IT Specialist

The IT Specialist provides skilled technical support to end users across a unique BYOD (bring-your-own-device) research environment, and supports the endpoint, identity, and collaboration services that environment depends on.

The position independently identifies, researches, and resolves technical problems across endpoints, accounts, collaboration services, connectivity, and workplace technology. It documents, tracks, and monitors work to ensure timely resolution, and works to the account provisioning, security, and endpoint configuration standards owned by the Senior and Lead IT Specialists.

Because the Institute is a research organization, the role extends beyond conventional corporate end-user support. It includes supporting specialized scientific workstations and laboratory computers, access to high-capacity research storage, research and scientific applications, instrument-attached systems, and conference-room and collaboration technology.

Who We Are

The Salk Institute is an internationally renowned research institution that values all members of our scientific community. We seek bold and interactive leaders passionate about exploring new frontiers in science. Our collaborative community embraces perspectives across discipline, professional acumen, and unique life experiences, fostering innovation, and a sense of belonging. Together, we strive to improve the wellbeing of humanity through groundbreaking research.

Founded by Jonas Salk, developer of the first safe and effective polio vaccine, the Institute is an independent, nonprofit research organization and architectural landmark: small by choice, intimate by nature, and fearless in the face of any challenge. Salk's vibrant community has many talented individuals from varied backgrounds, each playing a crucial role in driving our mission forward. From visionary leaders to dedicated administrators and brilliant faculty members, the Institute is united by a shared passion for scientific exploration and innovation. 

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

• End-User Technical Support — Tier 1 and Tier 2
  • Serves as first point of contact for end-user requests received by telephone, email, ticket, remote tools and in person, and provides second-line resolution for issues requiring deeper diagnosis.
  • Troubleshoots hardware, software, operating system, application and network connectivity issues across macOS, Windows, Linux and mobile platforms.
  • Troubleshoots Microsoft 365, business and scientific applications, printers, peripherals, VPN, Wi-Fi and mobile-device issues.
  • Installs, configures and maintains desktops, laptops, mobile devices and peripheral equipment.
  • Supports specialized scientific workstations, laboratory computers and instrument-attached systems; provides access to high-capacity research storage; installs and troubleshoots research and scientific applications.
  • Provides support across the main campus and remote Institute sites, including scheduled site visits.
  • Provides user training and guidance in supported technologies and applications, and communicates technical concepts clearly to non-technical users.
• Endpoint, Identity, Collaboration and Workplace Technology Administration
  • Configures and deploys laptops, desktops, mobile devices and peripherals to the Institute’s standard configurations, and applies operating system and application updates.
  • Supports endpoint-management platforms such as Intune, Jamf or SCCM/MECM under established configuration standards.
  • Supports existing user accounts, including passwords, lockouts, multi-factor authentication, group membership, and permissions in Active Directory and Entra ID, working to the provisioning standards owned by the Senior and Lead IT Specialists.
  • Supports Exchange Online and Outlook, Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint, Office applications and collaboration services, including mailboxes, calendars, room calendars and distribution lists.
  • Supports mapped drives, shared folders, OneDrive, Box, SharePoint and external storage, and assists with user data migrations.
  • Supports telephony extensions, voicemail and call routing, printers, scanners, conference-room systems, displays and AV equipment.
  • Verifies that endpoints carry required security controls and remain compliant with institutional configuration standards.
• Diagnosis, Root Cause and Tier 3 Escalation
  • Diagnoses unfamiliar and intermittent faults, and determines whether an issue originates in the endpoint, application, account, network or upstream infrastructure.
  • Recognizes and reports suspected phishing, malware, and compromised-account activity, and follows the defined escalation procedure to the Cybersecurity Engineer.
  • Diagnoses wired and wireless connectivity, DNS, DHCP, VPN and basic network problems, and escalates infrastructure-level issues with supporting diagnostic detail.
  • Escalates work that exceeds Tier 2 scope to the Systems & Storage, Network or Cybersecurity teams in accordance with criteria set by the Lead IT Specialist.
• Standards, Knowledge Sharing and Peer Support
  • Works consistently to the technical standards, checklists and procedures maintained by the Senior and Lead IT Specialists, and identifies where those standards require revision.
  • Shares troubleshooting knowledge with colleagues and contributes resolutions to the team knowledge base.
  • Participates in team reviews of recurring issues and service improvement discussions.
• Projects, Automation, Vendor and Asset Management
  • Participates in application deployments, hardware refreshes, migrations, relocations, infrastructure upgrades and security initiatives.
  • Manages endpoint hardware lifecycle and asset records — receipt, inventory, deployment, tracking, repair, replacement, secure wipe and retirement.
  • Coordinates with hardware and software vendors on warranty repairs, returns, licensing questions and technical support cases.
  • Identifies repetitive support work and contributes to reducing it through scripting, configuration policy or endpoint-management automation.
• Documentation, Knowledge Management and User Lifecycle
  • Documents incidents, service requests, troubleshooting steps and resolutions in the Institute’s IT service management platform, and meets defined service targets.
  • Creates and maintains knowledge base articles, installation procedures, troubleshooting guides and configuration documentation.
  • Prepares equipment and accounts for new employees and coordinates application access; delivers new-hire IT orientation.
  • Executes terminated-user offboarding to the defined checklist, ensuring accounts, licenses, access and Institute equipment are properly handled and recorded.
  • Monitors personal backlog and alerts the supervisor to unusual situations, ageing items or workload spikes.
• Performs other related duties as assigned by management.

