Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for IT Technician

🎯 Role Definition

The IT Technician is a hands-on technical support professional responsible for maintaining, troubleshooting, and improving end-user computing environments, corporate network endpoints, and on-site hardware and software systems. This role provides first- and second-line support for desktops, laptops, mobile devices, printers, peripherals, and common business applications while escalating complex issues to system administrators and vendors. Keywords: IT Technician, technical support, help desk, desktop support, troubleshooting, Active Directory, Microsoft 365, networking, endpoint security.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Help Desk Technician / Help Desk Analyst
Desktop Support Specialist
IT Support Assistant

Advancement To:

Senior IT Technician / Senior Desktop Support Engineer
Systems Administrator / Windows/Linux Administrator
Network Engineer / Infrastructure Engineer
IT Support Manager / Technical Team Lead

Lateral Moves:

Network Technician
Security Operations Analyst / IT Security Specialist
Cloud Support Engineer / Cloud Operations Technician

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Provide timely first- and second-line technical support for desktops, laptops, mobile devices and peripherals, including troubleshooting hardware failures, software issues, driver conflicts, and connectivity problems to restore user productivity.
Install, configure, maintain and upgrade Windows and macOS workstations, ensuring devices meet corporate standards, security baselines and patch management schedules while documenting configuration changes.
Create, manage and troubleshoot user accounts, groups and permissions in Active Directory and Microsoft 365, including password resets, group membership modifications and mailbox provisioning.
Resolve network connectivity issues for wired and wireless clients by diagnosing TCP/IP, DNS and DHCP problems, testing switches and access points, and verifying VPN connectivity for remote users.
Maintain and troubleshoot printing and scanning devices across multiple sites; manage print queues, replace consumables, configure network printers and coordinate vendor repairs when needed.
Support corporate applications and collaboration tools (Microsoft 365, Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, Zoom) by reproducing incidents, applying known fixes, and coordinating escalations to application owners.
Manage endpoint security tasks such as antivirus/EDR deployment, remediation of infected endpoints, applying security patches, and ensuring compliance with corporate security policies and device encryption requirements.
Deploy and image new endpoints using SCCM, Intune (MDM), or other imaging tools; apply baseline configurations, needed applications, and security controls to ensure smooth onboarding.
Use ticketing systems (ServiceNow, Jira Service Desk, Zendesk or similar) to log, triage, prioritize and resolve incidents and service requests while providing timely status updates to end users and stakeholders.
Perform hardware repairs and component swaps (memory, storage, batteries, power supplies), run diagnostics, and coordinate warranty repairs or RMA processes with hardware vendors and resellers.
Maintain accurate documentation for standard operating procedures, troubleshooting guides, asset inventory, and change records to improve team knowledge sharing and reduce repeated incidents.
Participate in change management and scheduled maintenance windows to apply system updates, firmware upgrades and network reconfigurations while minimizing business disruption.
Assist in the rollout of new hardware, software and peripheral technologies across the organization by preparing deployment plans, piloting changes and providing user training materials.
Support remote workers by configuring VPN clients, troubleshooting remote desktop solutions, and guiding users through connectivity and performance optimizations.
Monitor and escalate outages or degraded service affecting critical systems (email, file servers, core network) to senior administrators and coordinate incident response until service recovery.
Conduct routine preventative maintenance and health checks for workstations, servers and network equipment to proactively identify and remediate potential failures or vulnerabilities.
Enforce endpoint compliance by auditing installed software, ensuring licensing and removing unauthorized applications, and working with IT security to remediate policy violations.
Assist with asset lifecycle management including receiving, imaging, tagging, tracking, redistributing and securely wiping decommissioned devices in accordance with company policies.
Provide on-site, cross-site and after-hours support as needed for critical incidents, equipment moves, and conference/AV support, ensuring minimal disruption to business operations.
Troubleshoot basic virtualization and server access issues (VMware/Hyper-V) as they relate to user access or remote desktop environments and escalate complex virtual infrastructure issues to administrators.
Coordinate with vendors and third-party service providers for specialized repairs, software escalations, and warranty claims, ensuring SLA compliance and cost-effective resolution.
Participate in continuous improvement initiatives by suggesting process improvements, documenting root causes, and contributing to knowledge-base articles to reduce recurring incidents.

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.
Assist in basic AV and meeting room setup, troubleshooting audio/video equipment and ensuring collaborative tools are ready for user events.
Provide user training and create quick-reference guides for common workflows, remote access, and security best practices.
Help conduct small-scale projects, such as office moves, workstation refreshes, and cabling checks, coordinating timelines with stakeholders.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Desktop operating systems: Expert-level troubleshooting and configuration of Windows 10/11 and solid experience with macOS deployment and support.
Active Directory and Microsoft 365 administration: User provisioning, group management, Exchange/Outlook troubleshooting, and basic SharePoint/Teams support.
Networking fundamentals: TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, VLANs, VPNs, and LAN/WAN troubleshooting using common diagnostic tools.
Endpoint management: Experience with Microsoft Intune, SCCM/ConfigMgr, Jamf, or other MDM/management platforms for imaging, patching and policy enforcement.
Ticketing & ITSM tools: Proficient with ServiceNow, Jira Service Desk, Zendesk or equivalent for incident management and knowledge base contributions.
Hardware repair and diagnostics: Hands-on experience repairing laptops/desktops, replacing components, testing storage and performing BIOS/firmware updates.
Printer and peripheral support: Configuration and troubleshooting for network printers, multifunction devices, scanners and USB/Bluetooth peripherals.
Security tooling: Familiarity with antivirus/EDR solutions, disk encryption (BitLocker/FileVault), and implementing security baselines.
Virtualization basics: Exposure to VMware ESXi, vSphere, or Hyper-V for troubleshooting remote desktop and virtual machine access issues.
Scripting and automation: Basic PowerShell and/or Bash scripting for routine automation tasks, bulk user provisioning, or log analysis.
Backup and recovery: Knowledge of endpoint backup solutions and participation in restore operations for user data and configurations.
Mobile device management: Experience managing iOS/Android enrollment, MDM policies and troubleshooting mobile connectivity issues.

Soft Skills

Strong verbal and written communication skills for clear, empathetic user interactions and cross-team collaboration.
Excellent customer service orientation with a focus on responsiveness, ownership and follow-through.
Solid problem-solving and analytical thinking to isolate root causes and identify effective solutions quickly.
Time management and prioritization in busy support environments with competing SLAs.
Team collaboration and knowledge sharing to foster consistent support practices and continuous improvement.
Attention to detail in documentation, asset tracking and change control processes.
Adaptability to learn new technologies quickly and respond to evolving security or business requirements.
Professionalism and discretion when handling confidential user or company information.
Patience and instructional ability to guide non-technical users through solutions.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or equivalent; technical diploma or associate degree in IT or related field preferred.

Preferred Education:

Associate or Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Network Engineering, or a closely related discipline.
Industry certifications such as CompTIA A+, Network+, Microsoft Certified: Modern Desktop Administrator Associate, or ITIL Foundation are highly desirable.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Information Technology
Computer Science
Network Administration
Cybersecurity

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 1–4 years of hands-on IT support, desktop support, or help desk experience in an enterprise or SMB environment.

Preferred: 2–5 years of progressively responsible technical support experience with documented experience in Active Directory, Microsoft 365, endpoint management and network troubleshooting.

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