IT Help Desk Specialist (Tier II)

Position Title: IT Help Desk Specialist (Tier II)

Location: Washington, DC 20515

Project Duration: Long Term Contract

Key Responsibilities:

• Image, configure, and deploy Windows desktops, macOS systems, and mobile devices against security baselines; register and validate assets in inventory.
• Install, patch, and troubleshoot hardware, software, and peripherals across Windows and macOS, maintaining compliance with Zero Trust / Defense-in-Depth standards.
• Enroll and manage mobile devices (iOS, Android) in MDM; support users on authentication, MFA, and secure remote access.
• Diagnose and resolve complex issues - MFA failures, identity anomalies, connectivity and endpoint problems - using independent judgment and root-cause analysis.
• Analyze Windows Event Viewer and macOS Console logs to identify error patterns and build durable fixes.
• Administer Microsoft Entra ID / Active Directory: account provisioning, group policy, and identity lifecycle management.
• Support macOS/iOS administration: device enrollment, configuration profiles, FileVault, and enterprise auth/compliance integration.
• Participate in patch management and vulnerability remediation (e.g., prioritizing Nessus findings).
• Mentor Tier I technicians; create and validate SOPs and knowledge-base content; automate routine tasks where possible.
• Perform secure drive sanitization/destruction (e.g., BitRaser) and drive cloning for deployments, refreshes, and recovery.
• Support incident response for outages and service disruptions; communicate ticket status clearly through the ticketing system.

Required Qualifications (Must-Haves):

• Enterprise-level administration and support of both macOS and Windows - imaging, deployment, configuration management, and security-baseline compliance.
• Hands-on experience with endpoint management / automation platforms: JAMF, Microsoft Intune, Ivanti (EPM), and KACE (or close equivalents).
• Identity & access management: Microsoft Entra ID / Active Directory, MFA, role-based access control, and AWS-integrated identity solutions.
• Strong troubleshooting of authentication, connectivity, and endpoint performance via log analysis (Event Viewer, macOS Console, monitoring tools).
• Experience coordinating cross-team incident response (Service Desk, Network Operations, Cybersecurity).
• Solid grounding in system administration: patch management, baseline configuration, and automated imaging workflows.
• Cloud/hybrid experience, specifically supporting AWS-hosted resources and on-prem/cloud integrations.
• Working knowledge of Zero Trust security principles.
• Excellent customer service, communication, documentation, and mentoring skills; able to prioritize and meet tight deadlines professionally.

Preferred Qualifications (Differentiators, Not Disqualifiers):

• Certifications:
  • CompTIA Security+
  • Microsoft Certified: Endpoint Administrator Associate (or equivalent)
  • Apple Certified IT Professional
  • AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (or higher)
  • ITIL Foundation (or equivalent service-management cert)
  • Certified SysOps Administrator Associate
• Education:
  • Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a closely related field.