1st Line Support Engineer Location: Stoke-on-Trent (Onsite - 5 days per week) Salary: £25,000 - £28,000 (dependent on experience) Clearance: Eligible for SC Clearance About the Opportunity Sanderson Government & Defence is proud to be working with a leading secure ICT services provider supporting the UK Defence, Security, and Government sectors. Our client operates within highly secure environments, delivering critical IT services where reliability and customer service are key. We are seeking a motivated 1st Line Support Engineer to join their on-site Service Desk team in Stoke-on-Trent. This is an excellent opportunity for someone looking to develop their career in IT support within a structured, ITIL-driven environment. The Role As a 1st Line Support Engineer, you will act as the first point of contact for both internal and external customers, providing high-quality technical support and ensuring incidents and requests are managed effectively. You will play a key role in maintaining service standards while contributing to the continuous improvement of Service Desk processes. Key Responsibilities Act as the first point of contact for customers via phone and service portal Log, manage, and update incidents and service requests within the Service Management tool Ensure all tickets contain accurate and detailed information, including steps to reproduce issues Escalate incidents to appropriate resolver groups when required Provide timely updates to customers in line with agreed SLAs Build strong customer relationships and deliver a high level of customer satisfaction Escalate high-priority incidents to senior team members or management Contribute to and maintain knowledge base documentation Support daily Service Desk operations and priorities Collaborate with wider teams across the business to resolve issues effectively About You Previous experience in an IT support or Service Desk environment (preferred but not essential) Understanding of ITIL processes (Incident, Problem, Change Management) Strong communication skills, both written and verbal Customer-focused mindset with a genuine desire to resolve issues A team player who thrives in a collaborative environment Strong problem-solving skills and ability to prioritise workload Adaptable, proactive, and eager to learn Technical Awareness (Desirable) Windows 10 and Windows Server environments Office 365 and Active Directory VMware SharePoint Endpoint security tools (e.g. McAfee, Sophos) Hardware support (Dell & Lenovo devices) Security Requirements Due to the nature of this role, candidates must be eligible for UK Security Clearance (SC). This typically requires British citizenship or a minimum of five years' continuous UK residency. Please note that sponsorship is not available for this role. Why Apply? Great entry point into secure Government & Defence IT environments Structured training and development opportunities Exposure to a wide range of technologies and ITIL processes Supportive team environment with clear progression pathways If you're looking to build your IT career in a secure and professional environment, apply now or contact Sanderson Government & Defence for more information. Reasonable Adjustments: Respect and equality are core values to us. We are proud of the diverse and inclusive community we have built, and we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and perspectives. Our success is driven by our people, united by the spirit of partnership to deliver the best resourcing solutions for our clients. If you need any help or adjustments during the recruitment process for any reason, please let us know when you apply or talk to the recruiters directly so we can support you.