Help Desk Tier 2 Team Lead

Location: Remote

Required Clearance: Requires a Public Trust Clearance. Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and be eligible for this clearance.

Required Education: Associate’s degree in Information Technology, MIS, or a related field is preferred. Degrees may be substituted for 5 years of experience.

Required Experience: 5+ years.

Description

PingWind is seeking a highly skilled and experienced Help Desk Tier 2 Team Lead for the Human Captial Service Center (HCSC) Tier 2 support of the Department of Veterns Affairs Talent Management System (TMS) and the VA Emergency Alerting and Accountability Systems (EAAS) helpdesk operations.  This role will assist with the escalated tickets from the ESD Tier 1 service desk and support all TMS users, including doctors, nurses, educators, designated VA Program Managers (PM), Enterprise Infrastructure Engineers, Core Infrastructure Services staff, and site system administrators at all levels, ranging from entry level employees to supervisors. Monitoring incoming tickets for any Systems Issues or signs of degradation to the TMS application. Maintain information technology strategies by managing staff, researching, and implementing technological strategic solutions.  

Responsibilities

• Accomplishes information technology staff results by communicating job expectations; planning, monitoring, and appraising job results; coaching, counseling, and disciplining employees; initiating, coordinating, and enforcing systems, policies, and procedures.

• Maintains staff by recruiting, selecting, orienting, and training employees; maintaining a safe and secure work environment; developing personal growth opportunities.

• Maintains organization's effectiveness and efficiency by defining, delivering, and supporting strategic plans for implementing information technologies.

• Directs technological research by studying organizational goals, strategies, practices, and user projects.

• Completes projects by coordinating resources and timetables with user departments and data center.

• Verifies application results by conducting system audits of technologies implemented.

• Preserves assets by implementing disaster recovery and back-up procedures and information security and control structures.

• Recommends information technology strategies, policies, and procedures by evaluating organization outcomes; identifying problems; evaluating trends; anticipating requirements.

• Maintains quality service by establishing and enforcing organization standards.

• Contributes to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed.

• Application issue resolution: When an application problem occurs technicians will analyze how many users are affected, when the issue started, and attempt to reproduce the issue in order to identify the cause. This data will be documented and escalated to the appropriate Tier 3 application owner, Integrated Product Team (IPT), and/or vendor for evaluation of the issue. We will track issues, test fixes, and communicate with Tier 3 personnel until the issue is resolved. The VALI TMS COP SharePoint Site is utilized as the TMS Community Bulletin board. Technicians will provide announcements of major application issues, and status updates on the issues as they are being addressed. Once an issue has been resolved, the status posted on the SharePoint site will be updated to “resolved”.

• Participation in Daily Calls: Participate in daily operation calls with all Stakeholders (HCSC, SAP, VHA, VBA, OIT, NCA, VACO, and Operations.) During these calls, we will review any high-profile issues that have been reported, future updates, and notify stakeholders of any new issues found that need to be addressed.

• Managed Self Enrollment (MSE) maintenance: Operation Maintenance Database Administrator provides a list of accounts that need to be merged, as well as a second list of accounts that have the incorrect TMS roles. 

• Educational Data Repository (EDR) facility fixes: Utilizing the Trace system, a technician will research the User's job location within the TMS, PM, and Outlook GAL. The technician will then correct the text description associated with the job location codes. Periodically a domain will create a new Job code that impacts hundreds of accounts. When this occurs, each affected account needs to be updated with the correct location description. Assistance with the Mapping Table. When a new organization code is created in the EDR it requires an update to the mapping table. Once notified of accounts that are in a wrong domain, work with the Domain Manager, and Operation and Maintenance Database Administrator to update the mapping table

• TMS Local Administrator Finder: Technicians will work with the VALU’s TMS Local Admin Interactive Map, which is used by Administrators, Users, and ESD to identify the correct POC for each domain. We will maintain the accuracy of the POC’s for each of the 843 domains. Each domain is required to have a minimum of two POC’s. 

• TMS Submitted Reports: Monitor the success rate of reports submitted in the TMS. A drop in success rate is observed technicians investigate, then advise SAP and VALI on the daily morning call. In addition, a weekly trending report will be provided to the Operation and Maintenance Team and VALI.

• Identifying TMS import errors: Health Stream provides a daily summary of imported data by TMS Users accessing Health Stream courses. Errors discovered will be investigated by Tier 2 technicians who will work with the appropriate parties to resolve them. Resolution can vary depending on the complexity of the problem. 

• Reports, certificate of training: Tier 2 technicians will provide support to TMS administrators who require assistance obtaining reports from TMS.

