Senior Systems Engineer

General Summary

The Senior Systems Engineer is a senior technical contributor responsible for designing, implementing, securing, automating, and supporting the University’s enterprise systems infrastructure.

The Senior Systems Engineer is a senior technical contributor responsible for designing, implementing, securing, automating, and supporting the University’s enterprise systems infrastructure.

The position works across on-premises and cloud environments, including Windows and Linux systems, virtualization, storage, backup and recovery, directory and authentication services, monitoring, and related enterprise platforms.

The Senior Systems Engineer leads complex technical work, resolves significant production issues, and helps establish engineering standards and sustainable operating practices.

The position works closely with Systems Engineering colleagues and partners across Information Security, Network Engineering, Enterprise Applications, Research Computing, Client Services, Academic Technology, and other University departments.

• Design, implement, maintain, monitor, and continuously improve secure, reliable, and scalable enterprise systems across on-premises and cloud environments, including performance, availability, capacity, security, and lifecycle management.
• Serve as a senior technical resource for complex systems, cloud, virtualization, operating systems, directory services, storage, backup, automation, infrastructure reliability, incident response, root-cause analysis, and service restoration.
• Lead or contribute to major infrastructure implementations, upgrades, migrations, integrations, and platform-modernization initiatives.
• Develop and maintain automation using scripting, configuration management, infrastructure as code, version control, and other repeatable engineering practices.
• Implement system hardening, patching, vulnerability remediation, privileged-access controls, logging, and other security requirements in partnership with Information Security.
• Support enterprise backup, restoration, disaster recovery, and continuity capabilities, including documentation and regular recovery testing.
• Maintain accurate technical documentation, diagrams, operating procedures, configuration standards, and recovery instructions.
• Serve as a technical lead on assigned projects by coordinating work across IT teams, vendors, and University stakeholders while mentoring colleagues, sharing knowledge, and establishing primary and secondary ownership of critical platforms.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend solutions based on security, reliability, supportability, institutional need, and total cost.
• Provide responsive and professional support to University customers and technical partners.
• Participate in an on-call rotation and perform occasional planned or emergency work outside normal business hours.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

• Bachelor’s degree in information technology, computer science, engineering, or a related field.
• At least six years of progressively responsible experience designing, implementing, or supporting enterprise infrastructure environments.
• Strong knowledge and practical experience in several of the following areas:
• Windows or Linux server systems
• Microsoft Azure or comparable cloud platforms
• Active Directory, Entra , authentication, or federation
• Virtualization technologies
• Enterprise storage, backup, and disaster recovery
• Infrastructure automation and scripting
• Systems monitoring and observability
• Infrastructure security and vulnerability remediation
• Experience leading or making substantial technical contributions to infrastructure implementations, upgrades, migrations, or complex incident response.
• Ability to develop and maintain automation using Power Shell, Python, Terraform, Ansible, or comparable technologies.
• Strong troubleshooting, analytical, documentation, communication, and customer-service skills.
• Ability to manage competing priorities, exercise independent judgment, and work effectively both independently and as part of a collaborative team.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds, experiences, identities, disciplines, and organizational levels.

• Experience supporting technology in higher education, research, government, healthcare, or another complex institutional environment.
• Experience with Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, Active Directory, Entra , VMware or comparable virtualization platforms, enterprise backup technologies, and Linux systems.
• Experience with infrastructure as code, configuration management, Git-based workflows, automated deployment, or platform-engineering practices.
• Experience supporting research environments, regulated data, cloud-based research services, or data-intensive computing.
• Experience with disaster recovery, service management, site-reliability practices, or technical project leadership.
• Relevant…