Job Title: Technology Alignment Engineer (TAE)
Summary: The Technology Alignment Engineer (TAE) is pivotal in reducing reactive service demands, such as ticket volume and resolution times, creating a more efficient environment for both clients and our MSP. Through meticulous technology benchmarking, the TAE ensures client technologies adhere to industry and MSP standards, thereby minimizing downtime and preventing outages. This role is also critical in identifying professional service revenue opportunities through their findings, driving enhancements in system performance and security. Furthermore, the TAE manages all client technology documentation and SOPs, providing essential knowledge support to the team and reinforcing our commitment to service excellence.
Key Responsibilities:
- Perform scheduled proactive reviews of assigned client environments
- Utilize specialized tools for benchmarking client infrastructures
- Identify risks linked to outdated or misconfigured systems
- Drive down Tickets per Endpoint per Month (TPE/M) and avg resolution time
- Develop and manage the technical documentation and SOP library
- Build and maintain knowledge of client technologies
- Participates in the Internal Security Call weekly meeting
- Exhibits company core values and enhances company culture
Onsite TAE (oTAE):
- Represent the company onsite, maintaining relationships with client contacts and executives
Accountability/KPIs:
- Follow established TAE team documented processes and workflows
- Ensure documentation and processes are up to date
- Maintain a thorough understanding of Technology Alignment Team KPIs
- Complete technology benchmarking reviews and scorecards based on the set schedule
- Achieve a 90% proactive / 10% reactive service ratio on schedule client service days
- Maintain a 100% Effective Utilization by accurately logging all time worked
- Technical proficiency in relevant technologies with ongoing learning
- Strong organizational and coordination skills
- Advanced communication for client and team engagement
- Effective multitasking and task prioritization
- Client-focused mindset for business needs alignment
- Collaborative team approach for solution development
Additional Skills Required:
The oTAE should have hands-on experience and working knowledge in the following areas, as they are routinely assessed during client onsite visits:
- Network Infrastructure:
- Configuration and assessment of firewalls, switches, and wireless access points
- Understanding of network topology, switch capacity, uplink planning, and redundancy
- Network cabling best practices (e.g., Cat5e/Cat6), cable management, color coding, and patch panel usage
- Testing and managing spare network devices (e.g., firewalls, switches)
- Physical & Environmental Conditions:
- Inspection of server room physical security, including controlled access and protection mechanisms
- Evaluation of fire suppression systems, air conditioning, and temperature control/monitoring tools
- Familiarity with documentation practices such as capturing and storing onsite environment photos
- Servers & Storage:
- Working knowledge of HP and Dell server hardware, including visual inspections and physical health checks
- Experience with SAN/NAS technologies for storage infrastructure
- Power management solutions: UPS systems, generators, battery replacement schedules, automatic shutdowns, alerting, and redundancy
- Managing spare parts inventory (e.g., hard drives), including replacement procedures and testing
- Peripheral Devices:
- Identification and documentation of printers, copiers, and scanners, including proper labeling
Technology Alignment Engineer
"Day-In-The-Life"
Daily Activities
- Hours of Operation 8am - 5pm CST Monday through Friday
- Provide the following updates:
- Summary of the previous day's client reviews, including the percentage of proactive vs. reactive actions taken
- Schedule for today and tomorrow's client reviews
- Insights from technology alignment scorecards completed during the previous day's visits
Proactive Schedule Service Day
Common Tasks for Onsite TAE (oTAE) and Remote TAE (rTAE)
- Attend scheduled proactive reviews according to a pre-set schedule, either remotely or onsite
- Utilize established TAE Team processes for technology alignment work
- Perform technology alignment scorecard reviews according to a pre-set schedule using a platform designed for comprehensive technology sector benchmarking
- Benchmark client LAN and WAN infrastructure to determine if systems are configured according to industry best practices
- Identify and document business risks existing in the client environment relative to aging and misconfigured systems
- Utilize centralized services application software tools to manage and report on client infrastructure assets and configurations
- Use centralized services tools to demonstrate the efficacy of proactive services and to verify the application of RMM and security tools to 100% of relevant client IT systems and devices
- Complete, deliver, and review the TAE Service Day Deliverable with the client at the end of each scheduled service day
- Achieve TAE KPIs for proactive scheduled service visits
Additional Technology Alignment Services Provided on Scheduled Reviews
- Complete remaining onboarding tasks
- Establish and maintain the technical documentation library for client system configurations
- Develop client-specific standard operating procedures (SOPs) for assigned clients, including:
- New user account setups
- Configuration of new user endpoint devices
- Build, update, and ensure the completion of unique client IT assets using Unique Client Checklists (UCCs) to confirm functionality and system reliability
- Address assigned tickets in the TAE service queue
- Monitor individual ticket queue assignments to prevent TAE ticket aging
- Escalate priority and aging tickets to the TAE Team Lead, seeking assistance with ticket resolution or escalation to another service delivery team member
- Provide professional and timely communications to clients, ensuring prompt responses to client inquiries
- Review new IT documentation posted by members of the Project Team
Collaboration with Team Members
- Work collaboratively with service delivery team members to advance client service initiatives
- Assist team members by:
- Answering inquiries
- Sharing technical knowledge
- Sharing client IT systems knowledge
Weekly Activities:
Preflight Check-in Meetings with the VCIO
- Perform scheduled preflight agenda check-ins with the vCIO, confirming the service agenda for scheduled visits
- Document meeting takeaways and create tickets for defined proactive and reactive work to be performed on scheduled service reviews if tickets for services do not currently exist
Assist vCIOs with Technology Steering Meeting Preparation
- Work directly with the Business Alignment team vCIOs to provide technology recommendations that identify and can improve client IT systems alignment with industry standard best practices
Scorecard Development
- Participate in the ongoing development and refinement of the technology standards and benchmark library
- Participate in Standards Committee Meetings to share knowledge of technology specific benchmarks enabling evolution of the standards library with items that reduce client IT system vulnerabilities
Attend the Weekly TAE Team Meeting
- Attend and participate in weekly team meetings
- Review performance indicators from the previous week
- Participate in the identification of course correction actions required to meet team KPIs and maintain quality of service
- Identify and share lessons learned
- Review status of progress on quarterly initiatives
- Assist the team with creating new, and enhancing existing, TAE service processes
Service Desk Support
- Occasionally participate in IT support at the Service Desk if/when:
- Not scheduled for a proactive review
- The service desk is shorthanded due to PTO or work overload
Bi-Weekly Activities:
1:1 Meeting with the TAE Team Lead
- Participate in 1:1 meeting with the TAE Team Lead to review:
- Individual performance goals
- Growth opportunities
Monthly Activities:
New Client Onboarding and Orientation
- Onboard new clients using a detailed step-by-step onboarding process
On-Call Services
- Provide on call support based on the on-call schedule/rotation
Process and Technical Training
- Attend training programs required to build technical skills
- Attend training programs required to enhance proactive support service processes