3rd Line Support, Midlands Case Study

3rd Line Support Engineer for a Midlands‑Based MSP

£40K - £50K

The Client

A fast‑growing Managed Service Provider (MSP) based in the Midlands, delivering outsourced IT support, cloud solutions, and cybersecurity services to SME clients across manufacturing, professional services, and logistics.

With expansion driven by new contract wins and increasing technical complexity, the business needed to strengthen its senior engineering capability.

The Challenge

The MSP needed to hire a 3rd Line Support Engineer with a very specific blend of skills:

Deep experience across Microsoft Server, Azure, networking, and virtualisation
Ability to handle complex escalations from the service desk
Strong customer‑facing skills to support key clients
Experience working within a fast‑paced MSP environment
Capability to lead on infrastructure changes and project delivery

The local talent market was extremely competitive. MSPs in the region were already fighting for the same small pool of senior engineers, and the client had been unable to attract suitable candidates through traditional job boards and internal referrals.

Our Approach

Using the same strategic approach we apply to all specialist technical hires

1. Refined the Brief

We worked closely with the Technical Director to dissect the real requirements of the role, clarifying:

Mandatory vs. desirable technologies
Required level of customer engagement
Project workload vs. BAU support
Cultural fit for a small, close‑knit engineering team

This ensured we targeted candidates who would make an immediate impact—not just on paper, but in their working style.

2. Built a Targeted Search Strategy

Our search focused on candidates with:

Proven 3rd Line experience within an MSP
Strong history of solving complex escalations
Hands‑on experience with Azure, Hyper‑V/VMware, AD, M365, Firewalls, and switches
Evidence of leading projects or mentoring junior engineers

We engaged passive candidates through personalised outreach, highlighting the client's culture, development opportunities, and upcoming technical transformation projects.

3. Streamlined Shortlisting

Each shortlisted candidate received:

A detailed technical assessment
A competency‑based interview
A cultural alignment review

This meant the client only met candidates who were fully qualified and motivated.

The Result

Within 14 days, we delivered a shortlist of three high‑calibre senior engineers, each fully aligned with the technical and cultural requirements.

The client hired an exceptional 3rd Line Support Engineer who:

Took ownership of complex escalations from day one
Successfully led their first infrastructure upgrade project within the first month
Helped reduce ticket backlogs by mentoring the 1st and 2nd line teams
Improved service performance across several key client accounts

Impact

The hire had a measurable impact on the MSP’s operations:

30% reduction in repeat escalations
Improved SLA compliance and customer satisfaction
Stronger technical leadership within the engineering team
Increased capacity to take on new client projects

Client Feedback

"This was a role we’d struggled to fill for months. The quality of the shortlist and the speed of delivery made a huge difference. The engineer we hired has become a central part of our team."
— Technical Director, Midlands MSP