IT Support Engineer

The position

IT Support Technician provides comprehensive end-user and operational IT support across the organization. This role combines frontline service delivery with progressively advanced technical responsibilities, process improvement, and peer mentoring. The position is designed as a growth-oriented role, enabling technicians to deepen technical expertise, expand service ownership, and develop leadership capabilities over time.

About OIST

The Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University was established in 2011 to contribute to the development of science and technology worldwide and to serve as a hub of innovation in Okinawa. OIST is a dynamic new graduate university of science and technology in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan which offers a 5-year PhD program and brings together outstanding researchers from across the country and across disciplines to conduct cutting-edge scientific research.

The university is located on 85 hectares of protected forestland overlooking a beautiful shoreline and coral reefs. The campus is striking architecturally, and the facilities are outstanding. To facilitate multidisciplinary research, there are no academic departments. Outstanding resources and equipment are provided and managed to encourage easy access and collaboration.

English is the official language of the University, and the university research community is fully international, with more than 50 countries represented. OIST is rapidly gaining recognition in the worldwide academic community as a model for excellence in education and research, and our unwavering commitment to scientific and technological innovation is dedicated to generating progress that will fuel Okinawa's economic growth.

Responsibilities
  1. Own and ensure operations of help desk and IT support channels, responding to incidents and service requests.  
  2. Handle complex incidents, root-cause analysis, and recurring issues.  
  3. Act as an escalation point within the support team for technical and process-related questions.  
  4. Support IT operational tasks beyond day-to-day ticket handling.
  5. Contribute to and maintain knowledge bases (KBs), SOPs, and support documentation.  
  6. Support service catalog maintenance and adherence to ITIL-based processes.  
  7. Identify opportunities to improve support workflows, user experience, and service quality.
  8. Emergencies:  
     ・Diagnose and resolve hardware, software, AV, and end-user computing issues.  
     ・Escalate complex or systemic issues appropriately and follow through to resolution.  
     ・Set up, support, and troubleshoot AV equipment for meetings, hybrid collaboration, and small events.  
     ・Provide hands-on technical assistance during meetings and presentations.
  9. Acting IT Engineer. Support Infra team as needed.
Qualifications

(Required)

  1. Associate or Bachelor’s degree in IT, related field, or equivalent practical experience.
  2. 1–5 years of experience in IT support or service desk environments.
  3. Strong troubleshooting, communication, and customer service skills.
  4. Familiarity with help desk systems and endpoint imaging tools.

(Preferred)

  1. ITIL Foundation certification or demonstrated understanding of ITIL practices. 
  2. Experience with enterprise support tools, device management, or service catalog management.
Compensation and Benefits

In accordance with the OIST Employee Compensation Regulations(IT1).

Benefits:

Application Documents
  • Curriculum vitae in English

*    Up to 2 references may be requested during the final interview stage.
*    Please click APPLY HERE to be redirected to our application platform (Interfolio) and follow the instructions there to upload the required documents.

Declaration
  • OIST Graduate University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action educator and employer and is committed to increasing the diversity of its faculty, students and staff.
  • Information provided by applicants or references will be kept confidential in accordance to the OIST Privacy Policy; documents will not be returned.
  • Recruiting Organization: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology School Corporation 
  • Prevention of Passive Smoking: No smoking indoors
  • Please view our policy for rules on external professional activities: Rules for Concurrent Appointment.
  • Further details about the University can be viewed on our website.
Job Type
IT/Scientific Computing
Starting Date
As early as possible
Employment Term

Full-time, fixed term appointment for 2 years.

Contract initially with 6-month probationary period (inclusive).

This contract may be renewed by taking into consideration the performance evaluation, conduct, and behavior of the Employee and OIST’s financial and other circumstances.

Working Hours

Scheduled Working hours: 9:00 – 17:30

Rest period: 12:00 – 13:00

Flextime (core time 10:00-15:00) 7.5hrs per day (Multiplied by prescribed working days per month)

 

Holidays
Saturday, Sunday, National holidays, and Year-end and New Year holidays (Dec. 29 – Jan. 3)

 

Leave
Annual Paid Holidays, Summer Leave, Sick Leave, and Special Leave

Report to
IT Operations Manager
Job Location
Main Campus: 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa
Application Deadline
Applications will be accepted until all positions are filled.
*Application will be closed once the position is filled.

Thank you for your interest in this opportunity. Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

If you have any questions, please contact us at