IT Support Specialist, UTC Research Institute

University of Tennessee - Chattanooga, TN

Full-time

Chattanooga, TN

Educational Services

About the position

The IT Support Specialist at the UTC Research Institute plays a crucial role in ensuring the efficient operation of the institute's research and development facilities. This technical position involves supporting various sensing, computing, and communication components across a range of assets, including autonomous vehicles, sensor-equipped trailers, driving simulators, and real-world testbeds. The specialist will also support software development efforts that impact departmental, campus, and enterprise levels, making this role integral to the success of research initiatives at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. In this role, the IT Support Specialist will be responsible for fulfilling requests related to systems, networks, software, and databases. This includes performing routine and emergency administration tasks to maximize service availability. The specialist will assess whether technical solutions should be purchased or developed in-house for complex projects based on the needs of university researchers. Additionally, the role involves supporting users who require assistance with research computing hardware and software, managing the procurement of necessary equipment, and interacting with external vendors and contractors to find technical solutions. Collaboration is a key aspect of this position, as the IT Support Specialist will work closely with faculty and students to facilitate research using the institute's computing infrastructure. This includes providing in-service training and guidance, resolving problems, documenting best practices, and helping to align research questions with appropriate software and hardware systems. The specialist will also be responsible for developing and monitoring software and hardware, managing inventory, ensuring device uptime, and supporting cloud-based platforms and services. The role requires innovative problem-solving skills and the ability to analyze and address complex technical issues independently.

Responsibilities

• Fulfills requests for systems, networks, software, and/or databases.
• Performs routine and emergency system, network, software, and/or database administration tasks to ensure and maximize service availability.
• Determines if technical solutions should be purchased or created in-house for highly complex projects based on university/researchers needs.
• Supports users who request/require assistance using/implementing research computing hardware and/or software.
• Responsible for procurement of equipment including computers, printers, sensors, etc.
• Interacts with external vendors and contractors for technical solutions.
• Provides in-service training and guidance to faculty and students on computing resources.
• Supports problem resolution and systematic issues when problems arise for researchers, staff, and students.
• Documents best practices for systems, tools, and computing resources.
• Helps faculty and students map their research questions onto appropriate software and hardware systems as part of experimental design collaboration.
• Uses innovative solutions to solve problems and modifies solutions when competing policies are present.
• Selects methods, techniques, and evaluation criteria for obtaining results consistent with broadly defined policies, procedures, practices, and professional standards.
• Assists with inventory management, including tagging, locating, and monitoring equipment.
• Responsible for monitoring uptime of devices and systems.
• Modifies, deploys, implements, designs, tests, and manages critical, high impact, or urgent projects.
• Provides support for cloud-based platforms and/or services.
• Supports software development efforts across UTC Research Institute.
• Assists with equipment bench testing and registration.
• Researches emerging technologies and/or threats and provides training.
• Independently analyzes and solves complex technical problems.

Requirements

• High school diploma or GED and two years of experience in IT, software development, or related field, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
• Knowledge of technical area and the ability to analyze problems and formulate solutions.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills and provide excellent customer service.
• Ability to deliver training when necessary.
• Ability to learn and understand new and changing systems.

Nice-to-haves

• Bachelor's degree and four years of experience in IT, software development or related field.
• Two years of experience in system administration.