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# IT Help Desk Specialist

- **Company:** Applied Research Associates, Inc.
- **Location:** Santa Barbara, CA, United States (Remote available)
- **Experience:** Experienced
- **Salary:** $60,000 - $70,000
- **Contract:** Permanent contract
- **Skills:** Microsoft Windows, Active Directory, Microsoft Office, RSA (Cryptosystem), Microsoft SharePoint, VPN Clients, Cisco WebEx, Laptops, 3-tier Architectures, Network Server, User Administration
- **Published:** October 21, 2026
- **Apply:** https://dejobs.org/x/x/F900A4F9E8FB46D785DF9B5C1259A6A4/job/

## About the Role

* High School diploma or equivalent
 * 2 or more years of experience providing IT support with a bachelor's degree or a minimum of 8 years of experience without a degree
 * Experience supporting an array of applications on Windows operating systems including Microsoft Office 365, SharePoint, VPN clients, and RSA in a high paced support environment
 * Troubleshooting and analytical skills
 * Experience in using an automated help desk management (ticketing) system
 * Strong organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills
 * Customer Service oriented
 * Ability to learn new systems quickly
 * Must be able to work 8am - 5pm MT/10am - 7pm ET
 * Must be able to handle after hours on call - weeknight evening on call apx. 1 week a month and weekend on call apx. every 6-8 weeks.

IT Help Desk Specialist Preferences

 * Experience supporting desktops/laptops and servers
 * Experience with Active Directory user administration
 * Knowledge of RSA
 * Knowledge of Webex and other conferencing services
 * Network+ and Security+ certifications
 * Understanding of Microsoft licensing
 * DoD experience, * Innovative: Consistently introduces new ideas and demonstrates original thinking
 * Detail Oriented: Capable of carrying out a given task with all details necessary to get the task done well
 * Dedicated: Devoted to a task or purpose with loyalty or integrity

Motivations

Preferred

 * Self-Starter: Inspired to perform without outside help

## Description

As an IT Help Desk Specialist, you'll be a core member of our dynamic Corporate IT team. You will work in a small group of other help desk personnel to provide system administration and remote technical support to other IT personnel and employees across the company, as well as assist the Corporate IT engineers with administrative, QA testing, and other needs as required.

What you'll do as an IT Help Desk Specialist

 * Provide first level remote technical assistance to end users on a variety of login and application issues.
 * Triage and prioritize incoming requests.
 * Identify, research, and resolve technical problems.
 * Perform basic system administration tasks.
 * Assign requests to tier 2 and tier 3 as required and ensure problem ownership and end-user satisfaction.
 * Document and maintain IT related procedures and other information.
 * Communicate system outages and maintenance.
 * Track licensing and internal billing.