Welcome to Ada!  

At Ada our mission is to educate and empower the next generation of diverse digital talent.  We are a ground-breaking college working closely with industry to design and deliver an education that supports our students, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds and young women, into highly skilled digital roles and to lead flourishing lives more broadly. We run a high-performing sixth form for those interested in tech as well as Higher Level and Degree Apprenticeships working with 30+ companies such as Deloitte, PwC, Capita and many others.  

The College has grown quickly since opening in September 2016 and we now have campuses in London and Manchester. This is an exciting time to join Ada as we are moving from our temporary premises to a state-of-the-art campus located just a few minutes walk from Victoria station. We’re passionate about building a supportive, values driven environment for both our students and staff and this is where you come in!

We are looking for a professional and self-motivated individual with all around hands on technical experience in on-premises and cloud infrastructures administration and management. 80% of the role will be user-facing dealing with technical challenges. So an exceptional level of customer service experience, preferably in similar educational settings, coupled with excellent communication skills and the ability to be flexible will be advantageous to succeed in the role. 

Job Purpose 

To provide exceptional IT customer service to all college stakeholders (staff, learners and visitors) at our campuses in London and Manchester through in house IT Helpdesk systems. 

Ensure that the college IT infrastructure is secure and functioning effectively to support all college operations with minimal disruptions, this includes AV and technical support for teaching and events.

Support the continuous improvement of the IT department and your professional development by remaining up to date with the latest technological trends and innovations relevant to the role.

Main duties and responsibilities

• To proactively monitor the college on-premises and cloud infrastructure systems. 

• To liaise with third party service providers to swiftly resolve issues. 

• To work with service providers for regular maintenance including vulnerability patching with the latest security updates. 

• To manage the FreshDesk IT Helpdesk ticket system.

• To induct new starters to their Ada IT and systems

• To provide classroom support as and when required.

• To work with relevant service providers to install, configure and maintain computer peripheral equipment including multi-functional printers and Interactive whiteboards, VoIP, ensuring that the hardware and software used are regularly tested and ready for use when required.

• To train users on ICT systems and new features used by the college particularly Google Workspace. 

• To ensure that leavers’ user accounts are closed down accordingly and removed from all college IT Systems.

• To carry out the college IT asset inventory management. 

• To provision new client devices as needed using SCCM and other EPM (EndPoint Manager) including JAMPro, Merake, Azure InTune MDM

• To work with relevant service provider to install and test new software and software updates / upgrades, always ensuring compliance with software licensing regulations at and review their suitability for the college

• To test the college backup systems twice a month and report back any issues

• To liaise with the HR Manager on a monthly basis to ensure that all AD security groups are kept up to date.

Other general duties 

• To work closely with the Head of IT to ensure successful Cyber Essentials Plus framework annual accreditation

• To participation in continuous improvements through PDCA (Planning Doing Checking Acting) process improvement programme

• To ensure compliance with all active college policies including Social Media, Cybersecurity and Acceptable Use. 

Other Requirements: 

• Passion for Ada’s mission and in particular working with young people and adults to help improve their life chances

• A commitment to on-going personal development 

• A willingness to work flexibly and, on occasion, where necessary, outside of normal working hours including weekends

• Suitable to work with young people and vulnerable adults in accordance with Government guidelines for safeguarding. 

Duties and responsibilities of the post may change over time as requirements and circumstances change.

Person Specification

We are looking for someone who can demonstrate the following desired qualifications and experience, qualities and skills:

• General TCP/IP Infrastructure understanding including server configuration and maintenance specifically Network Policy Server (NPS), Certificate Authority and VPNs

• Critical thinking, analysis and problem solving

• Ability to manage third party contractors professionally and get the best out of them.

• Good written and verbal communication skills in English with wide range of people from students to senior College staff and visitors

• Proficient in cloud systems particularly Google Workspace/Microsoft 365/Azure InTune and JAMPro

• Demonstrate understanding of cloud models including SaaS and IaaS

• A team player in working with others to refine your ideas, leading to an improved understanding of key concepts within the computing systems context

Safeguarding 

The successful candidate will be required to apply for a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check when appointed to the post. Further information about the DBS is found at www.gov.uk. 

The post holder’s responsibility for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults with whom they come into contact, is to adhere to and ensure compliance with the College’s Safeguarding Policy at all times. 

Equal opportunities 

Ada. National College for Digital Skills recognises that equality of opportunity and the recognition and promotion of diversity are integral to its strengths. The following principles apply in respect of the College’s commitment to equality and diversity: 

• To provide and promote equality of opportunity in all areas of its work and activity; 

• To recognise and develop the diversity of skills and talent within its current and potential community; 

• To ensure that all employees and prospective employees of the College are treated solely on the basis of their merits, abilities and potential without receiving any unjustified discrimination or unfavourable treatment on grounds such as age, disability, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender reassignment, trans status, socio-economic status or any other irrelevant distinction; 

• To provide and promote a positive working, learning, and social environment which is free from prejudice, discrimination and any forms of harassment, bullying or victimisation; and 

• To promote good relations between individuals from different groups. 

Applicants with disabilities 

Ada. National College for Digital Skills is keen to increase the number of disabled people it employs. We, therefore, encourage applications from individuals with a disability who are able to carry out the duties of the post. If you have special needs in relation to your application please contact hr@ada.ac.uk   

Sponsorship

Sadly, we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role so can only accept applications from candidates who have the legal right to work and remain in the United Kingdom.

How to apply for the role 

Please complete our application form and email it to jobs@ada.ac.uk with the role you are applying for in the email subject line. 

The job description is designed to outline a range of main duties that may be encountered. It is not designed to be an exhaustive listing of tasks and can be varied in consultation with the post holder in order to reflect changes in the role or needs of the organisation. 

All appointments are subject to a clear enhanced DBS and satisfactory references.