Meet Brett, our IT Support Manager! Coming to the rescue for any and every #teamnoths IT calamity…
Talk me through what you do here at notonthehighstreet…
I’m the IT Manager here. I’ve worked in various roles within the IT Support function, but when our previous IT Manager left last year, I was offered the chance to step up into his role. Although I was initially uncertain, I’m now really enjoying both the challenges and achievements I’m facing and feel much more confident with what I’m doing. My aim is to continue the great level of service the IT department has given the business and maintain the team’s high expectations of us!
What does a typical working day look like to you?
I always try to get to work about half an hour earlier than everyone else, just so I can have my own space, a coffee and some down time to get through anything outstanding before people come in for the day. When I first come in, I normally have about 10 emails from people requesting various things so this 30 minutes is key to prioritising these and working out what needs to be done & when. I also like our little “IT cave” — it proves useful sometimes as it means we can really get our heads down.
The team tend to get in touch with us and request different things through a ticketing system we have set up so the next part of the day is spent going through these and making sure we’re on top of everything. Some of the more ad hoc tasks include process work (so dealing with new starters and leavers) and, when we’ve got time, looking at bigger projects too. My job also involves a fair bit of admin; things like liaising with 3rd party suppliers, contracts, renewal of licenses etc.
It’s also important we keep our area tidy too because things can get really busy so I’ll often spend the last bit of my day tidying up.
How long have you been working here for and what has happened over your time?
I’ve been at NOTHS for just over 4 years, starting back in March 2014. I started out as IT support, then after a year I moved up to a IT Server Administrator. There I was dealing with more of the back-end infrastructure; looking at how everything fits together from behind the scenes. When our previous IT Manager left, I stepped up again into his position which is where I am now. My job’s busy — as well as the server and back-end admin I do, I also work on the IT helpdesk and support Pablo who joined the team as an IT Support Engineer last year.
What’s the best thing about what you do here?
You never get bored. That can be both a challenge, but it’s definitely the best thing about working here. There is always something to be getting on with so everyday there are new challenges — both mentally and technically. In my opinion, that’s what makes the role exciting; you are always learning and developing new skills. It’s also helped me grow in many different areas which is ultimately what I’m looking for in a job.
What’s been your proudest moment at notonthehighstreet?
My proudest moment was actually in my first year here, at our annual Christmas party. Every year, NOTHS ran a “people awards” section of the party which is where people would be nominated by their peers for doing great things around the business. One of the awards that year was for “team player” and I ended up being nominated, along with one other employee. I won the award and was so chuffed — I still have the star on my desk! It felt great that the award had actually come from the people of notonthehighstreet (#teamnoths) and to this day is something I will probably never forget.
What’s the most challenging part of your job?
Dealing with the requests and prioritising them. It’s very common for a lot of people to come up to you at different points and ask you for various “urgent” requests. It’s then our job to really sit down and work out what we should action first. We’re a small team so really we can only deal with one or two things at a time.
What were you doing before working here?
I was an IT contractor for nearly 10 years. I’d worked at lots of different places including hospitals, finance, even in shipping. The great thing about IT support is its the same in every organisation, but it’s interesting having the exposure to different industries and you learn so much from that. After that, I took 6 months out and did a motorcycle tour, before coming back and finding the job with notonthehighstreet.
What was it about notonthehighstreet that made you want to join?
I knew very little about NOTHS at first. When I was searching for a role, I focused a lot of my attention around finding companies which were based close to home and 2 jobs came up — one was Harrods and one was NOTHS. I interviewed with them both, and at the time was so impressed with the whole process and vibe at NOTHS that I had no doubt in my mind that I wanted to accept when they did offer it to me.
For someone looking to get a career in IT support, what advice would you give them?
If you’re a real people person and love interacting with people everyday, then this is definitely the right job for you. It’s very much a user facing role, as well as technically challenging, so it’s important for you to want to help people. The other bit of advice I would give is to definitely make sure you get the relevant IT qualifications. You can do this online or in colleges, but it’s important to have.
If you could describe notonthehighstreet in 3 words, what would you say?
Challenging, exciting and rewarding.
What are you looking forward to over the next 12 months?
I’m looking forward to seeing what happens with the business now we have Barrie [our new CEO] on board! We’re in a competitive market right now so I guess I’m just really interested to see what direction we’ll be looking to go in moving forward.
