Technical Support Engineer (Hardware & Customer Support)

Location: Northampton, NN2 6NE — office-based, 5 days per week, with occasional UK customer site visits

Hours: Full-time, 37.5 hours per week – flexibility on start and finish times within standard office hours

Salary: £30,000 – £35,000 per annum, depending on experience

Contract: Permanent

Driving: Full UK driving licence and access to own vehicle (essential). Business mileage paid.

About the role: We're hiring a Customer Support Technician to be the first point of technical contact for our customers. It's a hands-on role with three core areas: resolving customer issues remotely (phone, email, ticket), repairing printer hardware in our Northampton workshop, and managing returns and replacements with our manufacturer partners. You'll also be the in-house point person when something goes wrong with the kit our team uses day to day, and you'll cover occasional UK customer site visits where remote support isn't enough. Second-line escalation is held by our Technical Account Manager. You'll have a custom-built ticketing platform, an internal knowledge centre, structured manufacturer training, and clear support around you. The day-to-day is yours to run.

About ID Card Centre: We're a Northampton-based business specialising in identity and access control — card printers, ID software, access systems, and the consumables and support that go with them. We've grown from a 2-person start-up to a multi-million pound business serving customers across the UK and with a strong reputation in our market. We're a 25-person team, with a clear set of values that shape how we hire and how we work: Own It, Do the Right Thing, Next-Level Mindset, Deliver Excellence, and Shape the Future.

What you'll do:

• Handle first-line customer technical support across our product range — card printers, software, accessories, consumables, and access control products.
• Triage, diagnose, resolve where possible, and escalate cleanly when needed.
• Carry out in-house repairs and maintenance on customer printers, rental fleet equipment, and demonstration stock.
• Manage RMAs, supplier returns, replacements, and warranty claims with manufacturers — keeping things moving and applying commercial judgement when claims are disputed.
• Be the internal point person for day-to-day hardware, software, and telephony issues across the business, working with our outsourced IT and systems partners.
• Carry out occasional UK customer site visits where on-site support is needed.
• Keep systems accurate — tickets, repair records, parts usage, turnaround times — so the function runs cleanly.

Who we're looking for: This role suits someone who genuinely enjoys the practical, problem-solving side of technical work. You'll bring:

• Experience in a technical support, helpdesk, repair, or service role.
• Strong first-line troubleshooting skills across hardware and software.
• Practical repair and maintenance capability — comfortable working on hardware, not just software.
• Clear, professional written and verbal communication, with the ability to explain technical issues to customers without jargon.
• Methodical and disciplined approach to diagnosis, repair, and record keeping.
• Strong organisational skills — able to manage multiple tickets, repairs, and follow-up actions at the same time without dropping any.
• Commercial awareness when handling warranty claims, supplier returns, and disputed issues.
• A willingness to keep learning — manufacturer training, product knowledge, internal systems.
• A full UK driving licence and access to your own vehicle for occasional site visits (business mileage paid).
• Right to work in the UK.
• Experience with card printers, thermal printers, or access control hardware is a real plus, but not essential — what matters most is technical aptitude, ownership, and how you handle customers.

What we offer:

• £30,000 – £35,000 depending on experience.
• A defined progression framework with a clear path to develop within technical support over time.
• Structured manufacturer training across our key product lines.
• A custom-built ticketing platform and an actively maintained internal knowledge centre — you won't be working blind.
• Quarterly check-ins and annual reviews tied to clear development goals.
• 31 days' annual leave inclusive of bank holidays and a day off for your birthday.
• Health cash plan including EAP (Employee Assistance Programme).
• Shopping & Restaurant discount vouchers.
• Company pension scheme.
• Free EV car charging.
• A well-equipped workshop and the time to do the work properly.
• A small, capable team that takes the work seriously.
• A values-led business where autonomy, visibility, and the ability to make real impact are the norm, not the exception.
• Regular team engagement, socials, and office events throughout the year.

How to apply: Apply with your CV and a short cover letter telling us: Why this role is a good fit for you right now. A specific example of a technical problem you owned end-to-end — what it was, how you handled it, what the outcome was. Anything you'd want us to know that wouldn't show up on a CV. We read cover letters properly. They make a difference. ID Card Centre is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from everyone, and we make hiring decisions based on capability, attitude, and fit with our values.