Senior Support Analyst in Oxford

Spanning the historic streets of the “city of dreaming spires,” the University of Oxford has been ranked the world’s leading university for nine consecutive years. A place where centuries of tradition meet world-changing innovation, we offer you the chance to shape the future while working in an inspiring environment that promotes excellence. Here, you’ll contribute to ground-breaking research that tackles global challenges - from advancing sustainability to pioneering healthcare solutions - and join a diverse, inclusive community that champions your wellbeing, development, and aspirations. Apply now to become part of our extraordinary legacy.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Senior Support Analyst to join us on a fixed-term basis until 31st July 2029. The post-holder will help colleagues provide a source of support, technical consultancy, and expertise to researchers across the University, particularly focussed on the service delivery and development of the Research File Service, a research data storage platform.

This role is part of Oxford’s Research Support Services Team (RSST), which supports a number of services for the University’s research community and makes a significant contribution to supporting research data management across all disciplinary areas. RSST sits within IT Services, the University’s central IT department which has a critical role in delivering the infrastructure, services and systems underpinning everyday work across the organisation and providing services for staff, students and academics.

As part of the role, you will develop effective working relationships with colleagues within and beyond IT Services. You will need to engage in dialogue with researchers with varying levels of technical knowledge. In addition, you will work as part of a Continuous Improvement (CI) team, using agile methodologies to iteratively develop improvements to the research data storage products and services.

What We Offer

• 38 days of annual leave to support your wellbeing, with the option to purchase up to 10 extra days and additional leave after long service.
• One of the most generous maternity and adoption leave schemes in UK higher education, offering up to 26 weeks of full-pay leave, followed by additional statutory and unpaid leave options.
• A commitment to hybrid and flexible working to suit your lifestyle.
• Affordable and sustainable commuting options, including a cycle loan scheme, discounted bus travel, and season ticket loans.
• Access to a vibrant community through our social, cultural, and sports clubs.

About the Role – Key Responsibilities

• Service support and incident response
  • Respond to service requests and incidents, and provide expert knowledge to troubleshoot and resolve complex issues, primarily within a Microsoft environment.
  • Respond to researcher requests for advice and support around data storage and processing, either by providing support directly or where appropriate by referral.
• Systems testing and deployment
  • Assist with the identification of business and user requirements, including opportunities for new or enhanced services.
  • Assist with testing new features, developments, and improvements to the Research File Service.
  • Assist in the testing and deployment of automated systems for the management and maintenance of the Research File Service.
  • Assist with assessment of new technologies and services and their use in the context of University requirements.
• Communications and engagement
  • Liaise with end-users to ascertain levels of engagement and satisfaction with existing services, with a view to improvement and development of the Research File Service.
  • Liaise with researchers to analyse their data-storage requirements and recommend solutions to data storage issues or questions they may face.
  • Work in concert with other teams across Oxford to deliver timely and accurate IT advice to researchers, across a variety of services.
• Training and career development
  • Participate in a regular Staff Development Review.
  • Take advantage of appropriate training opportunities as these arise, in order to keep up to date with relevant skills and developments.
  • Undertake such other duties as may be assigned in the light of the post-holder’s knowledge and experience.

About You

To be successful in this varied and interesting role, you will ideally have experience of research or research support and enjoy using this experience in new areas for problem solving and user support. You will have great communication skills (written and verbal) and be confident in the ability to collaborate with the team, researchers, and academic staff. You will also have a positive attitude and be keen to help improve services that will underpin good research practices in the University.

Excellent organisational skills with the ability to multi-task and manage own time effectively, being prompt and punctual. Demonstrable ability to think around issues and look at the wider picture in order to provide solutions through a variety of problem-solving techniques. Drive, self-motivation and ability to work under own initiative. Good interpersonal skills, with the ability to work with people at all levels of seniority in the University. Proven expertise in IT systems administration, ideally Windows servers. Ability to develop and enhance knowledge in relevant fields. Excellent communications skills, including the presentation of complex technical ideas, the production of accurate written documentation. Familiarity with Unix/Linux, and/or MacOS. Knowledge in an intellectual capacity, reasoning and analytical skills equivalent to those of a graduate. Experience of writing support documentation. Experience working as part of a Continuous Improvement (CI) team or using agile methodologies to deliver products and services. Expertise of utilising knowledge management processes or tools, or automated help or ticketing systems. Experience of working in a research support environment, or with supporting common tools and languages for research data (Python, R, SQL, Globus, etc.)