Systems Administrator III

* A cover letter is required along with your resume or cv. 

** This post will be taken down once we have received the first 100 qualified applications. 

*** EarthScope Consortium Inc. is not able to sponsor applicants for work authorization within the United States. 

Job Title: Systems Administrator III

Reports to: Engineering Manager II  

Employment/FLSA Status: Full-Time/Exempt 

Remote Eligible: Yes, National, United States  

Travel Requirements: Up to 20% 

Salary Range: $93,945.50 -$145,673 (depending on experience, skills, and qualifications relative to the job requirements) 

Benefits and Perks:

• Comprehensive Medical Plan Covering Medical, Dental, Vision
• Short Term and Long-Term Disability Coverage
• 403(b) Plan with Company Match
• Life Insurance
• PTO, Paid Holidays 

Position Summary 

The System Administrator III is responsible for the planning, operation, and maintenance of computing environments administered by Data Services.  They lead capacity planning, functional and technical design of enterprise systems, and the resolution of complex problems. They keep abreast of new technologies and incorporate those technologies into the computer environment. They have knowledge of cloud environments and the deployment of systems to cloud environments. The incumbent may operate autonomously on tasks assigned by their supervisor. 

Details of Responsibilities 

General Essential Job Duties: 

Substantially contribute to: 

• Maintaining and implementing procedures that meet all cybersecurity requirements of the organization 
• Identifying shared project needs and providing appropriate infrastructure solutions 
• IT strategy, planning and operational reviews 
• Planning and budgeting for current and upcoming program IT needs including research of appropriate software, hardware, and resources 

Take lead or major role in: 

• Standardizing IT systems across all departments in the organization 
• Monitoring and maintenance of on-prem and cloud IT systems including the physical environment, Internet connectivity, and expansion planning 
• Network engineering tasks for the organization including the support of DNS, LDAP, NTP, routers, switches, firewalls, remote access, and wireless access 
• Overseeing and providing IT equipment needs for the organization including support for workshops, committee meetings, and colloquia 
• Establishing and maintaining a documentation system for the organization  
• The system administration help desk team to ensure user needs are met 
• Deploying and maintaining user laptops 
• Managing backups  
• Managing standard applications; e.g. Google Workspace, Slack, Zoom, Jamf Pro, Azure/ Entra ID and perform day to day maintenance and user support for them 
• Other duties may be assigned as necessary for the successful operation of the business 

Specialized Essential Job Duties 

• Work as part of the System Administration team to support application and service management including deployment, maintenance, and retirement. 
• Works with various IT suppliers to stay current on hardware and procurement tasks. 
• Participate in evaluation trials and attend vendor presentations to provide feedback and recommendations for future IT related purchases. 
• Take initiative to learn new skills, current best practices and technologies and apply them to projects 
• Communicate clearly and effectively with stakeholders and other team members 

Leadership and Supervisory Responsibilities: 

• This position does not have supervisory responsibility. 
• Has frequent communication with, and direct supervision by, Engineering Manager for instruction and guidance. 
• Interacts effectively and efficiently with EarthScope staff, community and partnering organizations.  
• Foster a professional culture through the use of strong interpersonal skills, verbal, and written communications.  
• Communicate clearly and effectively with other team members to ensure tasks are completed on time and with best practices. 
• Mentors less experienced System Administrators on the use of existing and new tools, IT security practices and policies, and the installation/maintenance of new equipment  

Qualifications – Tier 1

Salary Range: $93,945.50 - $119,652.50

Minimum Education & Experience Requirements: 

• PhD degree in geoscience, computer science, physical science, engineering, or related field AND four (4) years of relevant experience of which two (2) years include lead or major roles. 

OR 

• Master’s degree in geoscience, computer science, physical science, engineering, or related field AND five (5) years of relevant experience of which three (3) years include lead or major roles. 

OR 

• Bachelor’s in geoscience, computer science, physical science, engineering, or related field AND six (6) years of relevant experience of which four (4) years include lead or major roles. 

OR 

• Eight (8) years of relevant experience of which four (4) years include lead or major roles.

Qualifications – Tier 2

Salary Range - $119,652.50 - $145,673

Minimum Education & Experience Requirements: 

• PhD degree in geoscience, computer science, physical science, engineering, or related field AND six (6) years of relevant experience of which four (4) years include lead or major roles. 

OR 

• Master’s degree in geoscience, computer science, physical science, engineering, or related field AND seven (7) years of relevant experience of which five (5) years include lead or major roles. 

OR 

• Bachelor’s in geoscience, computer science, physical science, engineering, or related field AND eight (8) years of relevant experience of which six (6) years include lead or major roles. 

OR 

• Ten (10) years of relevant experience of which six (6) years include lead or major roles. 

Preferred Skills: 

• An understanding of earth sciences, earth science data, and the earth science community. 
• Great customer service skills 
• Prior experience writing scripts to automate repetitive system administration functions. 
• Prior experience with configuring, maintaining and installing system monitoring software. 
• Knowledge of remote computer and mobile device management systems. 
• Experience with running multiple cloud-native platforms. Including AWS, Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure/Entra ID 

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities: 

• To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability for the position: 
• Ability to work both independently and on a team 
• Ability to organize and prioritize multiple tasks 
• Ability to gather, analyze, and interpret data 
• Ability to make decisions that have moderate impact on the organization 
• Ability to troubleshoot technical problems 
• Ability to understand complex problems explore alternative solutions 
• Ability to complete projects according to outlined scope, budget, and timeline 

Experience with: 

• The Jira ticketing system 
• Networking equipment and configuration of firewalls, VPNs, and dynamic routing 
• Network monitoring, the network layout, and making network changes 
• Microsoft systems including MDT, patching, MS365, and laptop/desktop configuration 
• Building new VMs in an AWS environment 
• Writing scripts to automate repetitive system administration functions 
• Cloud deployment processes 

Expertise in: 

• A programming language (e.g. Perl, Python) or systems scripting language 
• Generating user documentation in a wiki-based system and use of source-control repositories 
• Mac OS X, Windows, and a Linux or UNIX operating system 
• End-user support for email, printing, calendar, workgroup collaboration tools, remote connectivity, anti-virus protection, shared files and folders, hardware and software 
• Investigating and performing upgrades to 3rd party software used within development and business environments 
• Fixing and/or tracking down issues users experience with laptops 

Other Requirements: 

• Appropriate availability consistent with EarthScope established practices and norms; hours may exceed 40 hours per week, particularly when traveling. 

Environment 

Physical Setting and Requirements: 

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

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT: 

• Frequently required to sit 
• Frequently required to utilize hand and finger dexterity 
• Frequently required to talk or hear 
• While performing the duties of this job, the noise level in the work environment is usually quiet 
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds 
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include: Close vision and the ability to adjust focus. 
• Specialized equipment, machines, or vehicles used: Ability to see computer screen with detailed screen menu in low lighting conditions. 

EarthScope’s Mission: EarthScope Consortium is a consortium dedicated to supporting transformative global geophysical research and education. 

To Apply:  Applicants may apply by going to the EarthScope Consortium Career Center: https://www.earthscope.org/careers/  

Applicants MUST be authorized to work permanently in the United States.   

EarthScope Consortium participates in E-Verify. 

It is the policy of EarthScope Consortium not to discriminate against any applicant for employment, or any employee based on the criteria outlined in Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.