Systems Engineer

JOB SUMMARY 

The Systems Engineer serves as a technical lead for projects associated with Linux-based & cyber-infrastructure solutions, including working with internal and external stakeholders, recommending best-fit solutions, and monitoring of emerging technologies. 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS 

• Leverages management and monitoring systems and diagnostic tools commonly used with service provider networks.
• Participates in on-call rotation supporting LEARN (Lonestar Education and Research Network) state-wide network. Isolate and diagnose root causes of hardware and software issues and develop a plan of action for timely resolution. Document Maintenance Operation Protocol (MOP) for planned changes during maintenance windows and Root Cause Analysis (RCA) on outages. 
• Performs complex administrative tasks building and supporting Linux-based systems, VMware vSphere, Office365 and various applications/databases. Tasks include scripting, automation, patching, user administration, security administration and performance monitoring.
• Interacts with members during projects & workshops, support calls and participate in TAG (Technical Advisory Group) meetings. Work with members and potential customers to understand current and future requirements and develop scalable and cost-efficient solutions based on their needs.
• Design, configure, and maintain security systems infrastructure, including firewalls management, intrusion detection systems, authentication, and encryption solutions.
• Conduct regular security assessments, vulnerability scans, and penetration tests to identify potential threats or areas of improvement.

 OTHER DUTIES  

• Completes necessary paperwork for the administrative/finance team in a timely manner and when requested (i.e., Timesheets, leave reports, Travel reimbursements, purchasing card receipts, and packing slips.) 
• Practices network asset management, including maintenance of network devices inventory (NetBox) and related documentation and technical specifications information.

This job description is not designated to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job.  Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE 

• Bachelor’s Degree +3 years' experience or 7 years of equivalent combination of education and experience.
• A minimum of 3 years direct work experience with Linux or UNIX systems and experience with monitoring and deployment tools for technology resources.
• Experience working in higher education, preferred. 
• Advanced understanding of Linux operating system internals.
• Experience with security analysis, virtualization, computer networking.
• Experience with system automation software, particularly Ansible and Terraform.
• Experience with monitoring and metric systems.
• Experience with architecture, provisioning, and maintenance of Linux based Databases, application servers, and Web servers.
• Advanced troubleshooting methodology and awareness of current industry standards.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES 

• Ability to build collaborative working relationships with various internal and external stakeholders.
• Knowledge of DevOps practices and tools including Infrastructure-as-code/IaC, configuration management, using git repos and a git workflow to collaborate on a shared infrastructure code-base.
• Understanding of WAN (Wide Area Network) technologies.
• Understanding of highly available cloud service deployments. 
• Understanding of software containerization.
• Understanding of OS vulnerabilities and patching, third party application vulnerabilities and patching.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office skills including Excel, Access, Word, PowerPoint, Teams, and Visio.
• Can conform to shifting priorities, demands and timelines through analytical and problem-solving capabilities. 
• Excellent organizational skills with demonstrated ability to execute projects on time and on budget.
• Strong technical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and customer relationship skills.
• Proven ability to resolve conflicts and issues.
• Staff client/endpoints administration, management, and security configuration and management.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, growth-focused environment.
• Consistently willing to admit when wrong or make a mistake. Does not get defensive when others hold accountable.
• Proactively asks for feedback from others, evaluates the feedback, and is willing to make changes based on the feedback. When appropriate or requested, respectfully, professionally, and proactively give feedback to others.
• Knows when to be flexible and when to be firm with the ability to pivot if necessary. Coach others that may struggle with adaptability.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS & WORK ENVIRONMENT 

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

• Position Location: Strong preference is for this position to be based in the Dallas Metro area and operate from a home office in a virtual office environment.  Work outside of an established schedule and working hours, including weekends and holidays, may be required.
• Travel Requirements: Frequent travel (up to 25% per year) is expected for this role. Travel includes visiting existing and future member venues and LEARN sites throughout Texas as well as travel to Regional & National meetings and conferences in North America.  Some overnight travel (up to 5% per year) is expected.
• Position requires access to a reliable vehicle, a valid driver’s license and ability to travel by car or by air.
• This role requires on-call availability for resolving system emergencies, both during regular and off-hours. 
• This role requires prolonged sitting and working on a computer in a home office setting.   
• Regularly required to stand, walk, sit, use hands; and reach with hands and arms. 
• Must occasionally lift and/or move moderately heavy objects such as servers, switches, computers, and peripherals.  
• Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.  
• Dexterity of hands and fingers to operate a computer keyboard, mouse, power tools and other computer components. 
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.