Linux System Engineer

Our Fortune 500 telecom client is seeking a Systems Engineer III to join its Enterprise Applications and Systems Engineering team supporting a large enterprise lab environment. The team manages 14 third-party enterprise applications used across the lab, including IPAM/DNS, monitoring, traffic-generation, and other infrastructure platforms. IPAM and DNS alone support more than 60 teams and 800+ users.

This is a hands-on generalist role for an engineer with strong Linux systems administration, practical DNS experience, and automation/scripting skills. The role is approximately a 50/50 split between project work and application/support responsibilities, with a strong emphasis on ownership, urgency, and proactive communication.

• Small, collaborative team of 6 today: 5 full-time employees and 1 contractor; this hire will be the 7th team member and 2nd contractor.
• Supports enterprise applications and services used broadly across the lab by engineering teams of varying sizes.
• Cross-functional work with systems, network engineering, application teams, vendors, and other lab partners.
• Large-scale environment where reliability, documentation, security, and access-control practices matter.

What You’ll Do

• Administer and maintain Linux environments and services that support enterprise applications.
• Support DNS and IPAM-related services, including troubleshooting issues and helping maintain reliable operations.
• Write and improve automation scripts for operational and bulk tasks;
  Python is preferred, though other scripting languages are welcome.
• Troubleshoot user access issues, failed automation, application problems, and infrastructure-related incidents.
• Work with third-party vendors to enable features, resolve issues, and support application lifecycle needs.
• Own assigned projects and deadlines, proactively follow up on dependencies, and communicate status without waiting for direction.
• Document procedures, runbooks, configurations, and operational processes.
• Follow security and access-control practices, including RBAC, while collaborating across teams.

Required Qualifications

• 3+ years of hands-on systems administration / systems engineering experience, with strong Linux administration skills.
• Working, hands-on knowledge of DNS and experience troubleshooting DNS-related issues.
• Automation/scripting experience;
  Python is preferred, but Bash, Power Shell, or other relevant scripting languages may be considered.
• Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills across systems and applications.
• Demonstrated ability to manage deadlines, take ownership of work, and communicate proactively.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively across teams.

Preferred Experience

• Experience leading projects or owning technical deliverables with tight deadlines.
• Experience supporting third-party enterprise applications and working directly with vendors.
• Experience in a large corporate, lab, data-center, or enterprise infrastructure environment.
• Exposure to tools or platforms such as Infoblox, Net Box, PowerDNS, Zabbix, Grafana, Jira, Git, or CI/CD concepts.
• API-based automation or integration experience.

What Success Looks Like

The team is looking for a self-starter who actively drives work forward. The right person asks for the information they need, follows up on dependencies, communicates risks early, and takes ownership of getting projects completed on time. Technical fundamentals matter, but urgency, accountability, initiative, and clear communication are equally important.

Interview Process

• Round 1: 15-minute video interview with the hiring manager — team overview, candidate background, and Q&A.
• Round 2: 1-hour onsite technical conversation with two engineers.
• Technical discussion will focus…