Systems Engineer

OVERVIEW

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Across our organization, we’re building a workplace where collaboration is essential, diverse voices are heard, and inclusion is the key to our success. We are committed to doing the right thing in our journalism and in every role at NPR. This means that integrity, adherence to our ethical standards, and compliance with legal obligations are fundamental responsibilities for every employee at NPR.

Intro to Position

NPR is seeking a Systems Engineer for its Distribution IT Infrastructure team to manage, test, and maintain our enterprise virtualized infrastructure, including servers, storage, and networking systems. In this role, you will deploy, configure, monitor, and troubleshoot modern virtualization platforms (such as VMware vSphere, HPE Morpheus VM Essentials, or Proxmox) to guarantee high availability, scalability, and security across NPR's core distribution technologies.

This role sits at the intersection of physical and virtual infrastructure: you will help stand up new data center hardware and build NPR's private cloud environment on top of it, from rack and cable to hypervisor and host networking.

Working collaboratively with Infrastructure and Security colleagues, you will analyze business workflows, implement structured change management processes, and support capacity planning initiatives to deliver resilient, mission‑critical operations for NPR and our nationwide Member station network.

Responsibilities

• Physical Infrastructure Build‑Out: Partner with Infrastructure colleagues to install, rack, cable, and configure new server, storage, and network hardware, including firmware updates, out‑of‑band management (e.g., HPE iLO, Dell iDRAC), and RAID/BIOS configuration, to establish the foundation for virtualized workloads.
• Virtual Infrastructure Deployment & Maintenance: Deploy, configure, and maintain virtualized systems using enterprise tools (e.g., HPE Morpheus VM Essentials, Proxmox, Nutanix, Incus, or VMware) to support operational reliability.
• Architecture Evaluation & Testing: Evaluate virtual system architecture, compare existing applications, and create metrics to measure response times and availability for test environments.
• Change Management Implementation: Recommend and execute system enhancements following established organizational change management policies and procedures.
• Operational & Capacity Support: Assist the Distribution Infrastructure team in executing cloud/virtualization workflows and capacity planning tools focused on return on investment and business value.
• Security Alignment & Compliance: Partner with Security Engineers to ensure virtual hosts, operating systems, and network configurations comply with organizational security policies.
• Workflow & Process Analysis: Analyze and document Distribution IT process workflows, identifying areas for continuous improvement and operational efficiency.
• Technical Documentation & Knowledge Sharing: Create comprehensive documentation, procedures, instructions, and training materials for internal colleagues and system users.
• Incident Escalation & Operational Support: Proactively communicate operational status to management, participate in an on‑call rotation, and respond to critical system issues on a 24x7 basis as needed.

The above duties and responsibilities are not an exhaustive list of required responsibilities, duties and skills. Other duties may be assigned, and this job description can be modified at any time.

Minimum Qualifications

• 3+ years of professional experience supporting, maintaining, troubleshooting, and administering servers and networking within a data center environment.
• 2+ years of hands‑on experience in the planning, design, deployment, and management of enterprise virtualized cloud infrastructure (e.g., VMware ESXi, Microsoft Hyper‑V, or open‑source hypervisors).
• Hands‑on experience with physical data center hardware, including racking and cabling servers, configuring out‑of‑band
• Competence in DNS administration (BIND preferred).
• Experience with IP address management (IPAM) and DHCP services.
• Experience with configuration management (Puppet preferred).
• Experience creating agentless automation workflows (Ansible preferred).
• Experience with Mail Transfer Agent administration (Exim).
• Working knowledge of Windows Server administration (2022+) alongside core directory and networking protocols (Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, IIS).
• Practical experience supporting enterprise storage (NetApp or TrueNAS).
• Comfortable with networking configuration of hosts, switches, and routers, including VLANs, trunking, and NIC bonding/link aggregation as applied to hypervisor hosts.
• Proven track record as a key contributor or project leader on complex technical initiatives, including the creation of detailed technical documentation and workflow diagrams.
• Demonstrated ability to participate effectively in a team environment, handle multiple concurrent projects, and contribute to an on‑call rotation.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Unix/Linux networking configuration and Cisco switches and routers (Catalyst or Nexus/NX‑OS).
• Familiarity with scripting languages (Python, PowerShell, or JavaScript).
• Experience with enterprise backup/recovery solutions (e.g., Veeam).
• Experience with HPE ProLiant or Dell PowerEdge server hardware.
• Knowledge of Linux operating systems and relevant industry certifications (VMware VCP, Microsoft, or AWS).

Required Skills/Competencies

• System Troubleshooting & Diagnostics: Ability to systematically isolate, diagnose, and resolve complex issues across hardware, server, storage, network, and virtualized layers.
• Structured Communication: Strong written and verbal communication skills to present technical concepts and write actionable system documentation.
• Prioritization Under Pressure: Capacity to prioritize tasks effectively during high‑urgency system maintenance or operational incidents.
• Cross‑Functional Collaboration: Strong interpersonal skills to partner seamlessly with Security, Network, and Distribution engineering teams.
• Continuous Learning Mindset: Commitment to staying current with emerging virtualization tools, cloud platforms, and data center technologies.

Education Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field, OR equivalent practical work experience.

Work Location

Hybrid Permitted: This is a hybrid permitted role. Some aspects of this role require duties better performed at an NPR facility. The employee will be required to be in the office at the Washington, D.C. location at least 2 days a week. The employee must also reside in an NPR‑supported location based on the number of on‑site days they choose.

Note for hiring manager: With rack build‑out in scope, confirm whether 2 days a week is enough or whether more on‑site time is expected during installation.

Job Type

This is a full‑time, exempt position.

Compensation

Salary Range: The U.S.-based anticipated salary range for this opportunity is $109,350 - $133,650 plus benefits. The range displayed reflects the minimum and maximum salaries NPR expects to provide for new hires for the position across all US locations.

Benefits: NPR offers access to comprehensive benefits for employees and dependents. Regular, full‑time employees scheduled to work 30 hours or more per week are eligible to enroll in NPR’s benefits options. Benefits include access to health and wellness, paid time off, and financial well‑being. Plan options include medical, dental, vision, life/accidental death and dismemberment, long‑term disability, short‑term disability, and voluntary retirement savings to all eligible NPR employees.

NPR is an Equal Opportunity Employer. NPR is committed to being an inclusive workplace that welcomes diverse and unique perspectives, all working toward the same goal – to create a more informed public. Qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, religious belief, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, lactation, and reproductive health decisions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, transgender status, gender non‑conforming status, intersex status, sexual stereotypes, nationality, citizenship status, personal appearance, marital status, family status, family responsibilities, military status, veteran status, mental and physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, genetic characteristics of yourself or a family member, political views and affiliation, unemployment status, protective order status, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, or any other basis prohibited under applicable law.

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