IT Helpdesk Engineer - Stockport Office

Department: IT
Reports to: IT Management
Location of Employment: Stockport office and working on sites (Must be able to drive)
Employment type: Full-time

About the Position:

learnd are seeking an experienced IT Helpdesk Engineer to join our small, collaborative IT team, supporting approximately 400 colleagues across the organisation.

The IT team consists of an Infrastructure Engineer, a Cyber Security Engineer and the successful candidate. Together, the team is responsible for supporting internal IT services, maintaining the company's IT environment and providing infrastructure services to external clients.

This Position focuses exclusively on internal colleague support. You will take ownership of the day-to-day helpdesk operation, resolving technical issues, managing service requests, administering user accounts and supporting our Microsoft-based endpoint environment.

Alongside hands-on technical support, you will be responsible for maintaining effective helpdesk processes, improving documentation, identifying recurring issues and ensuring tickets are managed consistently from initial report through to resolution.

We are looking for someone who combines strong troubleshooting skills with a proactive, organised approach to service delivery. You should be comfortable working independently, making decisions within established policies and procedures, and collaborating with the wider IT team when issues require specialist input.

Key Responsibilities

Helpdesk Operations and Service Delivery

• Take ownership of the day-to-day internal IT helpdesk, ensuring incidents and service requests are logged, prioritised, investigated and resolved effectively.
• Troubleshoot and remediate a broad range of hardware, software, operating system, connectivity, peripheral and user access issues.
• Manage tickets through their full lifecycle, maintaining accurate records, documenting resolutions and providing clear updates to colleagues.
• Prioritise work according to business impact, urgency and agreed service levels, escalating significant or time-critical incidents appropriately.
• Resolve issues independently wherever possible, using technical knowledge, established procedures and appropriate diagnostic tools.
• Identify recurring incidents, underlying causes and opportunities to reduce repeat support requests.
• Maintain and improve helpdesk procedures, knowledge base articles, standard operating procedures and troubleshooting guides.
• Monitor outstanding tickets, follow up on unresolved issues and ensure requests are not left without appropriate action or communication.
• Develop consistent approaches to common support tasks, improving efficiency and the quality of the service provided.
• Act as the initial point of escalation for routine helpdesk issues and coordinate with the Infrastructure Engineer and Cyber Security Engineer when specialist support is required.

User Account and Microsoft 365 Administration

• Administer user accounts, groups and permissions within on-premises Active Directory and the hybrid Microsoft 365 environment.
• Support user onboarding, role changes and offboarding, ensuring accounts, access and equipment are managed in accordance with established procedures.
• Troubleshoot Microsoft 365 applications and services, including Outlook, Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive.
• Assist with Microsoft Entra ID account administration, authentication issues and routine access troubleshooting.
• Manage routine password, account lockout, group membership and access-related requests, following identity verification and access control procedures.
• Support shared mailboxes, distribution groups and other routine Microsoft 365 administration where authorised.
• Ensure access changes are appropriately authorised, documented and completed in a timely manner.

 Endpoint Management and Technical Support

• Support the deployment, configuration, maintenance and troubleshooting of Windows 10/11 endpoints managed through Microsoft Intune.
• Investigate and resolve device enrolment, application deployment, configuration policy and endpoint compliance issues.
• Install, update and remove approved software in accordance with company procedures.
• Perform device provisioning, rebuilds, resets, replacements and routine maintenance.
• Diagnose hardware faults and coordinate repairs, warranty claims and equipment replacements.
• Assist colleagues with remote working, connectivity, printing, peripherals and other workplace technology issues.
• Carry out routine endpoint remediation and compliance-related tasks using established procedures, escalating complex or security-sensitive issues as necessary.
• Maintain consistency across endpoint configurations and follow established standards for device deployment and support.

 Hardware and Asset Lifecycle Management

• Maintain an accurate inventory of company IT equipment, including laptops, desktops, monitors, peripherals and associated accessories.
• Manage the allocation, deployment, collection, return and reassignment of IT equipment.
• Maintain asset records, including serial numbers, device identifiers, assigned users, equipment status and relevant lifecycle information.
• Coordinate equipment preparation for new starters, replacement devices and changes in user requirements.
• Monitor stock levels and manage the availability of commonly required hardware and accessories.
• Assist with hardware purchasing requests, warranty tracking, repairs and replacement planning.
• Ensure returned equipment is assessed, securely wiped where appropriate, and prepared for reuse or disposal in accordance with company procedures.
• Identify discrepancies in asset records and ensure equipment movements are documented promptly.

