Support & Infrastructure Engineer

About VIB

VIB (Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie) is an entrepreneurial non-profit research institute with a clear focus on ground-breaking strategic basic research in life sciences and operates in close partnership with the five universities in Flanders.

The ICT department at VIB ensures that assets technology information and data are managed securely and efficiently. Our focus includes:

• Supporting and improving the ICT infrastructure including networks hardware and critical systems.
• Enabling digital transformation initiatives across the organization.
• Securing and supporting applications information and data flows and software integrations.
• Helping researchers and support services work efficiently through modern reliable digital services.

Within ICT our Support & Operations team is the first point of contact for end-users and plays a key role in ensuring a smooth and reliable workplace experience. To strengthen our ability to resolve more complex issues and reduce unnecessary escalations we are looking for an experienced engineer who combines strong troubleshooting skills with coaching and cross-team collaboration.

About the role

As a Support & Infrastructure Engineer you will take ownership of complex ICT incidents and requests that require deeper technical expertise. You act as a key bridge between our Support Operations Engineers and our Network & Infrastructure Engineers.

You will:

• Resolve complex cases that would otherwise block or overload specialist teams.
• Take over smaller operational tasks from network & infrastructure colleagues where appropriate.
• Coach and guide junior engineers raising the overall technical capability of the Support & Operations team.
• Continuously improve support quality through documentation proactive monitoring and structural problem solving.

You will report to the Support & Operations Manager.

Responsibilities

As a Support & Infrastructure Engineer you will:

Complex support ownership and troubleshooting

• Provide expert-level technical support and guidance to resolve complex ICT issues escalated from support engineers or raised directly by end-users.
• Lead troubleshooting efforts across hardware software and network-related issues ensuring timely resolution and minimal disruption to business operations.
• Investigate recurring incidents identify root causes and implement sustainable solutions to prevent reoccurrence.
• Take ownership of difficult cases end-to-end ensuring clear follow-up and communication.

Collaboration with infrastructure & operational teams

• Collaborate closely with network and infrastructure colleagues to ensure the right issues are handled by the right team and to reduce unnecessary escalations.
• Take over smaller operational tasks from the network and infrastructure team when they fit within your expertise and capacity.
• Contribute to cross-team improvements in monitoring stability and operational efficiency.

Coaching & team capability building

• Mentor and coach junior support engineers sharing knowledge and best practices to enhance team capabilities and confidence.
• Act as a technical reference point within Support & Operations helping the team grow step-by-step in technical maturity.
• Support consistent ways of working through standard operating procedures and structured troubleshooting.

Documentation & continuous improvement

• Develop and maintain documentation including knowledge base articles troubleshooting guides and standard operating procedures.
• Monitor system and service performance and proactively identify opportunities for improvement.
• Upgrade systems with new releases and models where appropriate.
• Stay up-to-date with emerging technologies and trends recommending innovations that enhance ICT infrastructure and service delivery.

Your profile

• You have extensive experience in providing technical support in a Microsoft-centric environment including Windows operating systems Microsoft365 suite Microsoft Intune and EntraID.
• You have strong troubleshooting skills and can diagnose and resolve complex hardware software and network issues efficiently.
• You are comfortable working across different ICT domains (end-user support systems and basic infrastructure tasks).
• You enjoy solving problems but also improving processes and enabling others to solve problems too.

Skills and capabilities

• Strong experience with Mobile Device Management for Windows and macOS devices (essential).
• In-depth knowledge of Microsoft technologies such as Exchange SharePoint and SQL Server.
• Knowledge of Fortinet products (e.g. FortiGate FortiManager) and experience operating within a Fortinet security environment.
• Experience with virtualization technologies (Hyper-V and/or VMware) is considered a plus.
• Excellent interpersonal skills: you work well in a team and enjoy coaching and guiding others.
• Proven ability to document procedures troubleshooting steps and system configurations clearly and effectively.
• Analytical minded fast learner and proactive problem solver.
• Solution-oriented and able to balance urgency with structural improvements.
• Fluent in Dutch and English both written and spoken.

We offer

• An open-ended contract.
• Competitive salary based on experience and expertise.
• A strong salary package with multiple benefits (e.g. internet allowance meal vouchers smartphone …).
• You will work within an innovative challenging and international working environment in the large life-sciences network of VIB.
• We offer opportunities for personal development. Taking additional training and courses is certainly possible if relevant to the performance of the job.
• Our offices are located at VIB headquarters in Ghent. Possibility of homeworking (2 days/week) with balance between working from a remote location and from the office. We are flexible regarding work location and working hours.
• We are an organisation that values diversity in backgrounds and in experiences. Diversity not only includes race and gender identity but also nationality age disability status sexual orientation religion and many other parts of ones identity. VIB is therefore looking for candidates who share a passion for science that generates an impact on society and care deeply about supporting each others growth.

How to apply

If you are interested in this challenging and rewarding opportunity please submit your application via the VIB careers portal including CV and letter of motivation.