• User Acceptance Testing (UAT), identifying fixes or upgrade verification: Tier 2 technicians will participate in the testing of software upgrades to ensure that changes have not adversely affected the application. Testing scripts will be provided to Tier 2 technicians for different areas of the application. Each script can take up to 6-to-12 hours to complete. Tier 2 technicians will also perform a smoke test of the entire system and collaborate for 508 compliance testing. UAT testing has typically been conducted via a live meeting with all stakeholders that is scheduled for 6 hours over 4-to-5 consecutive days. 

• VA TMS course testing: Tier 2 technicians will take part in reviewing, testing, and providing feedback for high profile courses that are updated annually prior to release. 

• VALI-supported application: Tier 2 technicians will support TMS administrators who need assistance with TMS Administrator access or Profile Maintenance access.

• Troubleshooting PC setup, browser optimization: Tier 2 technicians attempt to determine browser and PC settings, as well as network issues that affect course delivery. Utilize VA-approved TEAMS as a remote technology to diagnose and troubleshoot settings that may be causing issues and Fiddler4. 

• Identify database repair or related issues: Technicians are tasked to locate items that may negatively affect the system, such as malfunctions/bugs. Technicians proactively check different functions in the applications by setting up triggers to send alerts and report our findings if the task or functionality is not performing properly. When problems are identified, we will document the steps taken to describe the issue, identify the part of system affected, and provide a workaround, if one is available. This information will be escalated to the appropriate resources, such as the Talent Management System Operations and Maintenance Manager. Issues will also be discussed in the daily meeting with Vendor and VALI Core team.

• VA Single Sign-On Initiative (SSOi): Technicians will troubleshoot technical issues that TMS users encounter while using the SSOi centralized logon interface for access to TMS. 

• Automated Notification Reporting (ANR) tool (Website for VA Notification of Service Disruptions): Issue arises in a specific location or application that impacts TMS, technician will utilize the ANR tool to determine if an ANR has been opened that could be causing the disruption to TMS, or other applications that interface with TMS.

• Track efforts escalated to Tier 2 using the VA Enterprise Service Desk (ESD) SNOW (VA ESD’s ticketing system): Technicians use the SNOW system in synchronization with the ESD. Technicians will utilize the ticket system to track ticket statuses from inception at ESD Tier 1 to resolution and closure by our Tier 2 Technicians. 

Requirements

• Working knowledge of web-based applications and data access mechanisms.

• Experience in Learning Management Systems.

• Experience with SQL.

• Strong communication and collaboration skills.

• Experience/training in providing technical support.

• Demonstrated success in working with people in establishing goals, objectives and change management plans.

• Maintain confidentiality of information processed or prepared.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with HTML

• Experience with JAVA, JSP

• Experience with ServiceNow ticketing system

• Perform a wide variety of duties and responsibilities with accuracy and speed under pressure of time sensitive deadlines. 

• Perform multiple tasks simultaneously, including handling interruptions, and return to and complete tasks in a timely manner. 

• Demonstrate integrity, ingenuity and inventiveness in the performance of assigned tasks. 

• Ability to easily adapt to and learn new technologies.

• Perform duties and responsibilities independently

• Ability to coordinate, research, and analyze special projects/reports. 

• Establish and maintain effective working relationships 

• Ability to perform duties with awareness of all requirements and company policies. 

• Must possess positive, professional, interpersonal skills. 

About PingWind

PingWind is focused on delivering outstanding services to the federal government. We have extensive experience in the fields of cybersecurity, development, IT infrastructure, supply chain management and other professional services such as system design and continuous improvement. PingWind is an SBA certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) with offices in Northern Virginia and Huntsville AL. www.PingWind.com

Our benefits include:

• Eleven Paid Federal Holidays

• Paid Time Off starting at 5 hours per pay period (120 hours per year)

• Paid Parental Leave

• Three Medical Plans, PPO Dental, and Vision Insurance 

• 401k with generous employer match

• 529 College Savings Plan

• Continuing education assistance

• Company-paid Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability & Life Insurance/AD&D

• Flexible Spending Accounts

• Health and Wellness benefits including Calm Health app subscription and Wellhub gym membership subsidy

• Voluntary insurance plans including Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity, Legal, Life/AD&D, and Pet Insurance

Veterans are encouraged to apply

PingWind, Inc. does not discriminate in employment opportunities, terms, and conditions of employment, or practices on the basis of race, age, gender, religious or political beliefs, national origin or heritage, disability, sexual orientation, or any characteristic protected by law