Helpdesk Improvement and Documentation

• Take responsibility for maintaining effective helpdesk workflows and ensuring consistent ticket handling.
• Review recurring issues and support trends to identify opportunities for automation, process improvements or preventative action.
• Develop and maintain practical documentation to support repeatable troubleshooting and reduce reliance on individual knowledge.
• Recommend improvements to ticket categorisation, prioritisation, escalation and resolution processes.
• Identify opportunities to automate routine support tasks using approved tools and scripting where appropriate.
• Contribute to IT projects involving endpoint deployment, hardware refreshes, software rollouts and improvements to internal IT services.
• Share knowledge and work collaboratively with the Infrastructure Engineer and Cyber Security Engineer to improve overall IT service delivery.

Security and Operational Compliance

• Follow established information security policies, procedures and access control requirements when supporting colleagues and administering systems.
• Apply the principle of least privilege and ensure access requests are appropriately authorised.
• Recognise and promptly report suspected phishing, malware, compromised accounts and other potential security incidents.
• Assist with routine endpoint security and compliance remediation under established procedures.
• Ensure company equipment and information are handled, stored, transferred and disposed of securely.
• Maintain appropriate confidentiality when accessing user accounts, company systems and business information.
• Escalate requests that fall outside established permissions or procedures rather than bypassing security controls.

Essential Skills and Experience

• Proven experience in an IT helpdesk, service desk or desktop support role, with the ability to resolve routine and moderately complex issues independently.
• Strong practical knowledge of Windows desktop operating systems and common hardware and software troubleshooting techniques.
• Experience administering on-premises Active Directory, including user accounts, groups and permissions.
• Experience supporting Microsoft 365 applications and services in a business environment.
• Understanding of hybrid identity environments and user authentication.
• Experience supporting endpoint provisioning, software installation, device configuration and troubleshooting.
• Demonstrable experience managing support tickets, prioritising workloads and maintaining accurate documentation.
• Strong diagnostic and problem-solving skills, with a methodical approach to investigating issues.
• Ability to manage competing demands and take ownership of incidents and requests through to resolution.
• Experience improving technical procedures, documenting solutions or identifying recurring support problems.
• Good written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain technical issues clearly to colleagues with varying levels of technical knowledge.
• A security-conscious approach to account administration, company equipment and confidential information.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively within a small IT team.

Desirable Skills and Experience

• Practical experience administering and troubleshooting Microsoft Intune-managed Windows endpoints.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Entra ID and hybrid Microsoft 365 environments.
• Experience with endpoint compliance policies, application deployment and device configuration.
• Experience with Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive administration.
• Familiarity with IT service management principles, ticketing systems and service-level agreements.
• Experience managing hardware inventories and the full IT equipment lifecycle.
• Basic PowerShell knowledge and experience automating routine administration or troubleshooting tasks.
• Understanding of multi-factor authentication, Conditional Access, endpoint security and common cyber security practices.
• Experience contributing to IT projects, endpoint rollouts or service improvement initiatives.
• Relevant IT qualifications, such as CompTIA A+, Microsoft certifications or equivalent practical experience.

Personal Attributes

• Ownership: Takes responsibility for assigned work, follows issues through to resolution and ensures appropriate escalation.
• Proactive improvement: Looks beyond individual tickets to identify recurring problems and improve how support is delivered.
• Organisation: Maintains accurate records, manages competing priorities and keeps colleagues informed.
• Technical curiosity: Investigates problems methodically and develops knowledge of the systems being supported.
• Communication: Provides clear, professional and approachable support to colleagues.
• Collaboration: Works effectively with infrastructure and security specialists, sharing information and supporting common objectives.
• Security awareness: Understands the importance of secure administration and follows established controls.
• Adaptability: Is comfortable working across a broad range of support responsibilities in a small team.

Measures of Success

The successful candidate will be expected to demonstrate:

• Timely, consistent resolution of helpdesk incidents and service requests.
• Effective ownership of tickets, with appropriate prioritisation, communication and escalation.
• Improved quality and accuracy of ticket records and support documentation.
• Reliable onboarding, offboarding and routine user administration.
• Accurate asset records and effective management of equipment throughout its lifecycle.
• Consistent endpoint provisioning and effective resolution of routine Intune and Windows issues.
• Reduced recurrence of common incidents through documented solutions and preventative improvements.
• A well-organised internal IT support function that enables colleagues to work effectively.
• Strong collaboration with the Infrastructure Engineer and Cyber Security Engineer.

Role Boundaries

The Helpdesk Engineer is expected to take ownership of routine support and administration, working independently within established policies, procedures and permissions.

The role does not require ownership of infrastructure architecture, major infrastructure changes or the design of cyber security controls. These remain responsibilities of the relevant technical specialists, although the Helpdesk Engineer will be expected to assist with investigation, implementation and remediation where appropriate.

The role supports internal colleagues only and does not include direct helpdesk support for external clients.

Package & Benefits

• Competitive salary + Benefits
• UK Healthcare cash benefit
• Enhanced sickness pay policy
• Enhanced Maternity, Paternity, Shared Parental and Adoption Leave Policy
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Cycle to Work Scheme