Associate Software Engineer Jobs in Johnson City, TN

Position: IT & Security Support Specialist

Location: On-site hybrid (Johnson City, TN)

Reports to: IT Manager

About Ntara:
Ntara is a leading PXM (product experience management) consultancy that helps manufacturers and brands modernize their digital ecosystems. With deep expertise in PIM, DAM, and ecommerce strategy, we empower brands and product-focused companies to deliver consistent, trustworthy product experiences across digital channels by simplifying systems, centralizing data, and implementing solutions that drive growth and value.

Why join Ntara?
Our work spans consulting, technology, and process optimization, giving you the chance to tackle complex challenges that truly impact our clients' businesses. If you thrive in a collaborative environment, love solving problems, and want to make a measurable difference, Ntara might be the place for you.

Position summary:
The IT & Security Support Specialist is an entry level, on-site role based out of Ntara's Johnson City, TN office. This position is the first line of support for Ntara's employees, keeping laptops, accounts, and cloud tools running smoothly while helping build good day-to-day security habits across the company.

This role is a hands-on opportunity for someone early in their IT career who wants broad exposure to help desk support, endpoint management, identity and access administration, and foundational security operations, all with the mentorship of a seasoned IT and security team. The role works closely with the broader technology team on incident response, onboarding and offboarding, and the ongoing hardening of Ntara's systems, and is a strong launching point toward a career in systems administration, IT security, or infrastructure engineering.

Key responsibilities:
Help Desk & End User Support

• Serve as the first point of contact for employee IT requests submitted via ticketing system, email, or chat, and resolve or triage within established service level targets.
  Troubleshoot hardware, software, and connectivity issues across Windows and Mac laptops, mobile devices, and peripherals.
• Set up and configure new equipment, and manage employee onboarding and offboarding, including account provisioning, deprovisioning, and asset tracking.
• Support employees with Microsoft 365, VPN, and other core productivity and collaboration tools.
• Document recurring issues and their resolutions to build out Ntara's internal knowledge base.

IT Security Support

• Assist in monitoring endpoint protection, antivirus, and email security alerts, escalating suspicious activity to senior IT and security staff.
• Support user access reviews, multi-factor authentication enrollment, and password hygiene across company systems.
• Help maintain patch management and vulnerability remediation schedules across laptops and servers.
• Assist with security awareness efforts, including phishing simulation follow-up and new hire security training.
• Support incident response activities under the direction of senior staff, including initial triage, evidence gathering, and documentation.

Systems & Infrastructure Support

• Administer user accounts, groups, and permissions in Active Directory and Azure AD or Entra ID.
• Support device management through an MDM platform such as Intune or Jamf, including policy deployment and compliance checks.
• Assist with basic network troubleshooting, including Wi-Fi, VPN, and connectivity issues, and escalate complex network issues as needed.
• Support maintenance windows, software rollouts, and routine system health checks.

Documentation & Process

• Maintain accurate records of assets, licenses, and configurations.
• Follow and help refine internal IT and security procedures, checklists, and runbooks.
  Communicate clearly with non-technical staff, translating technical issues into plain language guidance.
• Log time and ticket status accurately to support team reporting and continuous improvement.

Education:
Associate's or bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Cybersecurity, or a related field preferred; equivalent professional experience may be considered in place of a formal degree.

Relevant certifications such as CompTIA A+, Network+, or Security+ are a plus, and Ntara supports continued certification growth.

General Experience:

• 0-2 years of experience in a help desk, technical support, or IT internship setting.
• Comfortable learning new tools quickly and working through unfamiliar technical problems methodically.
• Experience using a ticketing system such as Jira Service Management, Freshservice, or Zendesk is a plus.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the patience and empathy to support non-technical colleagues.
• Demonstrated reliability, attention to detail, and sound judgment when handling sensitive account or security information.

Technical Skills:

• Working knowledge of Windows and macOS operating systems and common troubleshooting steps.
• Familiarity with Microsoft 365 administration, including mailbox and license management.
• Basic understanding of networking concepts such as TCP/IP, DNS, VPN, and Wi-Fi troubleshooting.
• Exposure to identity and access management concepts, including multi-factor authentication and least privilege access.
• Familiarity with endpoint security concepts such as antivirus, EDR, and patch management is a plus.
• Exposure to MDM platforms such as Intune is a plus.
• Basic scripting or automation exposure, such as PowerShell, is a plus but not required.

Team Culture + Values:

• Empathy:We seek to understand.
• Clarity: We cut through the noise.
• Ownership:We own outcomes.
• Ambition:We push boundaries with purpose.
• Integrity:We do what's right, even when it's hard.
• Teamwork: We face everything as one team.

Perks + Benefits:

• This is a hybrid work role. The right candidate needs to be within 1 hour driving distance of the headquarters. While the position is remote first, there may be occasional travel for key internal workshops, planning sessions, or team gatherings. These instances are limited and scheduled with plenty of notice. (Working schedule in EST is preferred).
• Competitive salary.
• Collaborative, growth-oriented culture.
• 401K with matching contributions.
• Top-notch employee healthcare options.
• Paid vacation days, holidays, and personal days.
• Opportunity to make a measurable impact.
• Great Place to Work Certified Company

Ntara celebrates diversity and is committed to cultivating an inclusive workplace where employees feel valued, respected, and engaged. We foster a culture in which inclusivity supports innovation, strengthens connections, and reinforces a strong sense of "One Team". We strive to reflect the diverse experiences, perspectives, and voices of our employees, customers, and the communities we serve.