Application Support Engineer

Roles and responsibilities

We are looking for a motivated L1 Application Support Engineer to provide frontline support for our suite of business-critical applications. The ideal candidate will have foundational knowledge in software applications and systems, excellent problem-solving skills, and experience with key monitoring and support tools like SolarWinds, Dynatrace, ServiceNow, and Nexthink.

Key Responsibilities

• Monitoring & Incident Detection:
• Monitor application health, performance, and logs using tools like SolarWinds, Dynatrace, and Nexthink.
• Identify and report application errors and performance issues.
• Respond to alerts, ensuring prompt detection and escalation of critical issues.
• Application Support & Troubleshooting:
• Provide first-level support for application-related queries and issues.
• Use monitoring tools to analyze incidents, validate user inputs, and reproduce issues for troubleshooting.
• Perform preliminary troubleshooting, including reviewing error logs and supporting end-user queries.
• Incident Management & Resolution:
• Record incidents using ServiceNow, categorize, and prioritize based on severity and impact.
• Communicate updates with users and stakeholders until issues are resolved.
• Escalate unresolved or complex issues to L2 Application Support or Development teams.
• User Training & Assistance:
• Provide guidance on application functionalities and best practices.
• Assist with onboarding new users by creating training material or conducting sessions.
• Collaboration & Communication:
• Work closely with L2/L3 teams to support issue resolution.
• Communicate with development teams for deeper application issues.
• Participate in regular team meetings for continuous improvement.
• Documentation & Knowledge Base:
• Maintain documentation on standard operating procedures (SOPs), known issues, and resolutions.
• Update the knowledge base with FAQs and common troubleshooting steps.
  

Required Qualifications

• Experience: 1-3 years in application support or IT support roles.
• Technical Skills: Understanding of software applications and troubleshooting techniques.
• Tools: Experience with monitoring tools like SolarWinds, Dynatrace, Nexthink, and incident management systems like ServiceNow.
• Troubleshooting & Problem-Solving Skills: Ability to quickly analyze and resolve application issues.
• Communication: Excellent communication skills for explaining technical concepts.
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with ITIL processes and cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure).

Desired candidate profile

1. Technical Expertise

• Software Troubleshooting: Ability to diagnose and resolve issues related to applications, including bugs, crashes, and performance problems.
• Programming Skills: Knowledge of programming languages such as Java, Python, C#, or SQL for analyzing application behavior and developing fixes.
• Database Management: Familiarity with database systems like MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, or SQL Server for diagnosing issues related to application data.
• Operating Systems: Proficiency in working with various operating systems (e.g., Windows, Linux, macOS) to support applications in different environments.

2. Application Support & Maintenance

• Incident Management: Responding to and managing incidents raised by users, ensuring that all issues are resolved in a timely manner.
• Root Cause Analysis: Analyzing and identifying the root causes of application failures or performance issues to prevent future occurrences.
• Bug Fixing: Applying patches or modifications to the application based on troubleshooting results and user feedback.
• System Monitoring: Continuously monitoring the performance and health of applications to ensure optimal functionality.

3. Customer/End-User Interaction

• User Support: Providing first-line support for users experiencing issues, troubleshooting problems, and offering solutions or workarounds.
• Clear Communication: Explaining technical issues to non-technical users in an understandable manner, and communicating effectively with internal teams or customers.
• Documentation: Maintaining user manuals, FAQs, and internal knowledge bases to assist in resolving recurring issues and improve user experience.

4. Incident and Problem Management

• Ticketing Systems: Proficiency in using IT service management tools (e.g., ServiceNow, JIRA, Zendesk) for tracking and managing incidents, service requests, and change management.
• Escalation Process: Knowing when and how to escalate complex issues to senior engineers or developers for further investigation.
• Timely Resolution: Managing service-level agreements (SLAs) and ensuring that issues are resolved within specified time frames.

5. Testing and Quality Assurance

• Software Testing: Conducting functional and regression testing to ensure that applications work as expected after updates, patches, or fixes.
• Automation Tools: Experience with automation tools (e.g., Selenium, Jenkins) for testing and continuous integration of applications.
• Version Control: Familiarity with version control systems like Git or SVN to track changes and ensure that software updates are properly implemented.