Information Technology (IT) Help Desk Specialist

Harper-Engineering-Company; Renton (WA); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Harper-Engineering-Company is seeking an IT Help Desk Specialist to provide first-line support for employees. You will handle tickets in JIRA, assist with hardware/software provisioning, and resolve Windows, Mac, and Linux issues while maintaining security best practices.

The role covers account management in Entra ID and AD, backups monitoring, and ongoing process improvements. A professional, service-oriented attitude is essential.

Qualifications

• Minimum education/experience for a junior IT support role.
• Strong verbal and written communication, including non-technical explanations.
• Interpersonal discretion with sensitive information.
• Excellent organization, time management, and ability to manage multiple tickets.
• Working knowledge of Entra ID, Active Directory, Microsoft Office, Windows, Mac, Linux.
• Strong troubleshooting, problem-solving, documentation, and root-cause analysis.
• Ability to work independently and on a team, follow procedures, seek help, escalate when needed.
• Ability to communicate professionally in English with employees at all levels.

Responsibilities

• Manage JIRA tickets with status, notes, resolutions, and follow-up actions.
• Install, configure, deploy, maintain IT devices and peripherals.
• Resolve hardware, software, network, VPN, email, and account issues across multiple OS.
• Support user accounts and access in Entra ID and Active Directory.
• Support IT security through access control, endpoint protection, patching, phishing awareness.
• Monitor backups, endpoint health, updates, and routine checks.

Skills

Clear communication

Verbal and written skills

Interpersonal skills

Organization and time management

Troubleshooting

Documentation

Team collaboration

English proficiency

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science/IT

Tools

JIRA

Microsoft Entra ID

Active Directory

Microsoft Office

Windows

Mac

Linux

Power BI

Tableau

SQL

Python

API integrations

Job description

Description

Job Summary

The Information Technology (IT) Help Desk Specialist provides first-line technical support for employees and supports the day-to-day reliability, security, and usability of company information technology systems. This IT role is responsible for receiving, documenting, prioritizing, resolving, and escalating support requests through the JIRA ticketing system. The position supports computer hardware, software, operating systems, user accounts, peripherals, networking, backups, inventory, IT training, and continuous improvement of IT support processes while maintaining a professional and service-oriented attitude.

Essential Job Duties

• 1. Manage JIRA support tickets with accurate status, troubleshooting notes, resolutions, and follow-up actions. Provide timely end-user support in person, by phone, email, remote tools, and the approved ticketing process.
• 2. Install, configure, deploy, maintain, and troubleshoot computers, mobile devices, printers, peripherals, conference room equipment, and other IT assets.
• 3. Resolve common hardware, software, OS, application, network, VPN, printer, email, access, and account issues across Windows, Mac, and Linux.
• 4. Support user accounts, password resets, access requests, group updates, and identity tasks in Microsoft Entra ID and Active Directory.
• 5. Support IT security by following access control, endpoint protection, patching, phishing awareness, data handling, incident reporting, and least-privilege practices.
• 6. Monitor backups, recovery processes, endpoint health, software updates, and routine operational checks as assigned.

Secondary Duties

• 1. Documentation: Maintain IT documentation, knowledge base articles, setup guides, and user instructions.
• 2. Data Support: Assist with reporting, analytics, spreadsheets, data cleanup, and basic Power BI, Tableau, SQL, Python, or API tasks as assigned.
• 3. Process Improvement: Support JIRA improvements and recommend practical updates to IT tools, processes, security practices, and user experience.
• 4. Other IT Support: Support assigned IT initiatives, security operations, equipment moves, onboarding, offboarding, vendor coordination, and related operational tasks.

Requirements

Job Qualifications

Minimum

• 1. Relevant education, experience, certifications, or multifunctional IT experience for a junior support role.
• 2. Strong verbal and written communication, including explaining technical topics to non-technical users.
• 3. Professional interpersonal skills and discretion with sensitive or confidential information.
• 4. Strong organization, time management, follow-through, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple tickets.
• 5. Working knowledge of Microsoft Entra ID, Active Directory, Microsoft Office, Windows, Mac, Linux, business applications, hardware, software, networking, printers, and peripherals.
• 6. Strong troubleshooting, problem-solving, documentation, and root-cause analysis skills.
• 7. Ability to work independently and on a team, follow procedures, seek help, and elevate appropriately.
• 8. Ability to communicate professionally in English with employees at all levels.

Preferred

• 1. Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.
• 2. Knowledge of IT security best practices, endpoint protection, phishing awareness, access control, and incident reporting.
• 3. Experience with JIRA, service desk workflows, IT asset management, remote support tools, endpoint management, or knowledge base systems.
• 4. Familiarity with data analytics tools such as Power BI, Tableau, SQL, Python, API integrations, or similar tools.
• 5. Relevant certifications such as CompTIA A+, Network+, Security+, Microsoft, Cisco, ITIL Foundation, or equivalent training.

Physical Requirements

• 1. Occasional kneeling, pulling, pushing, reaching, crawling under desks, cable handling, and carrying equipment as related to IT support work.
• 2. Must be able to lift up to 25 pounds at times.
• 3. May require weekend work, after-hours support, scheduled maintenance windows, or urgent response as business needs require.