Required Experience

• 7 years in IT infrastructure
• 4 years in an MSP environment
• Experience supporting multiple clients simultaneously
• Experience leading technical escalations
• Ability to manage projects without constant supervision

Microsoft Technologies (Expert)

• Microsoft 365 administration
• Entra ID (Azure AD)
• Intune
• Conditional Access
• Exchange Online
• SharePoint Online
• Teams
• Windows Autopilot
• Windows Hello for Business
• Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
• Microsoft Defender XDR
• Microsoft Sentinel (preferred)
• PowerShell automation

Windows

• Windows 10/11
• Windows Server 2019/2022
• Active Directory
• Group Policy
• DNS
• DHCP
• DFS
• Hyper-V
• BitLocker
• Certificate Services
• Windows Update for Business
• Advanced troubleshooting

Networking

Must understand networkingnot just plug things in.

Experience with:

• VLANs
• Routing
• Switching
• VPNs
• Site-to-site VPN
• Firewall policies
• NAT
• DNS troubleshooting
• Wireshark
• Cisco Meraki
• SonicWall/Fortinet (preferred)

Security

This should be a major emphasis.

Experience with:

• EDR/XDR
• Vulnerability Management
• Microsoft Defender
• Cisco Umbrella
• MFA
• Conditional Access
• CIS Benchmarks
• NIST
• Incident Response
• Security Hardening
• Email Security
• Phishing mitigation

Endpoint Management

Experience deploying:

• Intune
• Datto RMM
• NinjaOne
• ConnectWise Automate
• Kandji
• Jamf
• SCCM (bonus)

Should be comfortable writing deployment scripts.

Scripting

Strong PowerShell is mandatory.

Should know:

• PowerShell
• Bash (basic)
• Microsoft Graph API
• REST APIs
• JSON
• CSV automation

Examples:

• Automated software deployment
• Bulk remediation
• Reporting
• Device inventory
• Microsoft Graph automation

Virtualization

Experience with:

• VMware vSphere
• Hyper-V
• Storage
• Clustering
• Veeam
• Disaster Recovery

Cloud

Experience with:

• Azure
• AWS (basic)
• Azure Virtual Desktop
• Azure Networking
• Azure Storage

macOS

This is increasingly important for modern MSPs.

Should understand:

• Intune macOS management
• Kandji or Jamf
• FileVault
• PPPC profiles
• Platform SSO
• Shell scripting
• Application deployment

Linux

Not necessarily an administrator but should understand:

• Ubuntu
• Rocky
• RHEL
• Basic CLI
• SSH
• Permissions
• Services
• Package management

Soft Skills

• Calm under pressure
• Excellent documentation
• Client communication
• Ability to mentor junior engineers
• Project planning
• Time management
• Root cause analysis
• Ownership mentality

Certifications (Preferred)

Microsoft:

• Microsoft Certified: Endpoint Administrator
• Microsoft Certified: Identity and Access Administrator
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator
• Microsoft Certified: Cybersecurity Architect (bonus)

Cisco:

• CCNA
• Cisco Secure Client/Umbrella experience

Security:

• Security
• CySA
• CISSP (preferred)

Virtualization:

• VMware VCP

A great Tier 3 engineer should be able to:

• Design an Intune deployment from scratch.
• Troubleshoot Conditional Access issues without vendor support.
• Diagnose complex DNS VPN and routing problems.
• Build PowerShell automation to eliminate repetitive tasks.
• Lead incident response during security events.
• Mentor junior engineers and review their work.
• Produce clear documentation and standard operating procedures.
• Identify opportunities to improve operational efficiency rather than simply fixing tickets.

Highly desirable:

• Datto RMM automation and component development
• ConnectSecure vulnerability management
• Cisco Umbrella deployment and policy management
• Microsoft Graph scripting
• macOS management with Intune or Kandji
• Autotask PSA integration
• Microsoft Defender XDR and security operations
• Experience supporting mixed Windows/macOS environments across multiple clients

Required Experience:

Senior IC