IT Desktop Support Specialist

Department

ISAC: Administrative Staff

About the Department

The Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures was founded in 1919 by James Henry Breasted with the financial support of John D. Rockefeller Jr., and was originally envisaged as a research laboratory for the investigation of the early human career that would trace humankind’s progress from the most ancient days of West Asia and North Africa. The goal of the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures is to be the world’s leading center for the study of the ancient civilizations of West Asia and North Africa by combining innovation in theory, methodology, and significant empirical discovery with the highest standards of rigorous scholarship.

The Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures Museum was opened to the public in 1931. The majority of ISAC's collections are from its expeditions in West Asia and North Africa during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. A major reinstallation of the Museum, including the construction of a climate-controlled wing for housing collections and archives, took place in the 1990s and early 2000s. A complete renovation of the Museum was completed in 2019 in celebration of ISAC's centennial. The Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures is a unit within the University of Chicago and the name of the corporation is 'The University of Chicago.' The corporation was originally incorporated on September 10, 1890.

Job Summary

This position provides critical IT support for the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures (ISAC). The role supports ISAC's research and educational mission by assisting faculty, staff, and researchers with technology onboarding, equipment management, user support, and security compliance. Working closely with ISAC leadership, this role ensures effective coordination of systems, services, and resources that enable ISAC's research initiatives.

This position provides first-tier support to resolve end-user issues related to computing hardware, networking, software, and site licensing. Supports ISAC faculty and staff through the configuration and installation of basic applications and computing peripherals. With moderate direction from others, deploys a variety of devices to end users, including computers, tablets, printers/copiers, and maintains servers.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for the maintenance of ISAC server infrastructure (including both on-premise & cloud-based/virtual machine servers) in partnership and collaboration with IT Services (ITS).

• Serves as a technical resource for new and existing ISAC research projects and programs.

• Manages, maintains, and supports ISAC’s point-of-sale (POS) terminals for the ISAC Museum Shop & other revenue-generating programs.

• Actively participates in, oversees, develops, and coordinates internal and University-wide IT initiatives.

• Represents ISAC at the monthly University-wide Information Technology Leadership Council (ITLC) meetings.

• Works independently to solve complex end-user issues involving hardware, site licensing, software, and networking.

• Administers operating systems, maintains security, and implements backup procedures for the unit’s information systems and peripheral equipment, such as servers, desktops, printers, and storage devices.

• Manages, maintains, and supports audio/visual infrastructure that supports ISAC research, teaching and programming.

• Represents and serves as a lead on internal meetings and that require input and involvement from an IT perspective (including but not limited to the website redesign committee, hiring committees, and ad-hoc committees for new research and programming initiatives).

• Manages and records the inventory of ISAC-owned computers, laptops, and tablets.

• Builds strong professional relationships with ISAC faculty and staff to understand and address ongoing issues through weekly meetings with stakeholders.

• Communicates with users to understand their computing needs and implements procedures to accommodate them.

• Provides advice and consultation on all information technology issues, including procurement of computing hardware, and interaction with hardware and software vendors as required.

• Maintains a high level of awareness of current issues in technology and engages in continuing education.

• Guides a variety of IT support activities for end-user hardware/software resolution, and guides end users through troubleshooting procedures. Uses fundamental knowledge of University software systems to recommend system modifications to reduce user problems.

• Uses in-depth