IT Infrastructure & Support Lead

About Baird & Warner Real Estate

Over the last decade, Baird & Warner was named a Chicago Tribune Top Workplace ten times in a row. But we didn’t get there by accident — behind every great company is a culture created by the professionals who work there. Our fifth-generation local family business has stood the test of time, serving homebuyers and sellers since 1855. 

Throughout our rich history, one thing has remained true: we believe that when you give people the support they need, amazing things can happen. That’s why at Baird & Warner we empower you to be independent, to grow in your career, to do the right thing by your colleagues and your community, and to have a true work/life balance. We truly care about making our team feel part of something bigger by sharing a single purpose — making it easier for homebuyers and sellers to realize their real estate dreams.

Job Summary

This role will join the IT Operations team in supporting the technology needs of all business units across the company. The IT Infrastructure & Support Lead will provide support for all escalated issues from the Help Desk Team and will be the liaison between the ITOPS Network Analyst and Engineer, the Help Desk Technical Support Specialists and Team Lead, and the Service Desk Technician. This includes network system monitoring, patching and maintenance of existing systems, along with research, implementation, and migration to new technologies. This position will participate in off-hour maintenance windows, periodic site visits for installations or upgrades, and responding to critical events if they arise. The lead will also perform regular audits of system logs, configurations, and documentation. We expect this role to help with automation of tasks to reduce the Help Desk load and focus the time in higher valuable tasks.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: (Other duties may be assigned)

• Maintains a proactive, positive relationship with the user population in the corporate and Chicagoland branch offices.
• Provide support and back up to the Help Desk and Cloud Engineers
• Engages with business units to understand business processes and translate into technical workflows.
• Takes ownership of issues by analyzing and implementing temporary or permanent fixes; escalates and interacts with other internal departments or external service providers where necessary.
• Works with third-party line of business application vendors and acts as point of contact. 
• Monitors and maintains servers, software, network hardware, and their related components, automating routine tasks and eliminating manual processes wherever possible.
• Researches, recommends, and implements enhancements to current information systems and processes. Example Windows 11 upgrade
• Researches and resolves technical problems escalated by the Help Desk Team (Level 2 escalations) to determine further escalation to ITOPS, Development Team, and the Business Intelligence departments.
• Coordinates and meets with the IT Director regarding projects and ticket issues from the Help Desk Technicians.
• Prioritizes, logs, and tracks all escalated tickets and requests through their resolution and completion ensuring customer satisfaction.
• Reviews daily logs and escalate to the respective area (Cyber security, Operations, etc.)
• Assists in the maintenance and creation of processes and documentation to achieve the department's goal for improving service and customer satisfaction on a continuous basis.
• Assists ITOPS department on equipment installation (i.e, Access Points, switches, etc.) and configuration in all locations.
• Maintains the inventory of assets and works directly with the Director on technical equipment needs of all departments.
• Assess nature of technical issues to determine appropriate actions and swiftly disseminate information on any problems or potential delays to management and customers as necessary.
• Accurately document instances of issues/problems and their solutions. Follow up with agents/staff to evaluate the effectiveness of resolution and any next steps.
• Create supplemental documentation for processes and training videos to ensure business continuity and success for procedures across departments.
• Liaise with, and provide training and support to, end users and staff on all programs and proprietary software, inclusive of 3rd party systems, company CRM software, and more.
• Function as both the primary end user and main point of contact for all vendor relationships as relevant to the position and department.
• Set and track project milestones; manage and account for unforeseen delays, then realign schedules and expectations as needed to keep projects moving forward.
• Establish and implement project communication plans, providing status updates to affected staff and stakeholders.
•  Collects, analyzes, and summarizes information and trends as needed to prepare project status reports.
• Perform as “tier 1” technical support, troubleshooting issues with office/company equipment, password resets and credentialing issues, etc., and escalating when necessary to our third-party IT partner to provide a seamless customer service experience with a goal always of resolution, timeliness and accuracy for our customers and agents alike.
• Performs all other relevant duties as directed that align with the goals and mission of the company and department. 

Education and Experience

• At least two years of related experience is required.
• Prior training or on job experience in Computer Systems, Help Desk Support and Networking. 
• High School Diploma or equivalent required, some college preferred. 
• Certification or 5 year minimum experience in Cloud Based Networking platforms and Maintenance.
• Proven Customer Service and problem-solving skills.

Desired Skills

• Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office Software, Google Workspace and workstation imaging.
• Basic networking knowledge of equipment and connectivity.
• Prior experience in cloud based network infrastructure (Azure, AWS....). 
• Prior experience within a Cisco-Meracki Network environment. 
• Strong organizational skills.
• Ability to work in a high stress environment while maintaining a positive and professional demeanor.
• Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously.
• Must own a car for use in transporting equipment and traveling to branch offices when required. 

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. 

• Must be able to physically carry and lift laptops, desktops, printers and related computer equipment, up to 25 pounds.
• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.

Salary Range

$75,000-$80,000

Benefits

Medical, Dental, 401k, PTO, VTO