Systems Administrator/Integrator
Location:
Amherst, MA
Open Date:
Dec 22, 2017
Description:
Amherst College invites applications for the Systems Administrator/Integrator position. Amherst College has profoundly transformed its student body in terms of socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and nationality, among other areas. Today, nearly one-quarter of Amherst’s students are Pell Grant recipients; 45 percent of our students identify as domestic students of color. Our expectation is that the successful candidate will excel at working in a community that is broadly diverse with regard to race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, and religion.
The Systems Administrator/Integrator is a full-time, year round position, job group and level PT-4. Reporting to the Director of IT Infrastructure, the Systems Administrator/Integrator (SysAdmin) supports various critical enterprise systems vital to the operation of the College including Windows and Linux servers, file and print servers, along with specialized applications for departments. The SysAdmin also uses creative solution engineering and problem solving to implement data-exchange and system integration solutions between College systems with an emphasis on automation. Other duties of the SysAdmin include designing, developing, recommending, installing, debugging and supporting enterprise-wide computing/network systems and related infrastructure. The SysAdmin works independently as well as collaboratively with other IT and college departments. The SysAdmin takes appropriate actions to support a diverse workforce and participates in the College’s efforts to create a respectful, inclusive and welcoming environment.
Key Responsibilities
System Administration
Access Control
- Administer security for enterprise systems in collaboration with department security managers in accordance with federal and state regulations and College policy
- Manage and document bi-annual security review
Audit and Accountability
- Perform log analysis on servers, systems and network logs
Security Assessments
- Conduct security assessments on servers and storage devices, documenting results and preparing reports for senior leadership
- Conduct forensic examinations on a variety of supported systems.
Configuration Management
- Manage Active Directory group, user and computer objects, as well as the AD Schema
Contingency Planning
- Collaborate with IT personnel to prepare and maintain incident response, disaster recovery and business continuity plans and procedures
Maintenance
- Maintain enterprise servers and perform hardware and software maintenance operations including installation, configuration and support of server hardware, software and data backup and disaster recovery
- Proactively monitor and tune server performance
- Perform Windows and Linux server administration and maintenance
- Design, troubleshoot and maintain enterprise virtualization platforms
- Implement and maintain cloud-based systems
- Implementation and maintenance of enterprise SAN hardware and software systems
Media Protection
- Manage enterprise backup systems and strategies
Systems and Services Acquisition
- Evaluate on-premise and cloud-based systems for applicability in the College enterprise
Information Systems Documentation
- Maintain technical documentation on supported systems
Life Cycle Support
- Ensure that changes or modifications to systems are fully documented and thoroughly tested as needed and approved through change management procedures before going into production.
Integration
Security Assessments
- Ensure all integration efforts are conducted with security best practices
Configuration Management
- Ensure version control and change management techniques are applied to integration scripts and software
Contingency Planning
- Maintain all integration scripts and software in a location accessible in the event of an incident response or disaster recovery scenario
Maintenance
- Review and validate the applicability and security of all integration scripts and software on a periodic basis
Media Protection
- Ensure all integration scripts and software are appropriately backed up and archived
Systems and Services Acquisition
- Automate common tasks via scripting or programming
- Extract and manipulate data from enterprise databases
- Debug complex processes and perform analytical problem solving
- Design, develop, implement and maintain mobile device integrations
- Development of automated server installations
- Use Active Directory, LDAP or other directory services for integrations
- Collaborate with IT staff to define data requirements for integration efforts
Information Systems Documentation
- Create and maintain documentation for all integration projects
Network Administration
Access Control
- Administer security for network devices
Audit and Accountability
- Perform log analysis on network equipment logs
Security Assessments
- Use network packet-sniffing software for network troubleshooting
- Conduct security assessments on internal and external networks, documenting results and preparing reports for senior leadership
Configuration Management
- Manage network switching and routing configurations
Maintenance
- Maintain enterprise switching and routing equipment
- Maintain operating systems and current patch levels on all network equipment
Systems and Services Acquisition
- Design, configure, implement and maintain enterprise wired and wireless networks
- Evaluate next generation networks for applicability in the enterprise
Information Systems Documentation
- Maintain technical documentation on supported systems
Life Cycle Support
- Ensure that changes or modifications to systems are fully documented and thoroughly tested as needed and approved through change management procedures before going into production
- Project equipment replacement as needed
Application Support
Audit and Accountability
- Perform log analysis on application logs
Security Assessments
- Evaluate and configure security permissions within supported applications
Configuration Management
- Manage application configurations
Maintenance
- Implement and maintain Citrix Application and Virtual Desktop environments
- Maintain card access systems
- Provide application and operating system expertise and work closely with users and IT staff to ensure maximum system uptimes
Systems and Services Acquisition
- Provide expertise when consulting with clients on software purchases.
Information Systems Documentation
- Maintain technical documentation on supported systems
Project Management
- Provide project management for IT-related projects
Qualifications:
Required
- Bachelor’s Degree in a computer related field. In lieu of a degree, 5 years of experience supporting enterprise information technology systems
- Strong customer service philosophy and the ability to focus on providing a seamless and secure user experience
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
- 5 years of experience in highly available, mission critical enterprise system administration
- 5 years of experience in integrating disparate systems and applications at both the data and networking layers in a complex environment
- Extensive knowledge of TCP/IP protocols
- Knowledge of firewall, access control and intrusion detection/prevention technologies
- Ability to communicate technical information to users with varied technical backgrounds
- Able to take initiative, work independently and work as a member of a team, while keeping managers, team members and stakeholders informed of progress
- Ability to learn new technologies, follow best practices and implement solutions
- Ability to prioritize tasks and use time management techniques to maximize productivity
Preferred
- Advanced degree in computer science or other information technology related discipline
- Project management experience
- Knowledge of Linux and Windows server and application administration, management and scripting in an enterprise environment
- Experience with web technologies (LAMP,IIS,HTML and PHP)
- Knowledge of relational database design, administration and programming
- Knowledge of SAN and iSCSI network storage technologies
- Knowledge of data import/export formats for systems integration and web service APIs
- Knowledge of CBORD card access systems
Application Instructions:
Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, resume, and the names and contact information (email and/or telephone numbers) for three professional references. Applications will be reviewed until position is filled.
ABOUT AMHERST COLLEGE
Amherst College, one of the premier liberal arts colleges in the nation, is located in Amherst, Massachusetts, a town of approximately 35,000 residents in the western part of the state. The college’s community is composed of about 1,800 students from 48 states, plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and 54 countries around the world, and about 1,000 staff and faculty. The college’s scenic 1,000-acre campus includes a 500-acre wildlife sanctuary and the Book & Plow Farm; three museums: Emily Dickinson Museum, Beneski Museum of Natural History and Mead Art Museum; and multiple educational and cultural venues and resources through the Five College Consortium. The town of Amherst offers an amazing variety of coffee shops, restaurants and entertainment, and a very active outdoor life. Our vibrant campus, diverse community and beautiful surrounding, makes Amherst College and the Town of Amherst the perfect place to work, learn and live!
Statement of Non-Discrimination
Amherst College does not discriminate in admission, employment, or administration of its programs and activities on the basis of race, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, sex or gender (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender expression, and gender identity), age, disability, genetic information, military service, or any other characteristic or class protected under applicable federal, state, or local law. Amherst College complies with all state and federal laws that prohibit discrimination, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, Title IX, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Equal Pay Act and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. Inquiries should be addressed to the Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Amherst College, P.O. Box 5000, Amherst, MA 01002-5000.