Systems Administrator 2

Location: Hybrid (Chandler, AZ) Reports to: IT Operations Manager Employment Type: Exempt | Full-Time About StrongMind StrongMind is a remote-first education and technology company on a mission to transform learning for students, families, and educators across the country. For more than 25 years, we’ve partnered with schools and districts to deliver innovative, student-centered learning experiences powered by technology, compassion, and bold thinking. We believe education should be flexible, human, and built for real life. That belief shapes how we design our products, support our partners, and work together as a team. At StrongMind, you’ll find smart people doing meaningful work, a culture rooted in trust and accountability, and leaders who genuinely care about both outcomes and people. The Team You Will Join You’ll be part of the Information Services team, working closely with IT Operations, HelpDesk, Engineering, Security & Compliance, People Success, school leadership, academic teams, and Facilities. The IT team supports staff and school operations across StrongMind and the schools and organizations we support, including Primavera, Valor Preparatory Academy, American Virtual Academy, and StrongMind Learning Partners Philippines. This role is the senior technical position within IT below the IT Operations Manager. You’ll help establish technical standards, design solutions, own critical platforms, and serve as a senior escalation point for the team. The team culture is collaborative, accountable, and solutions-oriented. You’ll have opportunities to lead technical projects, mentor team members, improve systems, and influence how our technology environment operates across the organization. The Difference You Will Make As a Systems Administrator 2, you’ll own the corporate and school-facing technology environment that employees and school staff rely on every day. Your work will directly impact the reliability, security, and usability of the systems that keep our teams and schools operating effectively. You’ll be responsible for designing and maintaining solutions across identity and access management, endpoint management, networking, telephony, security tooling, and other corporate infrastructure. You’ll also partner with Engineering on the boundary between corporate and production environments while supporting the security and compliance requirements of the organization. This is a high-ownership role for someone who enjoys solving complex technical problems, building durable solutions, automating repetitive work, and helping other IT professionals grow. A Typical Day Looks Like While no two days are exactly the same, you can expect to: Own corporate identity administration, including directory and account architecture, groups, roles, licensing, conditional access, and multi-factor authentication. Design and maintain consistent, repeatable access models and conduct periodic access reviews. Own endpoint management across Windows, macOS, and ChromeOS, including enrollment, configuration, compliance policies, patching, application deployment, imaging, and device standards. Administer corporate network infrastructure, including firewalls, routing, wireless, VLANs, DNS, DHCP, certificates, and remote access. Plan and execute infrastructure changes using documented change records, maintenance windows, rollback plans, and clear communication. Administer cloud telephony and contact center platforms, as well as physical security and access control systems in partnership with Facilities. Support endpoint protection and email security platforms, including policy tuning, alert triage, remediation, and security findings assigned to IT. Automate recurring administrative tasks using scripting and approved AI tools. Maintain architecture documentation, runbooks, and standard operating procedures so systems can be operated effectively by other team members. Serve as a technical escalation point for Systems Administrators and HelpDesk staff while mentoring less experienced technicians. Lead technical projects such as platform migrations, device refreshes, system decommissions, and office buildouts. Support annual student assessments, including device staging, network readiness, on-site support, equipment collection, and reimaging across Arizona. Collaborate with Engineering, Security & Compliance, People Success, schools, academic teams, and Facilities on technology initiatives and operational needs. This role balances independent technical ownership, collaboration, problem-solving, and hands-on execution and is well-suited for someone who enjoys building reliable systems, solving difficult technical challenges, automating processes, and helping others become stronger technical professionals. We\'re looking for someone who brings: 5+ years of experience in systems administration or infrastructure engineering, or equivalent demonstrated experience, including at least 2 years at a senior or lead level. Demonstrated end-to-end ownership of significant technology platforms, including designing, operating, documenting, and maintaining them. Deep working knowledge of cloud identity and productivity administration, including directory services, groups, roles, licensing, conditional access, and multi-factor authentication. Microsoft Entra ID and Microsoft 365 experience is preferred. Strong enterprise endpoint management experience with platforms such as Microsoft Intune and Jamf, including configuration profiles, compliance policies, patching, and application deployment. Strong network administration knowledge, including firewalls, VLANs, routing, wireless, DNS, DHCP, certificates, and remote access. Experience administering Windows, macOS, and ChromeOS in a centrally managed environment, with Linux experience where applicable. Scripting experience using tools such as PowerShell, Bash, or Python to automate recurring administrative tasks. Experience administering endpoint protection and email security platforms, including policy tuning and alert triage. Strong change management practices, including written change records, maintenance windows, rollback plans, and clear communication. Ability to create clear technical documentation, architecture documentation, runbooks, and standard operating procedures. Demonstrated practical experience using AI tools in a technical environment, with the judgment to verify AI-generated output before relying on it. Strong analytical, troubleshooting, communication, and problem-solving skills. Ability to handle confidential staff and student information appropriately and in accordance with FERPA and company policies. Education & Certifications: High school diploma or equivalent required. Associate or bachelor’s degree in a technology-related field is helpful but not required; demonstrated technical capability and experience are highly valued. Relevant certifications are welcomed and supported, including Microsoft Identity and Access Administrator, Endpoint Administrator, Azure Administrator, Jamf, networking, or security certifications. Bonus points if you also have: Experience with identity platform migrations or managing multiple identity providers. Experience administering cloud telephony and contact center platforms such as RingCentral. Experience with physical security systems, including badging, cameras, and door access. Exposure to cloud infrastructure concepts and experience partnering with Engineering on corporate-to-production environments. Experience with backup, recovery, and business continuity planning and testing. Experience with asset management and hardware lifecycle programs at scale. Experience supporting standardized testing or large-scale seasonal device deployments. Experience preparing technical evidence for security audits or compliance frameworks. Experience supporting schools, school districts, or education technology environments. Our Commitment to Inclusion & Belonging At StrongMind, we believe the best ideas come from bringing together people with different perspectives, experiences, and ways of thinking. A diverse and inclusive workplace fuels creativity, strengthens collaboration, and helps us build better solutions for the students, families, and communities we serve. We are committed to welcoming a broad range of talent and encouraging all qualified individuals to apply. We strive to create an environment where everyone feels a sense of belonging and is empowered to contribute, grow, and do meaningful work. How We’ll Take Care of You We believe that when people feel supported, they do their best work. At StrongMind, your well-being isn’t a perk—it’s part of our culture. Our commitment to you includes: A competitive total compensation package, including medical, dental, vision, and voluntary benefits Well-being that works for real life—from an on-site gym, virtual wellness programs, and wellness coaching to flexible work options for select roles, because your well-being fuels your brilliance Unlimited PTO for exempt roles, plus additional "life happens" days when you need flexibility A fully paid holiday week off at Christmas, so you can truly rest, reset, and reconnect Recognition and rewards that celebrate birthdays, meaningful milestones, legendary work, and community service hours that let you give back Quarterly Town Halls that keep communication transparent, honest, and human Annual social events and traditions we genuinely look forward to—like Halloween celebrations, Wellness Fairs, and other moments that bring our community together We\'re intentional about building a workplace where people feel valued, connected, and empowered to thrive—at work and beyond. Additional Info: We welcome all qualified candidates eligible to work in the United States. At this time, we are unable to sponsor visas. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and provide consideration to all applicants regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender, national origin, age, veteran status, marital status, or disability protected by law. #J-18808-Ljbffr StrongMind