Desktop Support Engineer

Main Duties

Tier 1: Portfolio Manager & Front Office Support (Priority Focus)

Mandate: Be a trusted technology partner for portfolio managers and their pods, primarily in London, delivering white-glove support at the desk and remotely — and to the same standard for users in other hubs under the follow-the-sun model.

• Serve as a primary technology partner for portfolio managers and front office users, with London as the primary focus, ensuring uninterrupted productivity and frictionless user experiences.

• Deliver white-glove deskside and remote support to portfolio managers and their pod teams, resolving issues at speed and with zero tolerance for unresolved problems during trading hours.

• Exercise absolute discretion when working with confidential trading and personnel information, and deal confidently and credibly with senior front office users.

• Provide expert-level support for Bloomberg terminals, market data platforms, OMS, and all trading-critical applications used by PM pods.

• Proactively manage the health and performance of PM workstations, multi-monitor trading setups, and all front office endpoints — eliminating issues before they arise.

• Coordinate closely with the Desktop Lead, London team colleagues, and global IT teams to ensure consistent standards, proactive communication, and seamless support delivery across all regions.

• Capture and manage all interactions in ServiceNow to drive accountability, SLA compliance, and data-driven service improvement.

Tier 2: Global Desktop Support, Enterprise User Computing & Escalation

Mandate: Deliver reliable, high-quality desktop and end-user computing support to London users and, through the follow-the-sun model, to users in other hubs — handling escalated issues and contributing to the Global Desktop Support Team and its projects.

• Apply the firm’s established global support standards and processes consistently, working in step with London and global colleagues.

• Participate in the global follow-the-sun support model, supporting users in other hubs as part of the team and ensuring clean, well-documented handovers of tickets and context to and from colleagues in other regions.

• Participate in the weekend on-call rota, providing out-of-hours support for urgent issues and following established escalation and handover procedures.

• Take the time to understand Brevan Howard’s culture, environment, and high expectations before seeking to operate independently — adopting the firm’s established and proven ways of working rather than reviewing or changing them.

• Act as an escalation point for complex desktop and end-user computing issues, primarily for the London office and for other hubs as required under the follow-the-sun model, escalating onward to the Desktop Lead where needed and collaborating closely with core infrastructure, networking, and security teams to ensure end-to-end resolution.

• Contribute to root cause analysis and the implementation of permanent corrective actions to eliminate repeat incidents.

• Provide broader desktop and end-user support across the London office beyond the PM pod community, ensuring all users receive a consistently high standard of support.

• Work closely with London team colleagues — sharing knowledge, covering for one another, and supporting team rotas — and engage extensively and proactively with the wider global team, sharing context and asking for input rather than operating as a silo.

• Contribute to EUC initiatives and infrastructure projects, including Windows platform upgrades, endpoint management improvements, and tooling enhancements.

• Maintain disciplined ownership of all incidents and service requests within ServiceNow, ensuring rigorous ticket hygiene and SLA compliance.

• Leverage endpoint monitoring and automation tooling to shift the team’s posture from reactive support to proactive remediation.

• Actively adopt and make effective use of the AI tooling made available by the firm to improve support efficiency, accelerate incident resolution, and enhance the end-user experience, and share practical tips and learnings with colleagues across the Global Desktop Support Team.

• Build trusted relationships with stakeholders across the London office, establishing the technology function as a credible, responsive, and high-quality presence within the business.

Work Experience

Essential

• Minimum 3 years’ desktop support experience within a financial services or hedge fund environment, with a strong track record supporting front office or trading floor users.

• Proven experience providing dedicated technology support directly to portfolio managers, traders, or equivalent senior front office stakeholders in a high-pressure trading environment.

• Demonstrable experience operating with a good degree of autonomy within a team — managing own priorities, making sound decisions, escalating appropriately, and delivering consistently.

• Experience working within a global or follow-the-sun support model, collaborating across time zones, handing over and picking up work, and sharing knowledge with peers.

• Experience supporting users in a time-critical, high-expectation environment, with the discretion and professionalism this requires.

