Internals

Senior Unix Systems Administrator

  • Hourly Rate: 19.25
  • Summer Commitment: Preferred

Position Overview

The Senior Unix Systems Administrator (SysAdmin), under the supervision of the Lead Unix SysAdmin of Student Affairs - Information Technologies (SAIT), works independently to develop and maintain all of SAIT's Unix-based operational systems. The Senior Unix SysAdmin is responsible for maintaining the integrity and security of SAIT's over 100 UNIX servers and systems, which support the ResComp Internet connection program serving over 8,000 student residents, and several business systems supporting SAIT's staff. The Senior Unix SysAdmin is expected to conduct system analysis and development, with limited support and direction from career staff, to keep our systems current with changing technologies. The Senior Unix SysAdmin oversees the maintenance of SAIT Linux workstations and educates all SAIT student and career staff in the use of the Unix platform, both as a server and a client operating system.

The Senior Unix SysAdmin is required to assume a weekly rotating on-call role as a Senior Unix Duty Officer. The Senior Unix Duty Officer is responsible for monitoring and emergency responses for sensitive systems and provides support to the Unix Duty Officer, including emergency coverage.

The Senior Unix SysAdmin should possess a strong background in any Unix OS, preferably with FreeBSD and RedHat/CentOS Linux server administration. As new technologies emerge and impact our systems, the Senior Unix SysAdmin is expected to learn these technologies very quickly and resolve any problems involved in integrating new technologies with our systems.

The Senior Unix SysAdmin is a key technical resource for other SAIT staff, especially junior Unix SysAdmins, providing advice, training, and technical support for various projects. In addition, the Senior Unix SysAdmin works closely with career technical staff in the Information Technologies management team in evaluating current systems and making decisions on future development. The Senior Unix SysAdmin has a large role in determining the direction of technical developments within the Network and Infrastructure Services group and overseeing implementation by its operational staff.

Qualifications

Required: Previous leadership experience; effective communication skills and the ability to interact professionally with a diverse group of clients and staff; demonstrated success with administrative and organizational skills; ability to manage and supervise and projects; ability to work productively in teams; experience prioritizing tasks and delegating responsibility; extensive experience working with Linux; previous programming or scripting experience; ability and motivation to learn new technologies quickly and with minimal support and guidance; good problem solver; minimum GPA of 2.0.

Preferred: Proficiency with BSD (e.g. FreeBSD NetBSD, OpenBSD), RedHat Linux (e.g. RHEL, CentOS), Windows, and Mac OS X operating systems; experience with virtual machines, esp. VMWare; understanding of the administration of SQL database servers such as PostgreSQL, and secure web servers such as Apache with mod_ssl; knowledge of Python, Perl, Java, CGI scripting, and Tomcat; working knowledge of Bourne shell scripting; knowledge of standard backup infrastructures, UNIX system and program installation, compilation and configuration; system-level security procedures; talent at diagnosing and remedying serious server related problems and failures promptly and effectively; familiarity with cryptography tools (e.g. secure shell, OpenSSL, IPSec, GPG); experience maintaining servers for standard internet services such as DNS, NFS, DHCP, printing (e.g. LPR, CUPS), and mail (e.g. Postfix, Sendmail); previous experience teaching or training others; preferred GPA of 2.3 or greater.

