posted 4th February 2022
As an IT recruitment agency that makes 70% of its placements within Managed Service Providers (MSPs), it has been quite surprising to see the massive boost that the pandemic has been for the sector. Most of our clients are busier than they have ever been. This is due in large part to the rapid changes in working practices brought about by the pandemic. These new working practices have led to the increased use of remote working technology, the need to support this technology moving forward, and the ever evolving and advancing technology that needs to be integrated into IT systems.
Managed Service Providers have a range of roles available within their business structure. In any MSP there is a support desk that manages calls when things are not working with a client's IT systems. Support desks within MSPs are staffed by a range of technical professionals to ensure both the biggest and smallest problems can be resolved. Initially 1st Line Engineers take the call, and they solve minor issues such as password resets and printer issues. Plus, they direct the call onward if the problem is bigger and needs more technical expertise. Salaries for these roles are normally £22,000 to £26,000. Calls with more complex issues will usually then be escalated to 2nd Line Engineers who will look to fix a wide range of problems. Earnings here can be £28,000 to £40,000 dependant on the organisation, their technical expectations, and the customer profile. Lastly there are 3rd Line or Escalation Engineers. Often with specialist knowledge in area such as Cloud, Networking, or Security these are called in when things go Code Red. They deal with the most significant problems either through existing knowledge or often liaising with vendors to solve new and developing issues. Salaries here range from £40,000 to £60,000.
It is true that one person's 2nd Line or 3rd Line Engineer is not always another's! The depth of technical knowledge required can vary widely depending on the organisation. The individual who controls this is the Service Desk Manager. They are responsible for ensuring that all queries and issues get dealt with effectively and efficiently. Sometimes this role is very technical and is filled by the technically strongest engineer but in bigger companies it can be a purely managerial role. Clients' contracts all are run on service-level agreements (SLAs) so this person needs to have a finger on the pulse of the clients' IT needs to ensure that all contractual obligations are met. Salaries here generally range from £45,000 to £70,000.
Another side of the business for most Managed Service Providers is keeping their clients' IT systems updated and running the most appropriate technology in a secure way. This is delivered by the Project Delivery Team. A clear career path for many Help Desk Engineers is to move to Projects but this can be a difficult transition. Project Engineers can earn £40,000 to £60,000 dependant on experience and accreditations. They work alongside Solution Architects and Pre-Sales Engineers who ensure that the projects agreed will deliver what is intended in an efficient manner. These roles pay anywhere from £30,000 to £60,000.
This part of the business will normally be run by a Service Delivery Manager. Their job is to deliver all projects effectively and on budget. Salary is normally from £50,000 to £75,000 within an MSP environment. During the actual delivery of agreed installs clients will be assigned Project Managers who ensure day to day delivery is effective. Often non-technical, these roles can pay anywhere from £25,000 for minor projects to £75,000 for delivery the largest migration projects.
Additional types of non-technical roles that we deal with in the MSP world are the Marketing, Sales, and Account Management roles. Client acquisition and account management is vital as in all businesses but MSPs are a subscription model so maintaining existing clients is extremely important. Examples of these roles range from Marketing Managers (£40,000 to £60,000) who creating the initial leads for new clients to New Business Sales Managers (£30,000 to £50,000 with double OTE) who convert these leads and create more themselves to Account Managers (£40,000 to £70,000 with double OTE) who deal with the commercial running of the clients' accounts. Finally, Technical Account Managers (£35,000 to £50,000 with bonus) are responsible for road mapping the planned development of their clients' infrastructure as they move forward.
There are a wide range of well-paid MSP jobs available for both technical and non-technical professionals in today's Managed Service Providers. It is a dynamic and growing IT sector that offers great careers, interesting work, and an exciting future!
If you are looking for a new role within a Managed Service Provider, we can help match your skills and experience with one of the many MSP jobs for which we are currently recruiting. Get in touch with us by emailing us at contact@tsrltd.co.uk or calling us on 020 3837 9180. We look forward to speaking with you!