Help Desk Analyst

University of Chicago•Chicago, IL

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Help Desk Analyst is the first point of contact for technology support at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, serving students, staff, faculty, and alumni. As part of a single-point-of-contact service desk, the Analyst provides Tier 1 and some Tier 2 support through phone, email, chat, and walk-in service, and owns requests through resolution and follow-up. The role resolves technology incidents, documents solutions in the knowledge base, uses approved AI and automation tools to improve service, identifies recurring problems, and supports day-to-day administration of identity, device, and application platforms. The Analyst also supports the student computer lab, classroom and hybrid-meeting technology, and the front desk, and participates in a rotation for on-call, off-hours support. The position is currently expected to work at least three days per week in the office. The primary schedule is 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM, with occasional alternate schedules as needed. Work is primarily at the Hyde Park campus and occasionally at the downtown Gleacher Center campus. The role is not eligible for employer-sponsored employment authorization.

Requirements

Vocational training, an apprenticeship, or equivalent experience in a related field; a four-year degree is not typically required.
Five to seven years of work experience in a related job discipline.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical users.
Strong customer-service orientation, problem-solving, multitasking, and organizational skills.
Ability to learn new technologies quickly, including AI-enabled tools, and adapt to changing priorities.
Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
Working knowledge of Windows and macOS, including configuration, troubleshooting, and software deployment.
Proficiency with Microsoft 365 and web-based collaboration tools.
Proficiency with user-account administration, password and MFA resets, and basic network troubleshooting, including Wi-Fi, VPN, and DNS/DHCP concepts.
Proficiency using an IT service management or ticketing system and maintaining strong documentation habits.
Understanding of generative AI use in technical work and data privacy considerations.
Availability for on-call cell-phone coverage and off-hours help desk support about once a month.
Ability to work in the office at least three days per week; primary schedule is 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM, with occasional alternate schedules.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree.
Help desk or technical support experience in a customer-facing environment.
Experience in higher education or professional services.
Relevant certification such as CompTIA A+, Network+, or Security+; Microsoft MD-102 or SC-900; ITIL 4 Foundation; or HDI Support Center Analyst.
Familiarity with TeamDynamix or a comparable ITSM platform.
Familiarity with identity and access management tools such as Microsoft Entra ID or Active Directory, and endpoint management tools such as Kaseya or Jamf.
Understanding of printer and lab management, and audio/visual or hybrid-meeting equipment.

Responsibilities

Receive, log, prioritize, and resolve technology support requests through phone, email, chat, walk-in, voicemail, and self-service channels, covering networks and Wi-Fi, computers, printers, mobile devices, applications, audio/visual and hybrid-meeting technology, and other requests.
Aim to resolve issues at first contact; own tickets through resolution, follow up with users, and confirm that issues are fixed.
Escalate unresolved or complex issues to Tier 2 or specialist teams with complete handoff notes, and immediately escalate urgent or high-impact issues to the Help Desk Team Lead.
Manage the open ticket queue, meet service level targets, and proactively update users on request status.
Communicate with users of all technical levels, including providing notices about outages, maintenance, upgrades, and new services.
Create, modify, and disable user accounts; manage group memberships, licenses, and access requests in accordance with University and Booth policy and least-privilege principles.
Perform MFA enrollment and resets, password resets, and SSO troubleshooting while following identity-verification procedures.
Provide front-line administration or assistance for supported applications and collaboration platforms, including Microsoft 365, Zoom, and learning and classroom technology.
Enroll, configure, provision, and support computers and mobile devices using department imaging tools; maintain accurate hardware and software inventory records.
Complete onboarding and offboarding checklists for students, staff, and faculty accurately and on time.
Create, review, and update knowledge-base articles and document solutions for reuse by analysts and users.
Use approved AI tools, such as Microsoft Copilot and Claude, for troubleshooting research, ticket summaries, user communications, and knowledge-article drafting; verify outputs and follow University privacy and acceptable-use policies.
Identify recurring issues and ticket trends; recommend and help implement fixes, scripts, ticketing workflow automations, canned responses, and self-service improvements.
Contribute to problem management, root-cause analysis, and post-incident reviews for repeat or high-impact incidents as requested.
Provide feedback on virtual agent, chatbot, and AI assistant responses to improve their accuracy and usefulness.
Help users adopt new technology and approved AI tools through quick guides, support, and training sessions.
Participate in software and operating-system rollouts, hardware refresh cycles, and lab and classroom upgrade projects.
Triage phishing reports and suspicious activity, take initial containment steps as defined in procedures, and promptly escalate suspected security incidents.
Follow and reinforce University and Booth information-security, data-handling, and privacy practices, and complete required security-awareness training.
Monitor and support student computer lab PCs, printers, and software, and resolve lab printing and equipment issues.
Provide front-desk support, including loaner equipment, walk-up assistance, and classroom and hybrid-meeting technology support.
Use monitoring and ticketing tools to track incidents, produce daily reports, and maintain accurate and complete ticket records.
Share knowledge with teammates and help train new analysts and student workers as assigned.
Participate in the on-call, off-hours help desk support rotation, approximately once a month.
Perform end-user hardware and software support, guide users through troubleshooting, recreate straightforward user problems, and recommend system modifications to reduce user problems.
Develop help desk troubleshooting scripts and assist with setup, installation, and configuration of desktop hardware and software in compliance with internal controls, policies, and standards.
Coordinate and implement updates to network hardware, software systems, and applications; maintain technical skills and refer more complex problems to the Supervisor.
Research available computer products and systems and make recommendations to management.
Perform other related work as needed.