Technical Lead

Bytes Software Services Limited; Newcastle upon Tyne; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading IT solutions provider is seeking a Microsoft Azure 3rd Line Support Engineer in Newcastle upon Tyne. The role involves providing advanced technical support for Azure services, managing complex issues, and collaborating with various stakeholders to enhance service delivery. Candidates should possess essential Azure certifications and extensive experience in a technical support role involving Microsoft Cloud services. Strong communication and troubleshooting skills are vital for this customer-centric position.

Qualifications

• Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) is essential.
• Experience in technical support dealing with Microsoft Cloud services for 6+ years is essential.
• Knowledge of Azure networking concepts and services is essential.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of Azure service requests from clients.
• Provide feedback to customers and maintain communication throughout ticket lifecycle.
• Troubleshoot and resolve complex incidents and service requests.

Skills

Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900)

Microsoft Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104)

Microsoft Data Fundamentals (DP-900)

Microsoft Azure Security Engineer (AZ-500)

Microsoft Azure Network Engineer Associate (AZ-700)

Microsoft Azure Developer Associate (AZ-204)

Microsoft Azure Architecture (SC-100)

6+ years in technical support with Microsoft Cloud services

Knowledge of Microsoft Azure services

Understanding of Azure networking concepts

Ability to advise on Azure Solutions

Ability to troubleshoot complex networking issues

Knowledge of Azure security features

Experience with Azure Backup and Site Recovery

Strong communication skills

Experience in Microsoft Partner Centre and Lighthouse

Knowledge of Azure Entra and related technologies

Ability to create technical documentation

Previous experience automating tasks

Knowledge of Hyper-V and VMware

Good understanding of Microsoft 365 Admin Portal

Experience dealing with out-of-hours requests

Job description

Company Overview

Bytes is a top provider of premium IT solutions and services, working with SMEs, corporations, and public sector organizations to modernise and digitally transform their IT infrastructures. Founded in 1982, Bytes has experienced significant growth, now employing over 750 people across seven locations in the UK and Ireland, with a turnover surpassing £1.8 billion in 2023. At Bytes, we nurture talented individuals to achieve remarkable outcomes and support employees through continuous training, guidance, and development to help them advance and fulfil their career goals. We foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, recognition and inclusivity and offer a wide range of benefits to support staff wellbeing.

Purpose of Job

We are seeking an experienced and highly skilled Microsoft Azure 3rd Line Support Engineer to join our dynamic IT support team. The ideal candidate will be responsible for providing advanced technical support for Azure‑based solutions, handling complex issues that escalated from the 1st and 2nd line support teams, and ensuring high availability and performance of our cloud infrastructure.
Bytes is expanding its customer‑facing Microsoft Support Desk after another year of impressive growth. As part of a close‑knit team with a customer‑centric focus, you will work closely with customers by providing day‑to‑day technical support, contributing to overall technical governance and leadership, technical excellence, and continual service improvement. Communication and collaboration are paramount to this role; you will work closely with a variety of internal and external stakeholders and be continually engaged with our clients.

Key Responsibilities

• Take ownership of requests raised by Bytes CSP clients or CSP resellers related to their Azure environment affecting any/all Azure services and manage until a resolution has been found.
• Provide prompt and accurate feedback to customers or CSP resellers and assure the client feels included throughout the lifecycle of the ticket by maintaining contact via phone/email/Teams.
• Provide direct 3rd line escalation for Bytes VIP customers, Bytes CSP Expert customers, and Azure Managed Services customers.
• Follow standard procedures for proper escalation of unresolved issues to the appropriate internal teams.
• Able to manage and prioritise open and unresolved Azure tickets liaising with all 3rd parties.
• Troubleshoot and resolve complex incidents and service requests that have been escalated from 1st and 2nd line support teams.
• Analyse and diagnose issues related to Azure infrastructure and services.
• Maintain up‑to‑date documentation on Azure configurations, incident resolutions, and standard operating procedures.
• Work closely with other IT teams and stakeholders to ensure smooth operations and integration of Azure services.
• Collaborate with Microsoft Azure support for escalated issues that require vendor intervention.
• Stay current with Azure updates, new features, and industry best practices.
• Participate in continuous improvement initiatives to enhance support processes and service delivery.

Qualifications, Experience & Skills

• Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ‑900) – ESSENTIAL
• Microsoft Azure Administrator Associate (AZ‑104) – ESSENTIAL
• Microsoft Data Fundamentals (DP‑900) – ESSENTIAL
• Microsoft Azure Security Engineer (AZ‑500) – ESSENTIAL
• Microsoft Azure Network Engineer Associate (AZ‑700) – ESSENTIAL
• Microsoft Azure Developer Associate (AZ‑204) – DESIRABLE
• Microsoft Azure Architecture (SC‑100) – DESIRABLE
• 6+ years working in a technical support team dealing with Microsoft Cloud services – ESSENTIAL
• Knowledge of Microsoft Azure services (V‑Ms, Entra, Networking, Storage, SQL, App Services, AKS) – ESSENTIAL
• Understanding of Azure networking concepts (VNets, NSGs, Load Balancer, App Gateway, Firewall) – ESSENTIAL
• Ability to advise clients on Azure Solutions that meet requirements – ESSENTIAL
• Ability to troubleshoot and resolve complex networking issues and understand connectivity between on‑premises environments and Azure – ESSENTIAL
• Knowledge of Azure security features (Security Center, Key Vault, Policy, RBAC) – ESSENTIAL
• Experience implementing and managing Azure Backup and Site Recovery – ESSENTIAL
• Strong communication skills to effectively interact with customers and provide technical guidance – ESSENTIAL
• Experience in Microsoft Partner Centre and Lighthouse – ESSENTIAL
• Knowledge of Azure Entra, Information Protection, IRM, single sign‑on, multi‑factor authentication and related technologies – ESSENTIAL
• Ability to create detailed technical documentation, incident reports, troubleshooting guides, knowledge‑base articles – ESSENTIAL
• Previous experience automating manual tasks using ARM templates & JSON – ESSENTIAL
• Knowledge of Hyper‑V, VMware and on‑prem servers – ESSENTIAL
• Good understanding of Microsoft 365 Admin Portal and O365 Services – DESIRABLE
• Previous experience dealing with out‑of‑hours requests – DESIRABLE

Core Competencies & Skills

• Work proactively, independently and in an agile manner to achieve desired outcomes.
• Enjoy working in an environment that requires continuous learning and development.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, capable of communicating with senior stakeholders across the business and client infrastructure teams.
• Generate innovative approaches and solutions to complex problems whilst achieving SLAs.
• Excellent organisational skills and ability to manage multiple demands whilst staying on top of deadlines.
• Take ownership of tasks and drive the team objective forward.
• Provide advice and support to members in different departments around Azure services.
• Motivated to utilise training resources available to increase knowledge about Azure and collaborate across the wider team.