Systems Engineer

Department: IT Cyber Platform Services

Salary/Grade: ITS/79

Target hiring range for this position will be between $80, per year. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

Northwestern University’s IT Cyberinfrastructure Platform Services team is seeking a Systems Engineer to support the design, implementation, and maintenance of multi-tier enterprise application environments. This role provides hands‑on experience across the technology stack, working closely with senior engineers and stakeholders to deliver reliable and scalable solutions. The ideal candidate has foundational experience with Linux and Windows systems, an understanding of multi‑tier architectures, and a strong desire to grow technical expertise.

• Support the operation, maintenance, and enhancement of multi‑tier information technology application environments, including software installation and configuration, server operating systems, networking, and storage.
• Provide day‑to‑day support for application infrastructure, including troubleshooting issues, monitoring performance, and implementing solutions to maintain system reliability and availability.
• Partner with application owners and development teams to support system setup, configuration changes, and upgrades.
• Apply operational standards, procedures, and best practices to ensure consistent service delivery and system performance.
• Contribute to automation, documentation, and continuous improvement efforts, while building deeper expertise across supported technologies.
• Participate in project implementations and upgrades, taking ownership of defined tasks and deliverables.
• Engage in scheduled on‑call rotations and respond to service‑management tickets, resolving most issues independently and escalating more complex problems as needed.

• Team‑oriented mindset with the ability to collaborate effectively within a technical environment.
• Foundational knowledge of operating systems (Linux and/or Microsoft Windows).
• Basic experience supporting and maintaining enterprise applications or IT systems.
• Working knowledge of scripting (e.g., Power Shell, Bash, or Python) and a willingness to develop automation skills.
• Strong problem‑solving abilities with attention to detail.
• Foundational technical troubleshooting skills with the ability to escalate complex issues appropriately.
• Customer service focus with a commitment to supporting end users and stakeholders.
• Effective written communication skills, including documentation and ticket updates.
• Effective verbal communication skills with both technical and non‑technical audiences.

• 3–5 years of system administration or related IT experience required.
• Exposure to cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure) or virtualization technologies is preferred.

• Experience supporting multi‑tier application environments (web, application, database).
• Familiarity with automation and configuration management tools (e.g., Ansible, Terraform, Puppet, or Chef).
• Exposure to cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform.
• Basic understanding of networking concepts (DNS, load balancing, firewalls).
• Experience with monitoring and logging tools (e.g., Splunk, Datadog, Nagios, or similar).
• Knowledge of version control systems (e.g., Git) and change management processes.
• Exposure to containerization technologies (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes).
• Experience working in IT service management frameworks (e.g., ITIL).
• Demonstrated ability to learn new technologies quickly and adapt in a fast‑paced environment.
• Relevant certifications (e.g., CompTIA Linux+, Microsoft, AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner) are a plus.
• Successful completion of a full four‑year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor’s or higher degree; or an appropriate combination of education and experience.

Northwestern provides a competitive benefits package, including health, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance; paid vacation and holidays; paid medical/sick and parental leave;…