Full Job Description

Summary

Purpose: This role will show a passion and strive for delivering a best-in-class service to our colleagues in line with the departmental quality standards. Primarily focusing on providing a presence on the Smart Bar and providing phone cover during core business hours. Ensuring all services are delivered to agreed targets and that the Service Desk and Smart Bar remain efficient and value for money to AQA. Taking responsibility for correctly and confidently managing colleague's Incidents, Service Requests and Problems ensuring they are correctly logged, progressed, updated and resolved. Working under routine direction, using limited discretion in resolving issues or enquiries. Determines when to seek guidance in unexpected situations. Plans own work within short time constraints.

Landscape

This role sits within the Service Desk team of the CSO - Enterprise Technology business area. You will be responsible for resourcing the Smart Bar and other Service Desk services. You'll be central to providing a first line support and acting as the initial escalation point for any technical issues raised by our end user’s.

Activities

• Customer

  • Build good relationships with our internal and external colleagues, supporting the team in consistently delivering a best-in-class service that meets our colleague’s needs.
  • Interacts with and may influence immediate colleagues.
  • May have some external contact with customers, suppliers and partners.
  • Aware of need to collaborate with team and represent colleague/customer needs.
  • Act in a courteous and professional manner in dealings with colleagues, both internal and external to the organisation.
  • To maintain professional discretion and safeguard privileged/confidential information without discussion first with the Senior Service Desk Analyst, Service Desk and Smart Bar Manager, Head of Service Delivery or the wider Enterprise Technology Management Team.

• Auditing

  • To assist with providing evidence and support for audit meetings.

• Continuous Improvements

  • Identifies and explores opportunities for Continuous Service Improvement.
  • Ensure AQA is safe and legally compliant by applying AQA’s policies and other legislative requirements including but not limited to HSE, Equal Opportunities and ISMS.
  • Takes ownership and responsibility for identifying continuous improvement for personal development.

• Workload

  • Managing assets including, but not limited to: Laptops, desktop equipment inc. docking stations, monitors and peripheral devices (keyboards, mice etc) mobile devices.
  • Work to Key Performance Indicators as defined by the Service Desk and Smart Bar Manager and adjust working methods where appropriate.
  • Ensure the defined ITIL processes are followed accurately. This includes, but is not limited to Incident, Service Request, Problem and Service Level Management.
  • Assists with the analysis, identification, prioritisation and implementation of improvements and efficiencies within the Service Desk and Smart Bar Team.
  • Uses own initiative and works proactively with limited discretion in resolving issues or enquiries.
  • Determines when to seek guidance in unexpected situations.
  • Plans own work within short time constraints.
  • Taking responsibility for completing the Joiner/Mover/Leaver process ensuring accounts are created and end dated/disabled in a timely manner.
  • Liaising with other teams where applicable.
  • Managing tickets within the Service Management tool, including the management and deployment of 1st line fixes inc. VPN, Software, Hardware troubleshooting.
  • Provisioning software to end colleagues via Active Directory, Azure Active Directory (EntraID).

• Escalations

  • Take ownership of escalations or complaints and produce improvement plan as required, ensuring the delivery of a consistently high level of customer service.
  • To liaise with the Incident Managers, escalating any issues that potentially affect the wider organisation, with particular focus on P1/P2 calls, and anything related to the examination process or publication of results.
  • Taking responsibility for escalating incidents where assistance is required, utilising the knowledge and experience of the team by attending drop-in sessions.

• Knowledge

  • Performs routine, repeatable activities where standard operating procedures exist. Such as - Laptop and iOS rolling replacement device swap outs, build room management, provisioning of iOS devices (iPhones & iPads), management of loan devices from the Smart Bar (inc. mice, keyboards, headsets), unboxing & storing new hardware, asset disposal, Stock checks of available hardware, liaising with the Asset Manager when a purchase need is identified.
  • Provision laptop, iPhone, iPad ensuring the CMDB has been updated.
  • Liaising with 3rd party suppliers to organise warranty repairs or hardware warranty replacements when required.
  • Enacting the defined process for lost or stolen devices in accordance with the documented policy.
  • To provide cover on the Smart Bar and Phones, following the outlined shift patterns as directed by the Service Desk and Smart Bar Manager.
  • Create and maintain knowledge articles within the Service Desk Tool.

To be successful in this role, you will need to know:

• Has sufficient oral and written communication skills for effective engagement with colleagues and internal colleagues/customers.
• Understands and uses appropriate methods, tools, applications and processes.
• Demonstrates a rational and organised approach to work.
• Has sufficient digital skills for their role.
• Learning and professional development — identifies and negotiates own development opportunities.
• Security, privacy and ethics — is fully aware of organisational standards.
• Model’s positive behaviours with confidence and provides clarity, challenge, feedback, and training in line with business objectives.
• Familiarity with ITIL best practices.
• Ability to manage workload and deliver services to agreed targets.
• Performs a range of activities in varied environments.
• Contribute to routine issue resolution.
• Apply creative thinking or suggest new ways to approach a task.

About AQA

AQA is an independent charity that sets and marks over half of all GCSEs and A-levels in the UK every year. Our purpose is to advance education by helping students and teachers to realise their potential. As part of AQA, you’ll very quickly appreciate the determination and unwavering passion to deliver this goal in everything we do. To help drive these ambitions, AQA invests in the development of its people by offering a range of professional development and learning