Level 3 Support Engineer

As a Level 3 Support Engineer, you serve as the final escalation point within the technical support structure, responsible for resolving the most complex issues, leading preventative initiatives, and mentoring other engineers. Your core objective is to maintain high availability and reliability across client systems and services while minimizing escalations through a proactive, preventive approach.

Beyond issue resolution, this role requires high-level consulting, project execution, infrastructure management, and cross-department collaboration. You will also play a pivotal role in training and guiding Level 1 and 2 Support Engineers, contributing to service excellence and a learning-oriented support culture.

Why This Role Matters

In today's IT-driven businesses, operational stability, data integrity, and uptime are paramount. The Level 3 Support Engineer is essential in ensuring these needs are met. You don’t just react to incidents, you prevent them. By resolving deep-rooted technical challenges, mentoring teams, and ensuring compliance and security best practices, you help build confidence with clients and empower your team. Your ability to spot systemic weaknesses and correct them before they escalate directly impacts the quality, trust, and continuity of service.

Advanced Technical Escalations & Incident Resolution

• Act as the final escalation point for complex technical issues from Level 1 and 2 Support Engineers.
• Diagnose and resolve multi-layered issues involving infrastructure, operating systems, cloud platforms, security configurations, and third-party tools.
• Handle priority one incidents (P1s), outages, security concerns, and business-critical failures, applying structured problem-solving methodologies.
• Perform comprehensive root cause analysis (RCA) for recurring incidents and document permanent resolutions.
• Interface with vendor escalations (e.g., Microsoft, Mimecast, Veeam) for unresolved third-party issues.
• Step into any incident requiring broad-stack technical understanding, high urgency, or client sensitivity.
• Participate in the after-hours escalation schedule, ensuring round-the-clock support for critical services.

Infrastructure, Security & System Health

• Monitor and maintain the health and performance of:
• Windows Server environments (AD, DNS, DHCP, File Services, GPO)
• Azure services (VMs, virtual networks, storage, conditional access, identity)
• Microsoft 365 services (Exchange Online, SharePoint, Teams, Compliance)
• Network infrastructure (routers, switches, firewalls, VPNs, VLANs)
• Ensure system availability through patch management, firmware updates, and system hardening practices.
• Perform backup monitoring, testing, restoration, and remediation using tools such as Datto, Acronis, or Veeam.
• Enforce cybersecurity standards, including MFA, endpoint protection, secure configurations, and data loss prevention.
• Implement, review, and enhance security measures based on threat intelligence and vendor guidance.

Proactive Monitoring & Problem Prevention

• Proactively monitor infrastructure through RMM tools and log analysis to identify and correct issues before they impact clients.
• Review service alerts and implement the Remedy, Adjust, Remove approach to fine-tune the alerting system.
• Conduct trend analysis to identify repeat incidents and design system-wide fixes or automated solutions.
• Conduct audits of system configurations, documentation, and procedures to ensure alignment with best practices and compliance standards.

Mentorship, Collaboration & Leadership

• Mentor and guide Level 1 and 2 Support Engineers, providing on-the-spot coaching, structured learning sessions, and knowledge reviews.
• Validate and review technical designs, implementation plans, and ticket notes from junior staff for accuracy and completeness.
• Serve as 2IC (second-in-command) in operational planning, workload triage, and technical direction across departments.
• Promote a high-performing support culture, ensuring engineers are empowered and enabled to take ownership of their tickets.

Client Support & Relationship Management

• Act as a technical representative of the company, delivering high-touch support during challenging or long-running issues.
• Lead communication during major incidents, keeping clients informed on status, actions taken, and expected resolution timelines.
• Represent the support team during project transitions or professional service handovers.
• Build and maintain trusted advisor relationships with clients by demonstrating technical authority and consistency.

Project & Change Implementation

• Participate in or lead infrastructure upgrade projects, cloud migrations, hybrid deployments, and IT rollouts.
• Oversee the planning, execution, and post-implementation reviews of changes to ensure minimal client impact.
• Assist in provisioning tasks for new users, systems, and sites during onboarding or project delivery.
• Conduct validation testing and change control documentation in alignment with change management procedures.

Documentation, SOPs & Knowledge Management

• Create, maintain, and enforce standard operating procedures (SOPs) for complex or critical tasks.
• Contribute to an internal knowledge base (e.g., IT Glue) by documenting issue resolutions, configuration templates, and troubleshooting workflows.
• Ensure all ticket notes and time entries in PSA (e.g., Autotask) are timely, accurate, and useful for historical reference.
• Translate real-world incidents into future training topics or documentation improvements.

Process Improvement & Innovation

• Continuously review support processes, technical workflows, and service delivery standards to identify areas for improvement.
• Recommend or implement automation via PowerShell scripting or tool integrations.
• Participate in quarterly service reviews or retrospectives to propose systemic changes to reduce friction or improve resolution times.
• Collaborate with management and other teams to suggest technology upgrades, tool adoption, or workflow redesigns.

Cross Departmental and Third-Party Collaboration

• Coordinate with Professional Services, NOC, and Security teams to ensure cohesive execution of shared responsibilities.
• Liaise with third-party vendors (e.g., ISPs, telephony, hosting providers) to escalate or resolve issues affecting service delivery.
• Represent the support team in internal meetings on process alignment, service enhancements, or technical escalations.
• Provide subject matter expertise (SME) in audits, pre-sales consultations, or client onboarding workshops as needed.

Experience Level Required

• 5–10 years of IT experience with at least 3 in a Level 3 or senior escalation role.
• Proven exposure to large-scale system administration, project support, and vendor management.
• Experience in infrastructure management, Microsoft cloud ecosystem, automation, and backups.
• Strong familiarity with client environments and setups, ideally within a managed service provider (MSP) context.

Qualifications / Certifications

Core Certifications (required or highly recommended):

• A+, N+, MCSA (Windows 10/Server)
• Microsoft: MS-900, AZ-900, SC-900, MD-102, MS-102
• Azure Administrator/Expert or similar
• FortiGate NSE1-3 or Sophos (Firewall)
• Acronis / Veeam / Datto backup certification

Additional:

Degree or Diploma in IT or Computer Science (preferred) MCSE, Cisco CCNP, or similar advanced qualifications (advantageous)