Senior Systems Administrator

Senior Systems Administrator

The Senior Systems Administrator is responsible for ensuring the reliability, security, performance, and continuous improvement of Banner Life Retirement's technology infrastructure across Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, and on-premises environments. This role serves as a senior technical expert and thought leader for infrastructure, identity, security, and operational challenges, helping to maintain a resilient, secure, and highly available technology environment that supports business objectives and regulatory requirements.

As a hands-on technical leader, the Senior Systems Administrator is responsible for system administration, infrastructure engineering, troubleshooting, automation, implementation, and documentation activities. The role drives operational excellence through proactive monitoring, continuous improvement, and a security-first approach to technology management. Working closely with managed service providers, vendors, and internal stakeholders, the Senior Systems Administrator ensures that services are delivered in accordance with Company standards, security policies, compliance obligations, and operational expectations.

This is an individual contributor role with no direct people management responsibilities. Success is achieved through deep technical expertise, ownership, sound judgment, effective collaboration, and the ability to independently design, implement, and support technology solutions while serving as a trusted escalation resource and technical advisor to the organization.

Responsibilities

• Administer and support Azure infrastructure services including Entra ID, Conditional Access, RBAC, PIM, networking, compute, and storage.
• Manage and support Microsoft 365 services including Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive.
• Support on-premises infrastructure including Windows Server, Active Directory, DNS/DHCP, Group Policy, and file services.
• Design and maintain hybrid integration between on-premises systems and Azure.
• Lead incident resolution, root cause analysis, and preventative remediation.
• Work closely with managed service providers (MSPs) to oversee service delivery, validate work quality, enforce standards, and address performance or compliance issues.
• Implement and maintain security controls aligned with SOC 2 and NIST principles.
• Support audits, risk assessments, and evidence collection activities.
• Define, maintain, and improve operational runbooks, monitoring, backup, and recovery processes.
• Mentor and provide technical guidance to system administrators and service desk staff.
• Partner with IT leadership on platform improvements, standardization, and roadmap planning.

Required Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in systems administration or infrastructure engineering.
• Strong hands-on experience with Azure, Microsoft 365, and Windows Server / Active Directory.
• Experience supporting hybrid cloud environments.
• Knowledge of identity and access management concepts.
• Experience operating in regulated or audit-driven environments.
• Experience coordinating with or overseeing managed service providers.
• Strong troubleshooting, documentation, and communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in financial services, insurance, or pension administration environments.
• Familiarity with SOC 2, NIST, or ISO security frameworks.
• Relevant Microsoft or Azure certifications.

Benefits include 10 - 25 vacation days, floating holidays, personal days, wellness days, sick days, paid volunteering days, health benefits, supplemental health benefits and life insurance, paid parental and maternal leave, 401(k) savings plan, Pension Plan, flexible workspace, tuition and certification reimbursements, and infertilty and domestic partner benefits.

The expected hiring compensation range for this position is $137,000 - $160,000 USD annually. Base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The current bonus target for the position is 20% of the base salary with a stretch to twice the target, modified for corporate and individual performance.

** This role is hybrid located in Stamford, CT**