IT Systems Administrator & Service Desk Lead

Aravinthan George Kantharajah [George]

M: 040*-***-***

E: ************@*****.***

http://www.linkedin.com/in/agk1005

CAREER SUMMARY

Experienced IT Team Lead and Technical IT professional with over 20 years of experience across IT support, systems, infrastructure, EUC and service delivery. Proven experience leading technical teams, managing escalations, coaching and developing staff, coordinating vendors and stakeholders, and delivering major technology and infrastructure projects.

Experienced in leading teams of up to five IT professionals while remaining hands-on technically across Microsoft environments, endpoint management, networking and infrastructure. Strong track record of managing service delivery against SLAs and KPIs, improving operational processes and supporting complex technical environments.

A practical and hands-on technical leader who combines strong people leadership with extensive IT experience, enabling effective communication between technical teams, business stakeholders and vendors while maintaining a strong focus on service quality and successful project delivery. Key Strengths:

IT Team Leadership & Technical Leadership SLA & KPI Management Service Delivery & Operational Management ITIL & Service Management Technical Escalation Management Infrastructure & Technology Projects Stakeholder & Vendor Management Incident & Problem Management Team Performance & Continuous Improvement Microsoft & EUC Technologies Change & Transition Management

TECHNICAL SKILLS

Cloud & Identity: Azure Microsoft 365 Intune Entra ID ADFS Active Directory Exchange Server Manage Engine Mimecast

Networking: HPE Aruba VPN Cisco Wireshark SolarWinds Infrastructure: Windows Server 2012/2016 VMware/Hyper-V Security & Authentication: Patch Management Application Whitelisting Certificate Management Scripting/Automation: PowerShell Python

ITSM & Management Tools: ServiceNow SCCM Citrix Remote Desktop Services ServiceNow Fresh Service Managed Engine

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

NSW Electoral Commission

Run the Election for NSW government and Council Elections Senior Service Desk Officer June 2026 – Present

Provide in house support to staff members, project related items and led junior staff members

• Led the Windows 10 to Windows 11 refresh for 500+ users within one month while supervising two Service Desk Officers.

• Provide technical guidance and daily support to junior team members.

• Provide Level 2 technical support across Windows, Microsoft 365 and internal applications.

• Manage incidents and requests through ManageEngine.

• Administer Active Directory, Exchange Server and Azure.

• Coordinate technical activities with internal teams and vendors.

• Maintain procedures, technical documentation and user guides. Key Achievements:

• Led the decommissioning of BYOD mobile devices to NSW EC owned mobile phones

• Conducting the refresh from Windows 10 to Windows 11 for over 500 users within 1 month, and daily supervision of two service desk officers reporting to the role MEGT Australia

MEGT provides apprenticeships, traineeships and employment programs Senior Service Desk Officer June 2025 – June 2026

Leding a team of 3 Service Desk staff within MEGT.

• Managed team performance against SLAs and KPIs, providing regular coaching and mentoring to ensure high-quality service delivery

• Conducted regular daily standup meetings to find out what’s the plan for each team member

• Managed on-call roster and providing on-call support

• Acted as a major escalation point for complex technical issues, ensuring timely resolution as well as provided mentorship on those complex technical issues

• Utilized ITSM tools (Fresh Service) to manage incident and request queues, ensuring adherence to ITIL- based processes as well as assisting the team on the phones when required.

• Administer Active Directory, Exchange Server and Azure for user account management and maintenance.

• Built workstations with Intune and ensured proper configurations and policies applied.

• Manage workstations with Managed engine and Intune

• Provide technical support via phone, in-person, and email, resolving hardware/software issues.

• Provide support for Windows 11, Office 365 and internal applications.

• Manage quarantined emails with Mimecast

Key Achievements:

• Maintained a strict SLA of 90% and made sure that staff members KPI’s where meet Southern Cross Professional Tech June 2007 – Present Principal IT Consultant

Key Achievements & Activities:

• Founded and managed an independent IT consultancy, providing tailored support and project solutions to diverse small business clients.

• Analyse client business needs and technical requirements to design and implement effective, cost- conscious technology solutions.

• Manage full project lifecycles from initial client consultation and solution design to implementation, documentation, and training.

• Built and maintained strong stakeholder relationships, ensuring clear communication and high client satisfaction.

• Provide ongoing support and troubleshooting for hardware, software, and network infrastructure.

• Provide strategic IT guidance to clients, analysing business needs to design and implement cost-effective technology solutions

• Advise clients on cybersecurity best practices and risk management to improve their security posture Transdev

Transdev is a transportation company that currently provides mobility services around the world IT Technical and Support Team Lead July 2021 - Feb 2025 Led a team of five IT professionals, delivering frontline support to various businesses across NSW Key Responsibilities

• Managed team performance against SLAs and KPIs, providing regular coaching and mentoring to ensure high-quality service delivery

• Acted as a major escalation point for complex technical issues, ensuring timely resolution

• Conducted regular team meetings to share best practices and implement continuous improvement initiatives for the support function.

• Provided coaching on a regular basis to enhance team members' skills and career growth.

• Managed key vendor relationships and stakeholder engagement to ensure service delivery met business objectives and SLAs

• Managed recruitment process from end to end

• Communicated with Business owners about any upcoming changes/upgrades to the infrastructure and advise on potential risks.

