IT Specialist

**About P&P Optica**

We’re a truly diverse team in every sense of the word, and our team is incredibly smart. Our culture is respectful and caring, and work-life balance is a real thing PPO is a well-funded, scaling company with huge opportunities for career growth in every part of the organization.

If you’re looking for an opportunity to tackle challenging problems that affect everyone on the planet, PPO is the place for you.

**Location**

This role is primarily in-person at PPO’s facility in Waterloo, Ontario. Depending on the specific project tasks, there may be an opportunity to occasionally work from home.

**What You’ll Get To Do**

In a small but quickly-growing company, the IT Specialist role involves everything from laptop procurement, setup and support to network architecture to cloud integration and security. P&P Optica is seeking an IT Specialist with a strong initiative and a broad skill set, to drive organizational efficiency through technology.

P&P Optica is looking for a wide-ranging IT Specialist who:

- Will help define and build the long-term IT practice and SaaS operations for PPO,
- Provides support for a diverse user base running Windows, Linux, and OSX. Account management, software problem diagnosis and solution, and hardware troubleshooting.
- Brings software capabilities with legacy Microsoft Office, but especially Google Workspace.
- Can support a range of physical and virtual servers running Windows and Linux.
- Will evaluate products and technologies for user and company IT needs.
- Will manage redundancy planning (backups and more) and information security design.
- Will liaise with PPO’s IT provider partners to leverage external IT expertise.

**You at PPO**

You want to work for a fast-paced, growing company that focuses on providing innovative solutions to help its customers. You want to be part of a team of motivated people like yourself who are eager to solve challenging problems and learn new skills. You have a positive attitude, care about doing things right, and are motivated by making a positive impact. We are looking for an IT Specialist who brings a personable, friendly, get-along-with-everybody customer service attitude. You will be instrumental in helping to define and build the IT strategy and team at PPO.

**Skills and Experience**
- 2-3 years experience working on small-medium business IT services or equivalent
- Knowledge of setup and troubleshooting on Windows and Linux systems
- Familiarity with Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, Salesforce, Atlassian collaboration tools, AWS
- Networking, including LAN/WAN, DNS, DHCP, and VPN setup
- Wireless network configuration and troubleshooting
- Knowledge of security principles and technologies, including SSO
- Passionate about IT, continued learning
- Positive attitude and excellent customer service ability
- Knowledge of desktop, laptop, server, and networking hardware
- Significant experience with Windows desktop and server operating systems and services
- Organized multi-tasker with solid communication and interpersonal skills

**Bonus Skills and Experience**
- Experience working in a start-up company
- Past experience working for an IT company or Managed Service Provider
- Technical certifications such as CompTIA’s A+, Microsoft’s certifications, or others
- Experience with multiple distributions and versions of Linux



**Life at PPO**

You’ll REALLY love working at PPO. Here’s why:
**Open Culture**: our culture is based on openness and trust, and that’s reflected in everything we do. We’re a very diverse team and we celebrate what we share as well as our differences.

**Supportive Environment**: We love celebrating birthdays, work anniversaries and other special events. We also challenge each other to meet both our personal and professional goals.

**Work-life Balance - Really** We believe in working hard. We also believe that work is just one part of life. We make sure you have time for activities and responsibilities outside of PPO. You also receive flex days in addition to your allocated vacation.

**Social Events**: We hold monthly team social events either virtually or in real life. Past socials include dumpling making, axe throwing and trivia.

**Health Benefits**: PPO offers very competitive benefits, including health, dental, vision and more for you and your dependents.

**Community Oriented**: You’ll have an opportunity to participate in our annual team charity fundraiser. We are also proud to be part of Waterloo’s thriving Tech Hub.

**Ongoing Learning**: Learning is built into our culture at PPO. You’re encouraged to expand your knowledge and education through new experiences, courses, and other learning opportunities.