User Support Specialist II

About the role

Current Employees: If you are currently employed at any of the Universities of Wisconsin, log in to Workday to apply through the internal application process.

• Job Category: University Staff
• Employment Type: Regular
• Job Profile: User Support Specialist II

Job Summary

The User Support Specialist II will join the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) IT Desktop Support team in providing technology support to faculty, staff, researchers, students, and academic departments across the college.

This position plays an important role in supporting the research, instructional, outreach, and administrative missions of CALS by ensuring that users have reliable access to the technology and services they need. The position works collaboratively with CALS IT colleagues, departmental personnel, and campus IT partners to resolve technical issues, maintain technology resources, and deliver consistent, responsive customer service.

The CALS IT Desktop Support team provides day-to-day technology support across college departments, including computer hardware and software, endpoint configuration, account and access issues, peripherals, and other supported technology services. Team members also assist with equipment procurement, deployment, inventory management, maintenance, and replacement.

The team emphasizes collaboration, knowledge sharing, documentation, and cross-coverage to ensure departments receive consistent support and technology needs are addressed effectively. User Support Specialist II staff work collaboratively with User Support Specialist III staff as part of a shared support team.

While the USS II role focuses primarily on front-line technical support, routine troubleshooting, and day-to-day departmental technology needs, the position also works alongside USS III staff to address more complex technical issues, share knowledge, and ensure continuity of support.

The roles have distinct levels of responsibility and technical scope, but both contribute to the team's overall service delivery, collaboration, and cross-coverage efforts.

The ideal candidate will have a strong foundation in desktop support, troubleshooting, customer service, and the installation and configuration of computer hardware and software. The ability to independently identify and resolve technical issues, prioritize competing requests, communicate technical information clearly, and document work accurately is essential.

Experience supporting a higher education environment, research laboratories, instructional spaces, or a diverse user population is beneficial. The successful candidate will demonstrate sound judgment, a willingness to learn, and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively while contributing to shared team practices and continuous improvement.

Familiarity with endpoint management tools, IT service management systems, inventory processes, and university technology and security standards is preferred.

Key Job Responsibilities

• 5% Facilitates individual and group end user trainings, answers questions, and provides information specific to non-routine and more complex information technology end user products and services
• 15% Maintains operational functions of technology systems to ensure appropriate integration, compatibility, and functionality according to established user requirements
• 10% Experience providing audiovisual (AV) support, including setting up, troubleshooting, and maintaining, conference room, and presentation technology.
• 25% Completes procurements, installations, configurations, repairs, and modifications of various technology hardware, software, and associated components under general supervision
• 20% Serves as a point of contact for individuals and groups providing standard-level organizational information about technology resources and addressing their needs
• 25% Identifies, troubleshoots, resolves, and/or escalates basic and more complex data, network connectivity, client/server processes, and application issues according to established policies and procedures

Department: Administrative Computing Services

Compensation

The anticipated salary range for this position is $26.39/hour - $30.00/hour. However, final salary will depend on experience and qualifications. Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such as generous vacation, holidays, and paid time off; competitive insurances and savings accounts; retirement benefits.

Required Qualifications

• Experience providing technical support to end users with varying levels of technical expertise
• Experience installing, configuring, and troubleshooting hardware, software, and peripherals in Windows or macOS environments
• Experience using a ticketing system to track and document support requests

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting audiovisual or conference room technology
• Experience with endpoint management or software deployment tools (e.g., Intune, Jamf, SCCM, BigFix, Workspace One)
• Experience writing technical documentation or knowledge base articles
• Experience with IT asset or inventory management
• Experience providing technical support in a higher education setting

Education: Associate's Degree Preferred Minimum

How to Apply

To apply for this position, please click on the "I am a current employee" button or "I am not a current employee" button under Apply Now. You will be prompted to upload the following documents.

• Cover Letter
• Resume

Additional information

Please note, there is only one attachment field. You must upload all your documents into the one attachment field. All listed application materials must be received to be considered.

Finalists will be asked to provide contact information (phone and email) for three references, one of which must be a current or former supervisor. References will not be contacted without prior notice.

It's important that your cover letter and resume reflect your experience for this position related to the Qualifications section. Your application materials will be used during our evaluation to determine your qualifications as they relate to the job. The most qualified applicants will be invited to participate in the next step of the selection process.

Please note that successful applicants are responsible for ensuring their eligibility to work in the United States (i.e. a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without need of employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of the appointment. University sponsorship is not available for this position.

Additional information

• Criminal Background Check may be required
• Probationary Period may be required
• This position supports all of CALS, which includes more than 25 buildings. The selected candidate must be able to move between campus locations and access multiple buildings as needed to perform essential job duties, with or without reasonable accommodation.

Work Schedule

Normal hours are 7:45am - 4:30pm, Monday through Friday. Occasional nights and weekends may be required for this position.

Contact Information: Sonia Parker, CALS HR Generalist

Institutional Statement on Diversity

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website.

To request a disability or pregnancy-related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre-employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you.

Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment.

The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).

The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report contains current campus safety and disciplinary policies, crime statistics for the previous 3 calendar years, and on-campus student housing fire safety policies and fire statistics for the previous 3 calendar years. UW-Madison will provide a paper copy upon request; please contact the University of Wisconsin Police Department.