Technical Skills

Essential

• Proven trade floor and white-glove front office support experience, ideally within a hedge fund or investment bank.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain technical issues clearly and concisely to senior, non-technical users.

• Expert-level support for Bloomberg terminals, Refinitiv/LSEG, and other front office market data and trading platforms.

• Advanced Microsoft Windows 11 endpoint support and enterprise build standards.

• Experience leveraging AI tooling and automation to enhance support efficiency, accelerate incident resolution, and improve the end-user experience.

• Strong ServiceNow incident and SLA management discipline with excellent ticket hygiene.

• Active Directory administration including GPO management and user lifecycle controls.

• Microsoft 365 administration across Outlook, Teams, OneDrive, and SharePoint.

• Solid networking fundamentals (WAN/LAN, DNS, DHCP, TCP/IP) with confident troubleshooting capability.

• Experience supporting OMS, EMS, and other trading-critical front office applications.

• Familiarity with endpoint health monitoring tools (e.g. ControlUp) and ITIL-based support frameworks.

• Understanding of endpoint build, software distribution, and client management architectures (SCCM/Intune).

Desirable

• Relevant professional certifications (e.g. ITIL Foundation, Microsoft).

Competencies

Essential

Operational Independence & Team Ownership

Takes ownership of their own workload and manages priorities independently within an established global framework, while working as an integral part of the London team. Applies existing standards, knows when to act and when to escalate to the Desktop Lead, and does not need to be chased. Does not wait to be told.

Cultural Fit & Respect for Established Ways of Working

Takes the time to genuinely understand Brevan Howard's culture, environment, and high expectations, and adapts to them rather than expecting them to adapt. Recognises that this is not a role to review or redesign how the firm works — it is a role to learn, respect, and deliver against established and proven ways of working with rigour and consistency.

Complete Accountability — No Exceptions

Takes unconditional, end-to-end ownership of every issue and every PM relationship within their remit. Does not pass the buck, leave things unresolved, or need to be chased. When something goes wrong, this person is already on it.

Confidence with Senior Front Office Stakeholders

Deals with senior front office users, including portfolio managers, with genuine confidence and professionalism. Comfortable working in close proximity to senior people in the firm without being overawed or under-prepared. Adapts naturally to the formality and discretion each situation demands.both office and residential settings, without being overawed or under-prepared. Adapts naturally to the formality and discretion each situation demands.

Exceptional Intelligence & Commercial Acuity

Razor sharp, with the ability to read a situation instantly and understand the commercial stakes behind every technology request. Knows that in a hedge fund, a PM’s productivity is directly tied to P&L — and acts accordingly. Brings real intellectual firepower to problem-solving and never appears out of their depth with senior users.

Credibility with Portfolio Managers & Pod Teams

Naturally earns the trust and respect of portfolio managers and their pod teams. Presents with confidence, communicates with clarity, and inspires confidence through consistent delivery. Becomes the person they come to first — not because they have to, but because they want to.

Composure & Authority Under Pressure

Remains fully composed and authoritative in the highest-pressure situations — market open, active trading, live incidents. Makes clear, risk-aware decisions that protect PM productivity and trading continuity. Does not freeze, panic, or lose focus.

Self-Sufficiency & Independent Judgment

Manages their own priorities, makes clear decisions under pressure, and holds themselves to a high standard without close oversight. Has the judgment to know when to involve the Desktop Lead or senior colleagues, and escalates early where the situation warrants it.

Front Office Discretion & Professionalism

Operates with absolute discretion in an environment where confidentiality around trading activity, portfolio positions, and personnel is non-negotiable. Understands the sensitivity of the environment and never compromises it.

Global & London Team Citizenship & Collaboration

Contributes actively to the London team and the broader Global Desktop Support Team. Collaborates openly and extensively with peers in London and other hubs, shares knowledge — including practical learnings on using AI tooling — and helps maintain the consistency and resilience of the firm’s global technology platform. Has no time for a silo mindset — proactively reaches out, shares context, and treats the team as the primary support network rather than working around it.