IT Support Specialist II Location: Fort Meade, Maryland Work Model: Full-time onsite Compensation: $75,000–$95,000 Clearance: Active Secret Experience: 2+ years Job Summary A federal technology contractor is seeking an IT Support Specialist II to support users within a secure Department of Defense environment at Fort Meade. This is a hands-on technical-support position responsible for resolving hardware, software, account-access and connectivity issues. You will support government and contractor personnel, manage service tickets and help keep daily IT operations running smoothly. This is an excellent opportunity for a cleared help-desk or desktop-support professional who wants to strengthen their technical skills, gain experience in a DoD environment and build a path toward systems administration, networking or cybersecurity. What You’ll Do Provide Tier I and Tier II technical support to end users. Troubleshoot Windows laptops, desktops, monitors, printers and peripherals. Resolve software, connectivity, account-access and authentication issues. Create, update and close incidents and service requests. Support user accounts, password resets and access changes in Active Directory. Install and configure approved hardware and software. Set up workstations for new employees and process equipment returns. Troubleshoot Microsoft 365 applications, including Outlook and Teams. Assist users with VPN, multifactor authentication and remote-access issues. Escalate network, server and security problems to the appropriate technical teams. Maintain accurate ticket notes and technical documentation. Follow established DoD security and equipment-handling procedures. Provide professional support to technical and nontechnical users. Required Qualifications Active Secret clearance that is fully adjudicated and verifiable. Two or more years of help-desk, service-desk, desktop-support or technical-support experience. Hands-on experience troubleshooting Windows computers. Familiarity with Active Directory account and password administration. Experience supporting Microsoft Office or Microsoft 365. Experience working with an IT ticketing platform. CompTIA Security+ certification or ability to obtain it within 60 days of starting. Strong customer-service and communication skills. Ability to work onsite at Fort Meade five days per week. U.S. citizenship. Strongly Preferred Current CompTIA Security+ certification. Previous experience supporting a DoD or federal customer. Experience with ServiceNow, Remedy or Jira Service Management. Knowledge of Active Directory, group policies and account permissions. Experience imaging and deploying Windows workstations. Familiarity with VPNs, smart cards, CACs and multifactor authentication. Experience troubleshooting printers and mobile devices. Understanding of basic networking concepts such as TCP/IP, DNS and DHCP. Nice to Have CompTIA A+, Network+ or Microsoft certification. Experience supporting users in a classified environment. Familiarity with SCCM, Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager or Intune. PowerShell or other basic scripting experience. Interest in advancing into systems administration, networking or cybersecurity. Experience with asset and inventory management. Ideal Candidate The ideal candidate is a dependable, customer-focused IT support professional with an active Secret clearance and at least two years of hands-on experience. They can troubleshoot common Windows, Microsoft 365, hardware, account and connectivity problems without relying entirely on a script. They understand when they can resolve an issue independently and when it needs to be escalated. They communicate clearly, document their work and remain patient when helping frustrated users. They are looking for more than another help-ddesk assignment—they want exposure to a secure DoD environment and an opportunity to grow into a more advanced technical position. Adjacent Backgrounds We’ll Consider Military IT specialists with an active Secret clearance who provided unit-level technical support. Junior systems administrators who meet the clearance and location requirements. Field-service technicians with strong Windows and end-user support experience. Cleared communications or signal personnel transitioning into civilian IT. Candidates with one year of direct support experience plus strong military IT training. Recently separated service members with relevant technical experience and an active clearance. Cleared candidates with an associate degree, technical program or military training in place of extensive commercial experience. This Role Is Not a Fit For Candidates without an active Secret clearance. Applicants seeking a remote or hybrid position. Candidates unwilling to provide direct end-user support. Applicants with no practical Windows troubleshooting experience. Candidates who cannot obtain Security+ within 60 days. Senior engineers seeking architecture, leadership or fully administrative responsibilities. What Matters Most Active Secret clearance: Critical Ability to work onsite: Critical Windows troubleshooting: High Customer-service skills: High Help-desk or desktop-support experience: High Security+ certification: High, but obtainable after hire DoD experience: Preferred Degree: Not required Why This Opportunity Stands Out This position provides a realistic entry point into the cleared technology market without requiring a degree, an advanced certification or five years of specialized experience. You’ll gain hands-on experience supporting a secure DoD environment, work alongside systems, network and cybersecurity teams, and have opportunities to develop toward more advanced technical responsibilities. The expected salary range is $75,000 to $95,000, based on experience, certifications and technical capability. Benefits include health coverage, paid leave, a 401(k), certification assistance and professional-development opportunities.
What you'll do
- Provide Tier I and Tier II troubleshooting for Windows laptops, desktops, printers, and peripherals for government and contractor personnel
- Manage Active Directory user accounts including password resets, access changes, and permission modifications
- Create, update, and close incidents and service requests in an IT ticketing platform with accurate documentation
- Troubleshoot Microsoft 365 applications (Outlook, Teams), VPN connectivity, CAC/smart card authentication, and MFA issues
- Image, configure, and deploy workstations for new employees; process equipment returns and maintain asset tracking
- Escalate unresolved network, server, and security issues to appropriate technical teams while maintaining clear ticket notes
- Follow DoD security procedures for equipment handling and data management in a classified environment
Mission
DoD end-user IT support within a secure classified environment at Fort Meade
Required skills
- Windows troubleshooting
- Active Directory administration
- Microsoft 365 support
- IT ticketing platform
- VPN and remote access support
- Hardware deployment and configuration
- Customer service and communication
- End-user technical support