What we Require

• Minimum two years of desktop, laptop, mobile and peripheral support experience in a multi-platform environment.
• Minimum two years supporting macOS and Windows operating systems and business applications; working familiarity with Linux.
• Minimum two years providing IT support services using a ticketing system, with demonstrated ownership of a personal queue.
• Demonstrated experience administering user accounts, group membership and permissions in Active Directory or a comparable directory service.
• Demonstrated experience with endpoint deployment, imaging or provisioning, and secure device disposal.

What We Can Offer 

The expected pay range for this position is $31.25-$34.60 hourly. Salk Institute provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate of what the institute reasonably expects to pay for a position. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal equity, and external market pay for comparable jobs.

Benefits

Salk Institute offers competitive benefits, including medical, dental, vision, retirement, paid time off, tuition reimbursement, patient advocacy services, and transit/parking program.

Salk Values

The Salk Community, both scientists and administrators, worked together to define values that we believe support Salk’s pursuit of excellence. To be truly the best scientific institution requires not only incredible discoveries, but a common understanding of how we should work together to enable those discoveries.

The acronym “I CARE” provides a simple way to remember each of the values and reminds each of us of the importance of what we do each day.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The Salk Institute for Biological Studies is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to providing equal access to opportunities for students, employees, applicants for employment and other visitors. Salk has also adopted and maintains a policy to encourage professional and respectful workplace behavior and prevent discriminatory and harassing conduct in our workplace.

Accordingly, the Institute prohibits harassment and discrimination in employment on the basis of, and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to, actual or perceived race (race is inclusive of traits associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles. Protective hairstyles include, but not limited to, such hairstyles as braids, and twists), color, religion, religious creed (including religious dress and grooming practices), national origin, ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition (including cancer and genetic characteristics), genetic information, marital status, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), reproductive health decision making, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, veteran and/or military status (disabled veteran, veteran of the Vietnam era, other covered veteran status), political affiliation, and any other status protected by state or federal law.

Discrimination is prohibited with any intersectionality of the above-mentioned characteristics, including:

1. Any combination of characteristics.
2. A perception that the person has any of the characteristics or any combination of those characteristics.
3. A perception that the person is associated with a person who has, or is perceived to have, any of those characteristics or any combination of those characteristics.