Tier II Deskside Technician (Triage)
Overview
Empower AI is AI for government. Empower AI gives federal agency leaders the tools to elevate the potential of their workforce with a direct path for meaningful transformation. Headquartered in Reston, Va., Empower AI leverages three decades of experience solving complex challenges in Health, Defense, and Civilian missions. Our proven Empower AI Platform® provides a practical, sustainable path for clients to achieve transformation that is true to who they are, what they do, how they work, with the resources they have. The result is a government workforce that is exponentially more creative and productive. For more information, visit www.Empower.ai.
Empower AI is proud to be recognized as a 2024 Military Friendly Employer by Viqtory, the publisher of G.I. Jobs. This designation reflects the company’s commitment to hiring and supporting active-duty and veteran employees.
Responsibilities
Primary Duty - Incident Triage, Pattern Analysis, and Routing Judgment
The primary duty of this position is the independent application of systems analysis techniques and specialized technical knowledge to perform initial technical analysis of incoming IT incidents and service requests, including diagnostic gathering, basic Tier I troubleshooting at first contact, categorization and prioritization under the J6 framework, pattern analysis, and routing across downstream support teams. The candidate exercises discretion and independent judgment in routing decisions, in determining categorization and priority based on observed symptoms and operational impact, and in identifying recurring patterns warranting escalation to the Problem Manager - operating remotely and without continuous direct supervision on individual triage decisions.
- Independently performs initial triage of incoming IT incidents and service requests received via phone, email, chat, and ServiceNow self-service portal; gathers diagnostic information and exercises judgment in determining the nature of each request.
- Independently categorizes and prioritizes tickets in accordance with J6 Impact and Priority Based Incident Categorization procedures; exercises judgment in applying impact and urgency criteria to observed symptoms and reported business impact.
- Conducts basic Tier I troubleshooting to resolve simple issues at first contact before routing to Tier II teams; selects appropriate diagnostic approach based on initial assessment.
- Independently routes unresolved incidents and service requests to the appropriate deskside, remote support, or specialized teams; exercises judgment in determining which downstream queue is the correct destination based on diagnostic analysis.
- Documents all triage activities in ServiceNow with accurate categorization, priority, and initial troubleshooting notes; ensures documentation supports downstream technician acting without redundant rediscovery.
- Monitors incoming ticket queues and exercises judgment in ensuring all new requests are triaged within defined response timeframes, including reprioritizing personal workload as queue volume shifts.
- Communicates with end users to gather additional information needed for proper triage and routing; exercises judgment in determining what diagnostic information is required for accurate categorization.
- Independently identifies recurring issues or patterns during triage and escalates to the Problem Manager or team leads; applies analytical pattern-recognition judgment beyond per-incident handling.
- Supports queue hygiene by ensuring all routed tickets contain sufficient documentation for receiving technicians; exercises judgment in identifying tickets that require additional information before routing.
- Participates in triage process reviews and suggests improvements to routing procedures and categorization schemas; contributes analytical recommendations to process working groups.
Highlights of Responsibilities
In fulfillment of the primary duty described above, and in performance of PWS Section 6.4 task requirements, the candidate is responsible for:
- Performing initial triage of incoming IT incidents and service requests received via phone, email, chat, and ServiceNow self-service portal.
- Categorizing and prioritizing tickets in accordance with J6 Impact and Priority Based Incident Categorization procedures.
- Conducting basic Tier I troubleshooting to resolve simple issues at first contact before routing to Tier II teams.
- Routing unresolved incidents and service requests to the appropriate deskside, remote support, or specialized teams.
- Documenting all triage activities in ServiceNow with accurate categorization, priority, and initial troubleshooting notes.
- Monitoring incoming ticket queues and ensuring all new requests are triaged within defined response timeframes.
- Communicating with end users to gather additional information needed for proper triage and routing.
- Identifying recurring issues or patterns during triage and escalating to the Problem Manager or team leads.
- Supporting queue hygiene by ensuring all routed tickets contain sufficient documentation for receiving technicians.
Participating in triage process reviews and suggesting improvements to routing procedures and categorization schemas.
Qualifications
Requirements
- Active Secret security clearance at time of award.
- Demonstrated ability to independently apply systems analysis techniques and specialized technical knowledge to perform initial technical analysis, categorization, and routing of IT incidents without continuous direct supervision.
- Ability to exercise discretion and independent judgment in routing decisions, in determining categorization and priority, and in identifying patterns warranting escalation to Problem Management.
- Working knowledge of IT service management practices, ITIL incident and problem management, enterprise endpoint computing, common business applications, and J6 categorization frameworks.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a demonstrated record of pattern recognition and routing accuracy in a high-volume IT triage environment.
- Strong customer service orientation; ability to communicate clearly and patiently with users of varying technical fluency.
- Ability to effectively prioritize and execute tasks across multiple concurrent triage decisions in a high-pressure environment.
- Good written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills; ability to present information in user-friendly language and to author clear handoff documentation.
- Ability to conduct research into PC and software issues and products as required.
- Highly self-motivated and directed; capable of operating with minimal supervision in a remote work environment.
- Keen attention to detail and rigorous documentation standards consistent with DoD compliance requirements.
- Team-oriented and skilled in working within a collaborative remote environment.
Education and Experience
- Required Education: Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related technical discipline; or equivalent combination of advanced vendor certification (including vendor certification in the technology being applied) and directly relevant professional experience accepted in lieu of degree.
- Required Experience: 5 or more years of progressively responsible professional experience in IT incident triage, service desk operations, or IT systems analysis in roles requiring independent judgment and routing decision-making.
- Preferred Experience: Prior experience supporting a DoD or J6 customer environment, including ITIL-based incident and problem management, ServiceNow administration, or high-volume IT triage operations.
- Required Certifications: ITIL v4 Foundations, CompTIA Security+.
- Preferred Certifications: CompTIA A+, HDI Support Center Analyst.
Physical Requirements
The essential physical functions below are incidental to the primary analytical duties of this position and are performed in furtherance of the technical responsibilities described herein:
- Ability to sit and stand for extended periods in a professional office environment.
- Ability to ambulate throughout office buildings and supported facilities.
- Ability to stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl as required to access equipment in confined spaces.
- Ability to repeatedly lift and carry equipment up to 50 pounds.
About Empower AI
All hiring and promotion decisions at Empower AI are based on merit to bring the best talent available to contribute to our firm’s overall success. It is the policy of Empower AI not to discriminate against any applicant for employment, or employee because of age, color, sex, disability, national origin, race, religion, or veteran status. Empower AI is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.