Desktop Support Engineer

Desktop Support Engineer

Information Technology Department

THE ORGANIZATION

The San Francisco Symphony is among the most adventurous and innovative arts institutions in the United States, celebrated for its artistic excellence, creative performance concepts, award-winning recordings, and standard-setting education and community engagement programs. Since it was established in 1911, the Symphony has grown in acclaim under a succession of distinguished music directors: Henry Hadley, Alfred Hertz, Basil Cameron, Issay Dobrowen, Pierre Monteux, Enrique Jordá, Josef Krips, Seiji Ozawa, Edo de Waart, Herbert Blomstedt, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Esa-Pekka Salonen. In May 2026, the Symphony announced Elim Chan as the 13th Music Director in its 115-year history, beginning with the 2027–28 season. One of the most sought-after artists of her generation, Elim Chan embodies the spirit of contemporary orchestral leadership with her crystalline precision and expressive zeal.  

The San Francisco Symphony presents more than 200 concerts and presentations annually for an audience of nearly 350,000 in its home of Davies Symphony Hall and around the Bay Area. The Orchestra performs a robust schedule of core classical concerts from September through June, and offers a dynamic mix of holiday programs, groundbreaking SoundBox performances, chamber concerts, guest artist recitals, live-to-film presentations, popular artist collaborations, a month-long summer series, and other special events that invite audiences across the Bay Area to connect with the Symphony in ways that resonate with their interests, experiences, and traditions.

As a cornerstone of its mission, the San Francisco Symphony provides some of the most extensive education and community programs offered by any American orchestra. The Symphony’s free music education experiences engage students in grades 1–12 throughout the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), serving more than 25,000 students annually.

In 2001, the SF Symphony became the first American orchestra to launch its own in-house record label, SFS Media. Recorded live in concert and engineered at Davies Symphony Hall, SFS Media recordings showcase music by contemporary composers as well as core classical masterworks. In 2023, the San Francisco Symphony partnered with Apple for the launch of a new classical music streaming app, Apple Music Classical, and has since released 17 spatial audio recordings of live concert performances through the app. San Francisco Symphony radio broadcasts, the first in the nation to feature symphonic music when they began in 1926, today carry the Orchestra’s concerts across the country. In 2004, the SF Symphony launched the groundbreaking multimedia Keeping Score series on PBS-TV and the web; the series was made available for unlimited free streaming on the Symphony’s YouTube channel in 2020. In 2014, the San Francisco Symphony inaugurated SoundBox, an experimental and eclectic live music series, which takes place in an alternative performance space located backstage at Davies Symphony Hall. For its adventurous programming, the Symphony has been honored 19 times by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, and the Symphony’s recordings have garnered France’s Grand Prix du Disque and Britain’s Gramophone Award, as well as 17 Grammy® Awards.

JOB SUMMARY

The Desktop Support Engineer provides responsive, customer-focused technical support across the organization. Serving as the primary point of contact for daily IT operations, this role resolves Tier 1 and Tier 2 support requests, leads workstation provisioning and hardware lifecycle management, enforces endpoint security and patching standards, and administers Microsoft 365 alongside core business SaaS applications. The position also manages end-to-end IT onboarding and offboarding, interfaces with third-party vendors for advanced system support, and creates clear, accessible technical documentation for both technical and non-technical staff.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Serve as the primary point of contact for incoming helpdesk requests, prioritizing, troubleshooting, and resolving Tier 1 and Tier 2 support tickets in adherence with internal IT SLAs.
• Appropriately triage and escalate complex Tier 3, network, and infrastructure issues to senior IT team members.
• Configure, image, deploy, and maintain Windows and macOS computers, mobile devices, printers, VOIP phones, and associated peripherals in accordance with IT standards.
• Manage end-to-end IT onboarding workflows, including user account provisioning, equipment procurement, hardware imaging and setup, and conducting initial IT orientations for new staff.
• Manage end-to-end IT offboarding workflows, including deprovisioning account access, collecting equipment, securely wiping returned hardware, and updating asset records.
• Administer, monitor, and troubleshoot user accounts, permissions, and group access within Microsoft 365 (Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Teams), Single Sign-On (SSO), and supported business applications.
• Monitor, troubleshoot, and remediate endpoint security alerts, patch compliance, OS upgrades, disk encryption status, antivirus health, and device management exceptions.
• Maintain accurate hardware, software, license, and asset inventory records, ensuring transparent tracking from initial acquisition to decommissioning.
• Engage and coordinate directly with third-party software, hardware, and systems support vendors to diagnose technical issues, process warranty repairs, and resolve service outages.
• Create and update user-friendly self-help guides for staff, while documenting internal administrative procedures, account change logs, and standard troubleshooting workflows for the IT team.
• Train new and existing staff on workstation basics, collaboration tools, security best practices, and ticket submission processes.
• Identify recurring user pain points and system issues, proactively recommending workflow, security, or technology improvements to IT leadership.

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or commensurate practical experience.
• Three or more years of hands-on experience in desktop support, helpdesk, endpoint support, or a related technical support role.
• Advanced knowledge of Windows 11 and macOS environments, including operating system installation, configuration, profile management, patching, and troubleshooting.
• Demonstrated ability to manage helpdesk ticketing queues, prioritize competing support requests based on urgency and business impact, and maintain agreed service levels.
• Strong troubleshooting instincts with sound judgment on when to resolve issues independently versus escalating complex technical matters to senior IT engineering leadership.
• Hands-on experience with endpoint management/MDM platforms, imaging tools, remote desktop support software, and hardware asset inventory systems.
• Familiarity with identity and access management (IAM), multi-factor authentication (MFA), Microsoft 365 administration, and standard endpoint security practices.
• Experience engaging and working directly with external technical support vendors to resolve hardware and software issues.
• Exceptional customer service skills and the ability to interact effectively and empathetically with staff across all levels of the organization.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear, accessible language for non-technical users.
• Proven track record of follow-through, attention to detail, and methodical problem-solving.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• Ability to sit, stand, walk, bend, and reach as needed
• Ability to lift, carry, and move computer equipment and peripherals up to 30 pounds with or without reasonable accommodation
• Prolonged periods of sitting or standing:  at the desk, equipment closets, and performance or administrative spaces as needed
• Repetitive motions: using a keyboard, mouse

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

None

WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

The internal and external constituents with whom this position most frequently interacts include:

• Internal IT team members and IT leadership
• HR and Venue Operations Teams
• 140 internal users across all levels
• External hardware and software vendor support personnel

EEO STATEMENT

In alignment with the values statement above, the San Francisco Symphony is committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), national origin, age, physical and mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information (including characteristics and testing), military and veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law.