Network & Systems Administrator

The Network & Systems Administrator is the technology department member tasked with maintaining the network infrastructure and supporting the School's technology systems and users. Under the direction of the Director of Technology, this position will be responsible for ensuring the School's network performance and will make recommendations for future improvements in reliability, safety, security, and access. The Network & Systems Administrator also demonstrates a passion for learning and enthusiasm for new technology within an educational setting, specifically supporting diverse school constituents, including students, faculty, staff, and parents.

Essential functions

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

• Maintain uptime and reliability of network equipment, firewall, DNS, and DHCP.

• Administer virtual and physical Windows servers and SANs, including backup solutions.

• Configure and maintain Microsoft Active Directory and Google Workspace.

• Perform server administration tasks (ex: user/group, security permissions, group policies, print services); research event-log warnings and errors; and monitor resources to ensure systems architecture components work together seamlessly.

• Monitor data-center health using existing management tools, respond to hardware issues, and help build, test, and maintain new servers when needed.

• Maintain internal infrastructure requirements, including laptop and desktop computers, servers, routers, switches, firewalls, printers, phones, and security updates; support internet, intranet, LANs, WANs, and network segments.

• Assist the help desk and other teams with troubleshooting to identify the root cause and provide technical support when needed.

• Perform routine and scheduled audits of all systems, including backups.

• Interface with vendors as needed to resolve issues and maintain relationships.

• Stay current on new technology trends, including virtualization, security, and data recovery, and create scripts to automate common tasks.

• Be a thought partner within the technology group

• Perform other duties as assigned.

Competencies

• Ability to work independently and handle multiple priorities and deadlines simultaneously.

• Ability to partner and coordinate with other teams and departments to accomplish the school's goals.

• Respect for diversity of identities and experiences, an orientation toward equity and inclusion, and cultural competency in all aspects of School life.

• Organized with attention to detail.

• Communicate effectively with various community groups, including students, parents, staff, and faculty.

• Ability to prioritize, plan, and organize work.

• Sufficient ability to read, write, speak, understand, and communicate in English to complete work efficiently, effectively, and courteously and coordinate with other department leaders and across the organization.

Required Skills/Abilities:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

• Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills.

• Strong supervisory and leadership skills.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

• Superior understanding of computer hardware and software systems.

• Excellent time management skills.

• Ability to prioritize tasks and to delegate them when appropriate.

• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or related software.

• Proficient with Google suite of products.

• Ability to explain technical issues to technical and non-technical employees and customers.

• Proficient with or the ability to quickly learn an array of computer hardware and software.

Physical Demands

• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.

• Must be able to lift, push, and pull up to 20 pounds unassisted and occasionally up to 80 pounds.

• Communication skills using the spoken and written word.

• Ability to use a visual display terminal with continuous wrist movement on a keyboard.

• Finger dexterity is required to manipulate objects with fingers rather than with whole hand(s) or arm(s), for example, using a keyboard, sorting, etc.

• Ability to traverse various areas of the facility (including unpaved areas, dirt paths, uneven terrain, etc.) to access all offices and areas of campus.

Working conditions

• Primarily in an office setting but requires the ability to move throughout campus. Network hardware and cabling may be located in non-office settings, including out-of-doors.

Travel required

• None.

Required education and experience

• Bachelor of Arts or Science Degree preferred, ideally in Computer Information Systems or related Information Technology (IT) field or specialization (professional certification may be considered as a substitute for degree requirement).

• 2-5 years of experience in the field of networking, IT, or a related field, including network and systems management.

• Demonstrates knowledge and experience with current Server (Windows, Hyper-V, VMware) and Client (Mac/Windows) operating systems, as well as Meraki and Veeam.

• Experience working in an educational environment is preferred.

Additional eligibility requirements

• Able to successfully complete CHRI, CORI, and SORI checks.

Other duties

Please note this job description is not designed 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.

FLSA Classification

Exempt

Employment Category

Staff

Reports to

Director of Technology

Benefits Eligibility

Full-time benefits eligible

Schedule

Middlesex is a six day a week residential school with classes Monday through Saturday. Generally, this role will work Monday through Friday with hours defined by the needs of the department. Additionally, there will be occasions when this role will need to work evenings or weekends to meet the needs of the department.