Technical Support Specialist

Who we are: CCOF advances organic agriculture for a healthy world. We advocate on behalf of our members for organic policies, support the growth of organic through education and grants, and provide organic certification that is personal and accessible.

CCOF is a nonprofit organization governed by the people who grow and make our food. Founded in California 50 years ago, our roots now span the breadth of North America, and our presence is internationally recognized. We are supported by an organic family of farmers, ranchers, processors, retailers, consumers, and policymakers. Together, we work to realize a future where organic is the norm.

Position Summary:

CCOF is expanding our Information Technology team! We are looking for a Technical Support Specialist to be the first point of contact for IT support needs. This role provides a high-touch level of assistance to staff, ensuring hardware, software, and systems function optimally across the organization.

If you have experience handling and resolving technical support tickets through a help desk system, providing responsive end-user support, delivering effective IT training to new employees and you're service-oriented about supporting a mission-driven team, we encourage you to apply.

This is a full-time, salary non-exempt position based onsite in Santa Cruz, California. This role reports to the Technical Support Supervisor and is located in downtown Santa Cruz.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Handle and resolve technical support tickets in the help desk system.
• Provide end-user support.
• Hardware imaging and deployment
• Provide effective IT training to new employees.
• Provide remote and on-site technical support to staff using tools such as TeamViewer and other remote access platforms.

Specific duties:

• Manage tickets in a timely manner using a helpdesk system, working directly with end users to ensure their systems are working properly.
• Document technical procedures, solutions, and troubleshooting steps used in working on IT tickets.
• Support New Hire Onboarding training.
• Troubleshoot common IT problems, escalate complex issues as needed, and ensure a seamless user experience.
• Ensure staff equipment is current and under warranty by swapping outdated systems with new systems. This includes ensuring new systems have complete software builds on them, that they’re fully configured for the user, and that the user’s existing data is transferred completely.
• Ensure all new employees have functional hardware and software to perform their roles effectively, understand how to use essential systems like 3CX system, MS Office 365, IT security policies and best practices, and company-specific software.

Required Qualifications:

• System Building: Experience imaging and deploying Windows systems on Dell laptop hardware.
• Staff Migration: Experience migrating staff from older laptops to new/replacement laptops.
• OS/Application Support: Experience supporting Windows 11 Professional in an Enterprise environment. Experience supporting a diverse application stack, including MS Office, Teams, Sharepoint, 3CX, and other software programs as needed.
• Highly organized, motivated, and detail oriented. Understands how to prioritize competing needs and tasks without sacrificing quality. Reliably completes assignments within assigned deadlines. Proactive, self-directed and driven to achieve goals. Asks for help when needed. Attention to detail: Notices and fixes errors that others might overlook. Acknowledges mistakes and turns them into learning opportunities. Has a track record of leaving things better than they found them.
• Communication Skills: Professional written and verbal communication. Writes clear and concise messages to various audiences, sharing context and asking questions to understand others’ perspective and fostering effective and engaging interactions. Organizes and shares information effectively. Is receptive to constructive feedback.
• Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Ability: Works independently within established procedures, uses available resources to overcome obstacles and find a solution that best resolves the issue. Able to ask for assistance and/or escalate to IT Supervisor when needed. 
• Teamwork: Actively contributes to the team to complete tasks and meet goals. Actively listens to coworkers, respects ideas, and aims to improve processes at hand. Understands that their team’s success is their own success, and they share responsibility when their team experiences difficulties along the way.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience working remotely with in-office and remote teams, including hosting virtual meetings.
• Experience leading training sessions, including new staff orientations
• Ability to work and cooperate effectively with diverse groups of people, demographics and communication styles to foster an effective work environment with professional interactions. 
• Knowledge and commitment to the principles of anti-discrimination. A willingness to engage in discussions about race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, class, ability, or gender and the ways our identities shape our workplace experiences.

Supervisory Responsibilities or Key Relationships:

• This role does not have any supervisory responsibilities.

Physical and Travel Requirements:

• 8-hour regular workday schedule that falls within the 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Pacific Time timeframe.
• Ability to lift 40 lbs. from ground to waist and be physically able to pack boxes and materials for shipping
• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer

Other duties:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive list of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Compensation: CCOF takes pride in offering competitive pay and benefits such as superb health plans, 401(k) program, and generous sick/personal and vacation time. The Technical Support Specialist’s starting salary range will be $66,000 - $72,000 and will depend on qualifications and experience.  

Hiring Process: Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Interested applicants, please submit the following documents:

• Cover letter summarizing your interest in CCOF and the position, and qualifications
• Current resume
• List of three professional references 

Incomplete applications will not be considered. No phone calls, please. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. Thank you for your interest.

CCOF is an equal opportunity employer. We prioritize community, well-being, and belonging, ensuring that everyone has a chance to contribute, develop and succeed. We encourage people with various talents and experience to apply.  

Community-building is a core value at CCOF. We are passionate about cultivating and sustaining a work environment where all employees can thrive. We believe every member of our team enriches our culture by exposing us to a broad range of ways to understand and engage with the world.