Terms of Employment

  1. The period of employment for this position commences upon hire and continues through the end of the 2012-2013 academic year.
  2. The Senior Unix SysAdmin is paid $19.25 per hour. The position's classification title is Assistant IV. The Senior Unix SysAdmin must be a currently enrolled university student with a minimum GPA of 2.0 (2.3 or higher preferred). Students with less than a 2.3 may be asked to limit their work hours.
  3. Spring training entails 4 hours per week with the possibility of more in consultation with the Lead Unix SysAdmins, and includes required orientation on Friday, April 6, 2012.
  4. The Senior Unix SysAdmin is required to work a minimum of 30 hours per week during regular business hours on at least 4 business days during the summer of 2012 and is strongly preferred to work a full 40-hour week.
  5. Active participation in Senior Staff training (the week of August 6, 2012) and Residential Computing Consultant (RCC) training (the week of August 13, 2012) is required. The Senior Unix SysAdmin must be available for all day training on the day before residence hall move-in, namely August 17 2012.
  6. The Senior Unix SysAdmin is required to work 12-19 hours per week during the academic year, with occasional additional hours during busy seasons. A work schedule will be determined in consultation with the Lead Unix SysAdmin.
  7. The Senior Unix SysAdmin is required to have and carry a cell phone capable of receiving text pages.
  8. This position is subject to a criminal background check. If driving, a DMV check for valid driver's license and driving record is required. Position meets the following criteria:
    • Possession of key or card access to computer storage areas and server rooms.
    • Control over campus-wide or departmental business processes, either through functional roles or systems security access, including responsibility for development or maintenance of critical business systems.
    • Possible operation of University vehicles as part of assigned job duties.
    • Specific job duties: Requires access to both on and off site computer equipment storage as well as server room access and root level access to business systems and databases. Driving may be necessary to get to various units and locations.
  9. It is a requirement that anyone in this position work in a safe and responsible manner while not putting him/herself or others at risk. This includes complying with applicable policies and regulations; using personal safety gear; observing warning signs; learning about potential hazards; and reporting unsafe conditions.
  10. Employment with the Information Technologies unit is subject to the applicant's ability to provide appropriate documentation and sign necessary papers for employment in conformance with state laws and University regulations.
  11. Continued employment is contingent upon satisfactory job performance evaluation by the Lead Unix SysAdmin and Unix Systems Supervisor of SAIT.

Job Duties

(30%) Senior Responsibilities

Project Management and Mentorship
  • Schedule and conduct regular meetings with project teams and establish milestones and deadlines.
  • Write project proposals, design documents and extensive documentation in the Wiki.
  • Attend regular IT technical committee and cross-functional work team meetings.
  • Facilitate discussion on the Unix SysAdmin mailing list.
  • Delegate tasks and follow up to make sure they are completed.
  • Build a sense of teamwork and cooperation within the Unix SysAdmin team and with other Information Technologies staff.
  • Work closely with other IT Staff, especially the Windows Administrator, Desktop Management, and Programmer teams to accomplish SAIT goals.
  • Assist in training of new Unix Systems Administrators.

(40%) Technical Duties

Service, Maintenance, and Support
  • Work independently to support over 100 UNIX servers providing In-Room Connection and other services.
  • Maintain DNS, NFS, DHCP, Postfix, Sendmail, Apache httpd, Tomcat, PostgreSQL, and proprietary services for all student and staff clients.
  • Ensure secure operation of all servers and services through the use of security and encryption tools such as SSH, OpenSSL, IPSec, GPG, and through extensive staff training and documentation.
  • Provide desktop support for all office Linux workstations.
  • Monitor system logs and activity on all servers.
  • Replace defective hardware on clients and servers as necessary.
Accounts
  • Maintain integrity of staff accounts and data on the a variety of systems. Test and perform data recovery.
  • Perform maintenance on staff accounts. Add, remove, and modify accounts as necessary.
  • Manage UNIX security features to protect confidential information while allowing appropriate access.
  • Create and maintain Mailman mailing lists and aliases.
Development
  • Research new technologies and present recommendations and justifications on major hardware and software purchases.
  • Develop and test new servers and services, including writing scripts and patching existing source code.
(20%) Administrative Duties
  • Update and check online calendar regularly.
  • Ensure that status is updated for all Bugzilla and Request Tracker requests.
  • Independently maintain logs of hours worked and for what purpose.
  • Update equipment inventory for tracking purposes.
  • Other duties as assigned.
(10%) Documentation
  • Ensure that all SysAdmin projects are documented, including design documents, ongoing status reports, and summary reports.
  • Document and log all changes to system software and configurations.
  • Edit and revise project justifications, project documentation, and other reports and documents, internal and public.

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