System Administrator III

Job Summary

Photronics is seeking a seasoned Windows Systems Administrator to take hands‑on ownership of the Windows platform at the Allen, TX site while supporting Photronics’ global Windows infrastructure. This role serves as a senior technical authority and escalation point for Windows services, with responsibility for providing coverage and support across multiple global locations as needed.

The position is responsible for driving a secure, stable, and scalable Windows environment through strong operational discipline, automation, documentation, and cross‑team collaboration. Responsibilities include maintaining and enhancing system performance, leading standardization efforts, and supporting both local and global IT operations while ensuring consistency across the Windows ecosystem.

This role focuses on Microsoft Azure infrastructure and identity services (including Entra ) and does not serve as an Office 365 application administration role.

Texas Office – Allen, TX. This is an on‑site position and we are not open to remote candidates at this time.

Limited travel as needed.

Windows Platform & Core Services

• Own and administer Windows Server (2012–2022+), including lifecycle management, hardening, and upgrades
• Manage Active Directory Domain Services (forests, trusts, FSMO roles, Sites & Services)
• Design and troubleshoot Group Policy (security baselines, delegation, issue resolution)
• Support enterprise DNS, DHCP, and AD Certificate Services (PKI), including lifecycle, automation, and recovery

Microsoft Azure & Hybrid Identity Platform

• Own and support Microsoft Azure services as they relate to infrastructure, identity, and security (excluding Office 365 workloads)
• Administer and maintain Microsoft Entra  (Azure AD), including hybrid identity design, synchronization, authentication flows, and conditional access integration
• Manage Azure IaaS and PaaS components relevant to enterprise infrastructure (e.g., Azure virtual machines, networking, storage, backup, recovery, and monitoring)
• Design and support hybrid identity and access models across on‑premises Active Directory and Azure
• Implement and maintain secure identity practices including MFA, privileged access, role based access control (RBAC), and identity lifecycle management
• Partner with Security and Architecture teams to ensure Azure configurations align with enterprise security, compliance, and governance standards
• Support Azure logging, monitoring, and operational visibility using native Microsoft tooling
• Contribute to Azure platform standardization, documentation, and operational runbooks across global sites

Data Center Operations & Resiliency

• Support storage integrations (SAN/NAS, iSCSI, multipathing) and Windows storage features
• Operate and validate backup and recovery solutions (e.g., Veeam), ensuring RPO/RTO alignment
• Implement high availability solutions (Failover Clustering, load balancing coordination)
• Support disaster recovery planning, testing, and failover execution

Global Support & Technical Leadership

• Serve as senior escalation point for complex incidents and platform issues
• Lead root cause analysis (RCA) and corrective action planning
• Ensure alignment between enterprise standards and global site execution
• Collaborate with Network, Virtualization, Linux, Security, and Application teams
• Mentor junior administrators and promote operational consistency

Automation & Operational Excellence

• Develop automation using advanced Power Shell and configuration management tools (e.g., DSC)
• Leverage monitoring and patching tools (SCOM, Nagios, CheckMK, WSUS, SCCM) to improve stability
• Create and maintain runbooks, procedures, and operational documentation

Security, Compliance & Risk

• Implement Windows security hardening aligned to CIS/STIG standards
• Enforce credential and authentication best practices (Kerberos, NTLM reduction, LSA protections)
• Support audits (SOX, ISO, CMMC) and drive remediation efforts

Change, Incident & Problem Management

• Strong documentation and communication skills (technical and executive‑level)
• Lead incident response and support global issue resolution
• Review changes for risk, readiness, and maintenance window alignment
• Identi…