Senior Faculty Specialist

Senior Systems Administrator

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the

A. James Clark School of Engineering is seeking a Senior Systems Administrator to support enterprise IT operations at the Laboratory for Physical Sciences (LPS). Since 1956, LPS, in partnership with the University of Maryland, has been advancing the physics and engineering behind information science and technology. LPS is a unique organization with a model of basic and applied research at the intersection of academic research and national security, supporting over 400 users across multiple sites.

The Senior Systems Administrator will serve as a senior member of a small, collaborative IT team responsible for maintaining core IT infrastructure, improving production system reliability and security, and providing hands-on support to researchers and staff across multiple sites. The ideal candidate is a versatile generalist with strong fundamentals in systems and network administration, a methodical approach to problem-solving, and a record of delivering dependable IT services in mission-critical environments.

The

A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland serves as a catalyst for high-quality research, innovation, and learning, preparing our students to develop innovations that address the 21st-century Grand Challenges (e.g., energy, environment, security, and human health) and improve the human condition. The Clark School is dedicated to leading and transforming the engineering discipline and profession, accelerating entrepreneurship, and transforming research and learning activities into innovations that benefit millions.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.
• Six (6) years of professional systems administration experience in a team-based IT organization, including hands-on management of Windows Server and/or Linux environments supporting a substantial user base.
• Additional work experience as defined above may be substituted on a year-for-year basis for up to four (4) years of the required education.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge of Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS, DHCP, and related directory and network services.
• Knowledge of enterprise virtualization platforms and hypervisor management.
• Skill in diagnosing and resolving complex systems and infrastructure issues across multiple platforms.
• Skill in oral and written communication, including the ability to document procedures and work effectively with both technical and non-technical users.
• Ability to plan, manage, and complete multiple concurrent tasks with minimal supervision.
• Ability to work collaboratively as part of a small team and to provide effective customer service in a research environment.

Preferences:

• Experience administering enterprise virtualization environments, including hypervisor deployment, VM lifecycle management, and migration between platforms.
• Proficiency with scripting and automation tools such as Power Shell, Bash, Python, or Ansible, including the use of version control tools such as Git.
• Experience with IT security hardening practices, including vulnerability scanning and remediation (e.g., Nessus, STIG compliance).
• Experience with enterprise backup solutions (e.g., Veeam).
• Experience with monitoring and log analysis platforms (e.g., Grafana, Elastic/Kibana).
• Experience with configuration management or automation frameworks (e.g., Ansible, Katello).
• Experience supporting IT operations in scientific, research, or federal environments.
• Familiarity with enterprise services such as Exchange Server, certificate services, and endpoint management tools (e.g., MECM), and endpoint protection platforms (e.g., Trellix, Defender).
• Demonstrated ability to author and maintain technical documentation and standard operating procedures.

Physical Demands:

Requires the ability to work in server rooms and wiring closets. May require lifting, carrying, or transporting IT equipment weighing up to 50 lbs. Requires prolonged periods of sitting and standing with extensive computer use. Responsibilities may occasionally require evening or weekend work to support maintenance windows, outages, or urgent operational needs.