Specialist - Information Technology

The Specialist \- Information Technology delivers advanced technical support, field engineering, and systems maintenance, focusing primarily on school districts within the Region 3 service area. This position requires frequent travel utilizing fleet vehicles to local school campuses to deploy, troubleshoot, and optimize computer systems and localized network infrastructures. Additionally, the Specialist provides secondary technical support for the internal operations of the Education Service Center. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field (or equivalent blend of education and hands\-on experience). 3–5 years of progressive experience in IT technical support, field services, or network administration. Relevant certifications preferred: CompTIA Network\+/Security\+, CCNA, Palo Alto PCNSA, Aruba ACMA, or Microsoft/Google certifications. Frequent travel within the Region 3 area is required. Must possess a valid driver's license and an acceptable driving record to operate Education Service Center fleet vehicles. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES Advanced troubleshooting of computer systems (Windows, Google and Mac platforms), mobile devices, and peripherals in a school environment. Practical proficiency with network switches, port configurations, VLAN routing, and basic DHCP/DNS administration. Experience deploying, configuring, and optimizing wireless access points (Aruba, Ubiquiti, or Meraki) across school campus environments. Basic administrative familiarity with firewall configurations, secure remote access, and Zero Trust frameworks. Strong troubleshooting and root\-cause analysis abilities with attention to detail. Skilled in documenting configurations, diagrams, and standard operating procedures. Ability to collaborate effectively across IT and school district admin teams. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS Primary Focus – On\-Site School Support: Travel to regional school districts to provide Tier 2/3 hands\-on troubleshooting, diagnostics, and resolution for complex hardware, software, and localized network issues. Secondary Focus – Internal ESC Support: Assist with the technical maintenance, help desk escalation, and infrastructure support of the internal Education Service Center operations as needed. Configure, deploy, and maintain campus network switches, manage localized VLAN traffic, and resolve device\-level connectivity issues. Install, configure, and monitor school\-wide wireless networks to ensure seamless, high\-density connectivity for classroom devices. Assist with the setup of WAN links, localized server hardware, and peripheral systems like VoIP or classroom smart tech. Document network configurations, diagrams, and standard operating procedures. Comply with federal and state laws, State Board of Education Rules, and ESC board policy and procedures. All positions at ESC 3 are defined as security\-sensitive. Security\-sensitive positions are those which require employees to be entrusted with the certain types of data, whether electronic or in paper form. Those data elements, as defined by the ESC 3 Data Classification and Handling Policy may include, but not limited to: Sensitive Personal Information (SPI) Personally, Identifiable Information (PII) Protected Health Information (PHI) Family Educational Records (FERPA Data) Federal Tax Information (FTI) HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act) It is the employees on\-going responsibility to safeguard this type of data and to report any instance of lost or stolen data.