Service Desk Analyst

Service Desk Analyst – Smart Bar and Service Desk

At AQA, we’re committed to advancing education and we’re committed to our people. As the largest provider of academic qualifications in the UK, we mark over 10million exam papers each year and it’s our people who make this happen. The Service Desk Analyst Permanent position is based in Guildford and is available for a salary range of £25800 – £28400. The role offers a 35‑hour working week, smart hybrid working and a 25‑day annual leave allowance (plus additional office closures at Christmas).

Are you fed up of only being contacted when people have a problem with their computer? At AQA we have a Smart Bar in each of our offices – think Genius Bar but better. Your proper job title in AQA is Service Desk and Smart Bar Analyst. You are central. Colleagues drop in to seek your expert advice and support or simply to say hello and talk about last night’s telly.

You will be part of a team of 11 superheroes (2 in the Guildford office) who provide first line support across the whole business (4 different sites) – responding to daily queries via the Smart Bar, telephone and service desk portal. Your responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Ensuring that approximately 1600 colleagues are able to create and run the GCSE and A Level exams, and managing an additional 1600 seasonal staff to supply and support.
• Using your technical expertise to support and manage technologies such as Active Directory, Microsoft Entra  Intune, helping colleagues stay connected, productive and secure.
• Managing device deployment, configuration and lifecycle management, including SCCM and Windows Autopilot where applicable.
• Building laptops or ensuring that meeting and conference rooms and office spaces are fully equipped and running smoothly.
• Acting as first line support and initial escalation point for technical issues raised by end‑users; maintaining accurate records of incidents, service requests and problems; ensuring they are correctly logged, progressed, updated and resolved.
• Maintaining professional discretion and safeguarding privileged or confidential information in accordance with AQA policies and legislation, including HSE, Equal Opportunities and ISMS.
• Co‑ordinating asset management – laptops, desktops, docking stations, monitors, peripheral devices, mobile devices, and loan devices from the Smart Bar.
• Providing coverage on the Smart Bar and phones, following the outlined shift patterns as directed by the Service Desk and Smart Bar Manager.
• Assisting with audit evidence and continuous improvement initiatives, identifying and exploring opportunities for improvement of the Service Desk and Smart Bar team.
• Managing tickets within the Service Management tool, including the management and deployment of first‑line fixes such as VPN, software and hardware troubleshooting.
• Provisioning software to end‑colleagues via Active Directory and Azure AD (EntraID) and ensuring accounts are created, enabled and disabled in a timely manner.
• Escalating incidents that potentially affect the wider organisation, focusing on P1/P2 calls and any issues related to the examination process or publication of results.
• Carrying out routine, repeatable activities such as laptop and iOS rolling replacement device swap‑outs, build room management, provisioning iOS devices (iPhone & iPad), managing loan devices from the Smart Bar, unboxing and storing new hardware, asset disposal, stock checks, liaising with the Asset Manager and third‑party suppliers for warranty repairs or replacements.

To be successful in this role you will need to know:

• Strong oral and written communication skills for effective engagement with colleagues and internal customers.
• Appropriate use of methods, tools, applications and processes. Demonstrates a rational and organized approach to work.
• Sufficient digital skills for the role.
• Familiarity with ITIL best practices and ability to manage workload and deliver services to agreed targets.
• Ability to perform a range of activities in varied environments, applying creative thinking or suggesting new ways to approach a task.
• Understanding of security,…