Systems Engineer II

Job Overview

The Systems Engineer II is an established contributor who operates with meaningful independence across their domain. This role doesn't wait to be assigned every task — it identifies what needs doing, owns it through completion, and actively improves the team's processes and tooling. Success at this level is about reliable execution, sound judgment, and beginning to multiply the team's capability, not just add to it.

This is a salary exempt position.

• Design Thinking

  Contributes meaningfully to solution design discussions, bringing concrete options and trade‑off analysis rather than just participation. Applies established patterns where appropriate and identifies when a situation requires a different approach. Produces design and architecture documentation that others can build from — complete, accurate, and maintained as systems evolve. Considers downstream impacts before making changes, evaluating how dependencies may be affected.

• Problem Solving & Critical Analysis

  Diagnoses issues across multiple system layers — network, compute, identity, application, security — without defaulting to a single area. Resolves the majority of issues within scope independently, pulling in the right people when the problem is larger than one person. Performs root cause analysis after significant incidents and produces findings the team can act on. Builds a personal knowledge base from solved problems and shares that knowledge so the team gets smarter, not just the individual.

• Automation & Continuous Improvement

  Writes and maintains scripts and runbooks that others on the team can reliably execute. Automates defined, repeatable workflows in ways that are auditable and version‑controlled. Identifies process gaps and proposes improvements — not just flags them for someone else to own. Tracks and communicates the outcomes of improvements: time saved, error rates reduced, reliability gained.

• Infrastructure & Systems Ownership

  Manages the design, deployment, operation, and maintenance of assigned systems with minimal day‑to‑day direction. Keeps systems healthy through proactive monitoring, capacity awareness, and timely patching. Handles backup, recovery, and availability requirements for managed systems without needing to be reminded. Maintains accurate, current documentation for every system under ownership — not as an afterthought, but as part of the work.

• Development & Delivery Lifecycle

  Plans and executes changes with appropriate scope, risk assessment, and rollback preparation. Contributes at multiple stages of project delivery: requirements, design, testing, deployment, and handoff. Communicates proactively when timelines shift or blockers emerge, managing expectations before they become problems. Works within the team's operating framework (Agile, ITIL, or equivalent) as a disciplined practitioner.

• Security & Compliance Mindset

  Incorporates security considerations — least privilege, segmentation, encryption — into routine work without being prompted. Participates actively in vulnerability management and access reviews, following through on assigned remediations. Recognizes and escalates security events appropriately, knowing the difference between noise and a signal. Understands the compliance requirements applicable to managed systems and ensures they are met.

• Collaboration & Communication

  Communicates technical context clearly to both technical peers and non‑technical stakeholders, adjusting the explanation without altering the facts. Builds effective working relationships across IT teams and with business partners, treating handoffs as partnerships. Gives feedback constructively and receives it the same way, contributing to a team culture of shared accountability. Acts in accordance with Simmons' core values:
  Put People First, Act With Integrity, Take Responsibility, Be Curious, and Take Action.

• Team Participation

  Participates in the ongoing development, communication, and implementation of team concepts, programs, and policies; coordinates work to ensure best practices with all team members. Attends appropriate team meetings. Fosters strong cohesiveness regarding all…