Solaris​/Linux Systems Administrator

Education - It's in Our DNA

At Barnes & Noble Education ("BNED") we are dedicated to making tomorrow a better, more inclusive, and smarter world by servicing all who work in education. As a leading solutions provider for the education industry, we are committed to driving affordability, accessibility, and achievement at hundreds of academic institutions nationwide by ensuring millions of students are equipped for success in the classroom and beyond.

Together, our teams work to elevate lives through education.

To support our technology infrastructure and business operations, we are seeking a Solaris / Linux Systems Administrator to join our IT team. In this role, you will be responsible for ensuring the reliability, performance, security, and availability of our Solaris and Linux environments across both on-premises and remote infrastructure. You will administer enterprise server platforms, manage system provisioning, configuration, patching, and ongoing lifecycle maintenance, and leverage automation and industry best practices to improve operational efficiency, system stability, and security.

Working closely with cross‑functional IT teams, you will troubleshoot complex technical issues, support critical business applications, and contribute to the continuous enhancement of our infrastructure to ensure a reliable, secure, and high‑performing technology environment that supports the organization’s business objectives.

• Administer, configure, maintain, and optimize Solaris and Linux server environments to ensure high availability, performance, and reliability.
• Provision, deploy, and decommission physical and virtual systems in accordance with established standards and operational requirements.
• Monitor system health, capacity, performance, and availability, proactively identifying and resolving issues before they impact business operations.
• Perform operating system upgrades, patch management, backup and recovery activities, and routine preventive maintenance.
• Implement, maintain, and support system security controls, vulnerability remediation, and compliance with corporate security standards and regulatory requirements.
• Develop, maintain, and enhance shell scripts and automation solutions to improve operational efficiency and reduce manual administration.
• Troubleshoot complex infrastructure, operating system, and application issues, providing Tier 2 escalation support to the Service Desk and other technical teams.
• Create and maintain technical documentation, operational procedures, system configurations, and support knowledge articles.
• Participate in system implementation projects, infrastructure upgrades, disaster recovery planning, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Adhere to established change management, incident management, and operational support processes.
• Participate in a 24x7 on‑call support rotation to ensure the availability of critical production systems.
• Additional responsibilities as required.

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or equivalent work experience.
• Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA) and/or Solaris Certification or Solaris certification highly preferred.
• Experience administering Solaris and/or Linux server environments.
• Working knowledge of Solaris, Linux, and Solaris Zones.
• Experience with system configuration, patch management, backup and recovery, performance tuning, and shell scripting.
• Familiarity with Solaris and Linux security practices, including PCI/SOX compliance, system hardening, intrusion detection/prevention, filtering, and auditing.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and problem‑solving skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to work effectively across technical teams and business partners.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.

Please Note:
This is an onsite role located in Columbia, Missouri. Applicants must be within a commutable distance, as relocation assistance will not be provided.

We believe your success is our success, so our benefits package is designed…