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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for IT Associate

💰 $ - $

Information TechnologyIT SupportSystems AdministrationHelp Desk

🎯 Role Definition

The IT Associate is an early-career technical generalist who provides frontline IT support, maintains end-user systems, assists with network and server operations, enforces security and compliance controls, and contributes to small-to-medium IT projects. This role is typically responsible for incident resolution via a ticketing system, hardware and software provisioning, account administration, and escalation to senior engineering teams. The ideal candidate balances hands-on troubleshooting with strong customer service, documentation, and a continuous improvement mindset. Common keywords: IT Associate, help desk, desktop support, systems administration, Active Directory, Microsoft 365, endpoint management, network troubleshooting, ITIL.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Help Desk Technician / Desktop Support Technician
  • Technical Support Specialist
  • Computer Lab or IT Intern

Advancement To:

  • Systems Administrator
  • Network Administrator
  • Cloud Support Engineer
  • IT Security Analyst
  • IT Operations Lead / Team Lead

Lateral Moves:

  • Endpoint Management Specialist
  • IT Asset Manager
  • Service Desk Analyst
  • Application Support Analyst

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Provide first- and second-line technical support for a diverse user base—respond to hardware, software, printing, email, VPN, and network connectivity incidents via phone, email, chat and ticketing system, ensuring timely resolution and clear user communication.
  • Triage incoming tickets in the service desk (ServiceNow, Jira, Zendesk or similar), prioritize incidents by business impact and SLA, document troubleshooting steps, and escalate complex issues to senior engineers when required.
  • Install, configure, and maintain Windows and macOS desktops and laptops, including OS builds, image deployment (SCCM, Intune, Jamf), driver updates, peripheral configuration, and firmware upgrades.
  • Manage user accounts and access across Active Directory, Azure AD, Microsoft 365, and on-premises directories—perform onboarding, offboarding, password resets, group membership management, and permission audits.
  • Administer and troubleshoot Microsoft 365 services including Exchange Online, SharePoint, Teams, OneDrive, license assignment, and mail flow issues.
  • Configure and support VPN solutions, remote access tools, and remote desktop technologies (RDP, Citrix, VMware Horizon), ensuring remote workers have secure connectivity and productivity.
  • Perform routine network troubleshooting for TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, VLANs, Wi-Fi access points, switches, and firewalls using diagnostic tools and vendor documentation; escalate complex network incidents.
  • Maintain asset inventory and lifecycle management for desktops, laptops, mobile devices, and peripherals; coordinate imaging, provisioning, returns, warranty RMA, and secure disposal.
  • Implement and support endpoint protection and EDR/Malware solutions, perform virus/incident response tasks at the desktop level, and escalate security incidents to the security team.
  • Participate in patch management processes—test and deploy OS and application patches, validate updates, and remediate failures in coordination with IT operations.
  • Assist with backup and recovery tasks for desktops and departmental shares; verify backups, participate in DR drills, and execute file restores for users as needed.
  • Conduct routine system and health checks for servers and infrastructure components, gather logs, and provide basic analysis to support root cause identification and ticket closure.
  • Provide hardware troubleshooting and repair—diagnose faulty components, replace motherboards, SSDs, memory, power supplies, and configure RAID or storage settings under guidance.
  • Support mobile device management (MDM) and mobile applications—enroll devices, enforce security policies, configure email, and troubleshoot connectivity or app issues.
  • Create and maintain technical documentation, KB articles, runbooks, and user guides to reduce repeat incidents and improve self-service capabilities.
  • Participate in IT projects such as hardware refreshes, software rollouts, migrations, and office moves—assist with planning, testing, deployment, and cutover activities.
  • Enforce and promote IT security best practices and policies—implement MFA, secure configuration baselines, least privilege principles, and report policy non-compliance.
  • Monitor system alerts, service health dashboards, and performance metrics; take preventative action when feasible and escalate threshold breaches to engineering teams.
  • Configure and troubleshoot printing and scanning solutions, multifunction devices, and shared resource permissions; manage print queues and driver deployments.
  • Support vendor coordination for third-party hardware, software, and cloud services—open vendor tickets, follow SLAs, and validate vendor-provided fixes.
  • Assist in license management and compliance tracking for SaaS and desktop applications; prepare inventory reports and renewal notifications.
  • Provide onboarding training and orientation for new hires on standard IT procedures, remote access, collaboration tools, and security requirements.
  • Execute basic scripting tasks and automation for repetitive workflows using PowerShell, Bash, or low-code tools to increase operational efficiency under supervision.
  • Ensure data privacy and confidentiality when handling sensitive information; follow approved processes for secure data transfer and storage.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
  • Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Windows Desktop OS administration (Windows 10/11), macOS fundamentals, and troubleshooting of common OS issues.
  • Active Directory and Azure AD user and group administration, account lifecycle management and group policy basics.
  • Microsoft 365 (Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive) configuration, troubleshooting, and license management.
  • Endpoint management tools such as Microsoft Intune, SCCM/ConfigMgr, Jamf, or similar for imaging and policy delivery.
  • Network fundamentals: TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, subnetting, Wi‑Fi basics, and experience troubleshooting connectivity issues.
  • VPN and remote access technologies (SSL VPN, IPSec, Cisco AnyConnect, Remote Desktop Services).
  • Ticketing and ITSM platforms (ServiceNow, Jira Service Desk, Zendesk) including SLA handling, escalation workflow and reporting.
  • Basic understanding of firewalls, switches, and routers and experience collecting network diagnostics and logs.
  • Endpoint security tools and practices: antivirus, EDR, malware remediation, and basic incident containment.
  • Scripting and automation basics (PowerShell preferred; Bash or Python familiarity desirable) to automate routine tasks.
  • Hardware diagnostics and repair for desktops, laptops, printers, and mobile devices; knowledge of warranty and RMA processes.
  • Backup and recovery concepts, familiarity with backup tools for desktops and file shares.
  • Mobile Device Management (MDM) experience: device enrollment, policy enforcement, and remote wipe capabilities.
  • Cloud fundamentals (Azure and/or AWS) — identity, basic resource management, and SaaS administration experience.
  • Basic knowledge of ITIL processes: incident, problem, change, and asset management.

Soft Skills

  • Strong customer service orientation with a patient, professional communication style across channels.
  • Clear written and verbal communication for documentation, knowledge base creation, and user interactions.
  • Analytical problem-solving mindset with attention to detail and ability to reproduce and escalate complex issues.
  • Time management and ability to prioritize multiple concurrent tasks under SLA constraints.
  • Team collaboration and willingness to learn from senior engineers and cross-functional IT teams.
  • Adaptability to changing technologies, processes, and fast-paced production environments.
  • Ownership and accountability—follow-through on incidents and changes until resolution.
  • Confidentiality, discretion, and ethical handling of sensitive company and user data.
  • Process-driven mindset and commitment to continuous improvement through feedback and metrics.
  • Training and mentoring aptitude to assist junior staff and onboard new users.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • High school diploma or equivalent; technical certificate or vocational training in IT preferred.

Preferred Education:

  • Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Management Information Systems, or related field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Computer Science
  • Information Technology / Systems
  • Networking / Telecommunications
  • Cybersecurity
  • Information Systems Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 1 to 3 years of hands-on IT support or technical operations experience (help desk, desktop support, or junior systems administration).

Preferred:

  • 2+ years supporting enterprise endpoints, Active Directory/Azure AD administration, Microsoft 365, and ticketing systems in a business environment.
  • Relevant certifications such as CompTIA A+, Network+, Microsoft Modern Desktop Administrator, Microsoft 365 Certified, or ITIL Foundation are a plus.
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