Senior IT Support Specialist

The University of Pennsylvania, a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation, is the largest private employer in Philadelphia. Consistently ranked among the top 10 universities by U.S. News & World Report, Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia, combining a beautiful urban campus with access to diverse educational, cultural, and recreational activities.

About the Role

The Senior IT Support Specialist provides advanced technical support and consultation for Penn Wellness and its associated clinical, counseling, public health, and immunization services. This role serves as a primary liaison between HireIT and Penn Wellness, supporting critical healthcare technologies, troubleshooting complex technical issues, and coordinating IT services to ensure uninterrupted patient care operations. The position develops specialized expertise in Wellness systems and workflows, leads strategic projects, collaborates on compliance-related matters with security, privacy, and Penn Medicine stakeholders, and aligns technology services with the University’s student health mission.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate Wellness support efforts, ensuring high availability and rapid response for technology issues.
• Lead initiatives on behalf of clients, representing their needs in enterprise projects by providing strategic direction, collecting requirements, and developing communications plans.
• Identify, track, and communicate issues, updates, and risks to clients and stakeholders.
• Build and maintain relationships across ISC, the University, clients, and Penn Medicine.
• Participate in professional development opportunities to stay current on technology and business processes.
• Provide top-tier support and consulting to clients with varying technical expertise via phone, email, and ticket management systems.
• Manage the Wellness ticket queue, act as the primary escalation point, and ensure SLA compliance.
• Provide hands-on technical support for computing hardware, software, and network services across campus locations.
• Maintain expertise in client hardware and applications; contribute to knowledge base and documentation.
• Occasional coverage for evenings, weekends, and recognized University holidays may be required.
• Foster ongoing client relationships, including communication about changes, updates, and Penn computing policies.
• Consult on diverse business needs and recommend IT solutions to improve workflows.
• Plan, develop, implement, and manage projects involving clients, vendors, and other IT entities.
• Serve as a subject matter expert for HireIT, leading initiatives and managing projects to support division-wide and client-specific goals.
• Mentor junior staff and serve as a resource for colleagues.
• Create and maintain technical documentation, knowledge base articles, procedures, and client communications.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Science and 2 to 3 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience providing technical support for contemporary client operating systems (Macintosh and Windows) and productivity applications, preferably in an academic or professional services environment.
• Experience supporting virtual desktop systems (Azure Virtual Desktop, IGEL, Imprivata).
• Experience with electronic medical record systems (Epic).
• Ability to thrive in a client-centric, technically-focused environment and adapt to changing work demands.
• Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills, with the ability to present technical materials clearly.
• Strong organizational skills, including deadline management, goal setting, and time management.
• Ability to work with a diverse range of clients and colleagues, delivering exemplary technical support and mentorship.
• Commitment to maintaining confidentiality of sensitive materials; HIPAA compliance experience preferred.
• Experience configuring, deploying, and supporting client systems in a highly managed environment.
• Ability to lead and collaborate with others to achieve optimal outcomes.

About the Department

Information Systems & Computing (ISC) is Penn’s central IT organization, providing core network, data, voice, video, and enterprise application infrastructure and services. ISC’s 300-plus employees collaborate with the University’s IT organizations to deliver products and services that help Schools and Centers operate efficiently. ISC focuses on customer service, high-quality implementations, and cost-effective solutions to advance Penn’s mission while supporting technological freedom and departmental autonomy.

Pay

$71,733.00 - $82,000.00 Annual Rate. Salary offers are based on candidate qualifications, experience, skills, education, and alignment with market data for the position’s level.

Benefits

• Health, Life, and Flexible Spending Accounts: Comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance. Flexible spending accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses.
• Tuition Assistance: Exceptional tuition benefits for employees, spouses, and dependent children at Penn and other institutions.
• Retirement Plans: Generous retirement savings options with Basic, Matching, and Supplemental plans (pre-tax or Roth) and diverse investment choices through TIAA and Vanguard.
• Time Away from Work: Substantial paid time off for vacations, personal affairs, illness, or injury.
• Long-Term Care Insurance: Coverage for employees and eligible family members through Genworth Financial (no proof of good health required for new hires).
• Wellness and Work-life Resources: Programs and resources to support health, family, and work-life balance.
• Professional and Personal Development: Resources to advance personal and professional growth.
• University Resources: Access to libraries, athletic facilities, arboretum, art galleries, and cultural/recreational activities (many free or discounted for employees and families).
• Discounts and Special Services: Savings on arts, entertainment, transportation, mortgages, cellular plans, movie tickets, and more. Discounts on new cars from Ford and General Motors.