and enterprise firewall platforms

Responsibilities

• Own complex escalations in PSA, with evidence, time entries and next actions
• Lead diagnosis across infrastructure, Microsoft cloud, networking, security, backup/DR
• Provide clear customer communication during incidents, problems and engineering activity
• Own problem records, perform RCA, maintain known errors and workarounds
• Deliver permanent remediation via config changes, scripting, and vendor engagement
• Create knowledge articles and RCA documentation for shift-left improvements
• Support Major Incidents and engage with vendors to resolve issues

Skills

Advanced networking

Microsoft 365 / Azure

Problem management

Automation scripting

Vendor engagement

Information security

Tools

WatchGuard firewall

Job description

Position: 3rd Line Engineer - MSP Exp Needed

Location: Manchester (Hybrid)

Salary: £50k

About the role

We are looking for an experienced 3rd Line Engineer to join our technical support team, providing senior‑level technical support across a managed client environment.

You will act as a key technical escalation point for complex incidents, recurring problems and engineering‑level changes. You will take ownership of advanced technical investigations through to resolution, drive Root Cause Analysis and Problem Management, and work closely with internal teams, customers and third‑party vendors to deliver permanent solutions.

A strong networking background is essential for this role. The successful candidate will have hands‑on experience troubleshooting and supporting enterprise networks, including routing, switching, firewalls, VPNs, VLANs, DNS, DHCP and associated network technologies.

You will also contribute to service improvement, automation, technical documentation and knowledge sharing, helping to reduce recurring incidents and improve overall service resilience.

Key Responsibilities

• Own complex 1st and 2nd Line escalations within the PSA system, ensuring comprehensive technical evidence, time entries, dependencies and next actions are documented.
• Lead advanced diagnosis and resolution across infrastructure, Microsoft cloud, networking, security, backup/DR and telephony.
• Provide clear and timely customer communication throughout complex incidents, Problems and engineering activity.
• Own assigned Problem records, identify recurring incidents, complete Root Cause Analysis and maintain Known Errors and workarounds.
• Validate escalations, provide technical guidance and ensure tickets meet agreed escalation standards.
• Deliver permanent remediation through configuration changes, scripting, automation, upgrades and vendor engagement.
• Maintain accurate technical documentation and create knowledge articles, RCA documentation and Known Error content to support effective shift‑left.
• Provide senior technical support during Major Incidents, including diagnosis, recovery validation and Post Incident Review/RCA activity.
• Identify recurring technical issues, technical debt, security weaknesses and resilience risks, recommending improvements to reduce repeat incidents.
• Work with AI and automation technologies to automate repeatable technical fixes and manual processes where appropriate.
• Lead vendor and third‑party technical engagement on complex issues while retaining ownership through to resolution.
• Plan and prioritise BAU escalations, Problems, scheduled engineering activity and proactive service improvements.
• Provide out‑of‑hours support to clients on a rota basis, including critical technical escalation and effective handover.
• Maintain Information Security, ISMS, data protection and change‑control requirements, escalating material technical or security risks appropriately.

Essential Experience & Skills

Demonstrable experience in a senior 2nd Line, 3rd Line, Infrastructure or MSP environment, with responsibility for complex technical escalations.

Strong hands‑on networking experience is essential, including:

• TCP/IP
• DNS and DHCP
• Routing and switching
• Firewalls
• VLANs
• VPNs
• NAT/PAT
• ACLs
• Network monitoring and troubleshooting
• Experience with S2S/P2S VPNs, LACP, SSL certificates and enterprise firewall technologies.
• Experience with WatchGuard or comparable firewall platforms is desirable.

Strong structured troubleshooting skills, including log analysis, evidence‑based diagnosis and root‑cause thinking.

Ability to work independently, take technical ownership and drive complex issues through to resolution.

Detailed experience supporting Microsoft Windows Server/Desktop environments, Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS and DHCP.

Detailed experience with Microsoft 365, Azure and related technologies, including:

• Exchange Online
• Microsoft Entra ID / Azure AD
• Hybrid identity
• Conditional Access and MFA
• Microsoft Intune / MDM
• Microsoft Defender
• Information Protection / DLP

Detailed experience with Backup/DRaaS technologies, Azure IaaS and restoration/recovery processes.

Experience with Problem Management, Root Cause Analysis, Known Errors, knowledge creation and remediation validation.

Experience supporting Major Incidents and managing vendor/third‑party technical escalations.

Experience with Autotask, Datto RMM and IT Glue, including monitoring, scripting, time recording and technical documentation.

Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical issues clearly to both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.

Ability to manage competing priorities and work effectively in a customer‑focused MSP environment.

INDIT

Planet Recruitment is an Equal Opportunities Employer.

Please note that no terminology in this advert is intended to discriminate on the grounds of a person's gender, marital status, race, religion, colour, age, disability or sexual orientation. Every candidate will be assessed only in accordance with their merits, qualifications and abilities to perform the duties of the position.