• Led major projects within the organization like Transitioning Region 9 to Transdev Network, Transitioning of Transdev New South Wales to new operators and Relocating Sydney Head Office to name a few

• Managed on-call roster and providing on-call support

• Governed IT operations to ensure adherence to compliance standards, implementing patch management and security policies as part of a proactive risk management framework

• Utilized ITSM tools (ServiceNow) to manage incident and request queues, ensuring adherence to ITIL- based processes.

Key Achievements:

• Directed the strategic transition and integration of Region 9 depots (Waverley, Port Botany and Randwick) onto Transdev network ensuring business continuity and minimal service disruption.

• Led the IT separation and transition of Transdev New South Wales to new operators including decommissioning of the network ready to handover to new operator

• Parramatta Light Rail laptop migration involving 200 laptops

• Setup of new office and network setup for Parramatta Light Rail with over 250 users

• Assisting Datacentre migration from Melbourne to Sydney

• Relocating Sydney Head Office from Pyrmont to City involving IT for 100 hot desk users Senior IT Support Engineer (Level 2/3) Apr 2015 - July 2021 Provided in-house Level 2/3 support to various businesses within Transdev, primarily focusing on TDNSW (Bus Business).

Key Responsibilities

• Administered Active Directory and Exchange Server for user account management and maintenance.

• Conducted IT infrastructure site surveys for multiple locations to assess and improve setups.

• Built laptops and thin clients with WMS Server and ensured proper configurations.

• Maintained and updated asset registry in ServiceNow to track company assets.

• Provided technical support via phone, in-person, and email, resolving hardware/software issues.

• Managed and prioritized service requests through the ServiceNow ticketing system.

• Installed and resolved issues related to various programs, hardware, and VOIP IP phones.

• Ensured compliance with company policies during licensed software installs and upgrades.

• Provided support for Windows 7, MS Office Suite 2013, Office 365, and internal applications.

• Assisted with service desk calls and managed the change management mailbox as needed.

• Configured and troubleshot switches installed and configured RP7s and raised purchase orders and requests.

Key Achievements:

IT Infrastructure & Network Upgrades:

• Spearheaded the successful upgrade of IT infrastructure upgrades for Taren Point Depot, Newcastle Bid Office and Kingsgrove Depot, ensuring seamless implementation of workstations and networks.

• Led the migration of Transdev NSW/Sydney sites to Telstra BDSL, and successfully managed the upgrade to fibre connections, optimizing network performance across the organization. Team Leadership & Cross-Departmental Collaboration:

• Managed and coordinated the Good to Great Project, directing the rebuild of communication racks across all depots, the installation of RP7 devices, and the relocation of the OCC from Granville to Bankstown, enhancing operational efficiency.

• Spearheaded the expansion of VOIP telephony across TDNSW sites, streamlining communication processes and reducing costs by $20,000 annually.

• Managed the transition from on-premises telephony to Ring Central cloud, enhancing scalability, reliability, and cost-efficiency for the organization.

• Supervised the successful rollout of printers and the hardware refresh for all laptops and desktops within TDNSW, ensuring the entire fleet was upgraded in line with organizational needs. Systems & Communication Enhancements:

• Implemented Remote Desktop Services for kiosk upgrades and 250 user migrations from Citrix to RDS.

• Set up digital communication screens and datafuel server integration.

• Managed the setup and operationalization of infrastructure for Station Link, supporting the temporary depot for Epping to Chatswood rail replacement buses. Software & Technology Upgrades:

• Directed the upgrade of TDNSW from Windows 7 to Windows 10, enhancing security and functionality across the organization.

Datacom

A managed service provider to provide IT services to various clients that range from medium to large companies. Desktop Support Engineer for Datacom Oct 2014 - Mar 2015 Key Responsibilities

• Administered Active Directory and Exchange Server, managing user accounts and permissions.

• Built and configured desktops and laptops using SCCM 2012, including adding devices to application groups.

• Provided technical support via phone, email, and in-person, resolving hardware/software issues and supporting internal applications.

• Installed and troubleshooted various hardware, software, and VOIP IP phones, ensuring compliance with company policies.

• Supported Windows 7, 8.0, 8.1, MS Office 2013, and installed Windows 7 on MacBook Air devices.

• Created and maintained knowledge base articles to enhance troubleshooting and team efficiency. Key Achievements:

• Conducted the refresh for over 200 users within month, and daily supervision of two other engineers reporting to the role

PRIOR POSITIONS

Desktop Support Engineer Sanofi (Datacom)

Desktop Support Engineer Rank / Burns Philp (Datacom) Desktop Support Engineer ING Direct (Datacom)

IT Service Desk Analyst Fujitsu

IT Desktop Analyst Imperial Tobacco

IT Incident Management Analyst KAZ-Group NSW - Telstra IT Customer Service Representative (Telstra Internet Program) TeleTech International Pty Ltd EDUCATION

Bachelor of Technology (IT) University of Western Sydney, NSW Currently Studying Cyber Security and Advanced Networking TAFE, NSW Cert IV in Cyber Security TAFE, NSW

Completed course module for CCNA TAFE, NSW

Diploma in Information Technology (Network Engineering) TAFE, NSW PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• Autopilot • Antigravity by Google (Currently studying)

• Trans’ Lead – Frontline Manager Program • ITIL Foundations

• Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP) • Certified in OS X Support Essentials 10.9

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