Sr User Support Specialist

Department:  Northwestern University Qatar
Division: Information Technology (NUIT)
Requisition #: 12855
Location: Qatar
Full Time Percent: 100.00
Grade:ITS/77
Salary: TBD

Job Summary

The Senior User Support Specialist - Qatar leads the support activities and provision of hardware and software to support all NU Qatar campus activities.  The Specialist leads in the provision of media services, web casting, voice/data/video integration for instructional and research purposes within NU-Q and oversees the management of help desk functions and contracted support to user departments.  To ensure a robust and flexible support environment, the Specialist defines the future vision of services; manages and supervises staff; and supports the Director of Information Technology - Qatar in administrative obligations to the University including budgeting, procurement, contract negotiation, personnel evaluations and personnel actions.

Reporting to the Director of Information Technology - Qatar, the Senior User Support Specialist serves as critical advisor to the Director.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Providing users with services to support installation, configuration and troubleshooting assistance for the Microsoft Office suite (including Word, Excel, Access and Powerpoint) and other desktop productivity applications, such as Adobe Photoshop and Macromedia Dreamweaver as well as core desktop operating systems including the latest Microsoft and Apple operating systems; 
  
• Developing and supporting the NU-Q computer labs; 
  
• Supporting faculty and staff use of room-based and desktop-based videoconference technologies;
  
• In concert with other NU-Q IT staff coordinating and supporting H.323 videoconference services and high-quality web streaming services for NU-Q faculty and students including room-based installations in classrooms and desktop-based services on faculty/staff workstations;  
  
• Maintaining an educated awareness of evolving information technologies through professional publications, outside contracts, and ongoing professional development; 
  
• Based on this knowledge, researching and proposing changes to network infrastructure, operating systems, and applications to ensure continuous operations, desired performance and service;
  
• Including creation of project plans, testing, implementation, and evaluation of systems;
  
• Designing and implementing support structures and business processes that effectively deliver quality customer service to the NU-Q Community (faculty, staff, and students);
  
• Creating and maintaining user documentation; 
  
• Coordinating the training of end-users;
  
• Performing other related duties as required or assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• A bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, science, or in a related field or the equivalent combination of education, training and experience from which comparable skills can be acquired;
  
• Minimum 5 years experience as an IT support person, and minimum 5 years experience as a project manager of a technical computing effort or an enterprise application; 
  
• Demonstrated success in positively interacting successfully with customers; 
  
• Excellent writing and spoken communication skills; 
  
• Demonstrated leadership in projects that are designed for facilitating effective business practices, distributed education, and video-rich collaboration activities;
  
• Demonstrated technical ability to support Windows and Apple operating systems and associated programs to ensure the continued success of everyone at NU-Q;
  
• Excellent staff management skills, including experience in staff selection and hiring, clear programs of staff development through training and mentoring, clear expression of expectations, goals, and timelines along with appropriate delegation and monitoring of staff progress, and justifiable disciplinary actions, including discharge;
  
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, organizational skills, management of own time, and respect for the time of others;
  
• Excellent public speaking ability;
  
• Ability to collect, review, and manage necessary data to ensure customer service success;
  
• Excellent planning and scheduling skills with the ability to be flexible and level-headed in the face of sometimes uncontrollable changes;
  
• Demonstrated ability to effectively control and/or participate in multiple projects of varying priorities in a consistently professional manner;
  
• Ability to anticipate IT topics of interest and prepare effective publicity and promotions to audiences with the assistance of others within the IT staff;
  
• Ability to establish and maintain respectful and effective relationships with management, co-workers, customers, and other university peers;
  
• Ability to work effectively with a range of responsible parties throughout the University, either as a project leader or as a team member, to advance projects to timely and successful completion;
  
• Demonstrated ability to analyze problems from multiple points of view, to lead consensus building within groups with differing views, and to translate consensus into planned action;
  
• Demonstrated familiarity with desktop computing and support environments and Internet utility software;
  
• Ability to act on own initiative to further organizational and University goals;
  
• Ability to collect, review, and manage necessary data to ensure customer service success;
  
• Ability to work collaboratively within a team environment, being willing to assist in other areas of IT as required.
  

Preferred Qualifications

• An advanced degree or the equivalent combination of education, training and experience from which comparable skills can be acquired;
  
• Past experience in university or highly-decentralized corporate environment is desirable, with career emphasis on planning and implementation of large, multi-divisional product launches;
  
• Experience establishing, deploying, and managing a centrally controlled desktop environment;
  
• Experience in conducting training workshops for necessary applications; 
  
• Experience in conducting student training workshops for course management applications, media authoring applications, or newsroom applications.
  
  Salary commensurate with qualifications and experience.
  
  Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer. Members of historically underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.  Employment eligibility verification required upon hire.
  
  Apply by 3/31/08 for full consideration.  All final candidates will undergo a comprehensive background check.
  

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Northwestern University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action educator and employer.

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