File Transfer System Administrator

Company Federal Reserve Bank of ChicagoWhen you join the Federal Reserve—the nation's central bank—you’ll play a key role, collaborating with leading tech professionals to strengthen and protect our economic, financial and payments systems. We invest in contemporary and emerging technology each year to support the Federal Reserve and our economy, and we’re building a dynamic and diverse team for our future.

The Infrastructure, Platforms & Operations portfolio supports the strategic direction and product delivery for System IT infrastructure and operations, as well as the alignment of technology to business strategies. The team serves as the business partner for secure and reliable IT products, services, and operations.

Position Overview
We are seeking an experienced File Transfer System Administrator to manage and maintain our enterprise file transfer infrastructure. The ideal candidate will be responsible for administering multiple secure file transfer platforms, ensuring reliable, secure, and efficient data exchange across the organization and with external partners.

Your Responsibilities:

Platform Administration

• Administer and maintain IBM Sterling Connect:Direct (CD), Secure File Gateway (SFG), and Sterling Secure Proxy (SSP) environments
• Manage and support Axway Secure Transfer infrastructure
• Monitor file transfer activities and ensure successful completion of scheduled transfers
• Perform system configurations, upgrades, patches, and maintenance activities
• Troubleshoot and resolve file transfer failures and platform issues
• Maintain high availability and disaster recovery capabilities

Operations & Support

• Provide on-call support for production file transfer systems
• Respond to and resolve incidents within defined SLA timeframes
• Implement and maintain file transfer workflows and automation
• Create and maintain technical documentation, runbooks, and standard operating procedures
• Collaborate with application teams to onboard new file transfer requirements
• Perform root cause analysis for recurring issues and implement preventive measures

Automation & Scripting

• Develop and maintain shell scripts for automation of routine tasks
• Utilize Ansible for configuration management and deployment automation
• Create monitoring scripts and alerts for proactive system management
• Automate file transfer processes and reporting

Security & Compliance

• Implement and maintain security controls for file transfer systems
• Ensure compliance with organizational security policies and industry regulations
• Manage certificates, keys, and authentication mechanisms
• Conduct regular security audits and vulnerability assessments
• Participate in security incident response activities

Your Experience:

Required Skills & Experience

File Transfer Platforms (Mandatory)

• 5+ years of hands-on experience administering IBM Sterling Connect:Direct
• 3+ years of experience with IBM Sterling Secure File Gateway (SFG)
• Proficiency in IBM Sterling Secure Proxy (SSP) administration
• Strong experience with Axway Secure Transfer (SecureTransport/CFT)
• Understanding of file transfer protocols: FTP, SFTP, FTPS, AS2, PeSIT

Operating Systems & Scripting (Mandatory)

• Advanced proficiency in Linux/Unix administration (RHEL, CentOS, or similar)
• Strong shell scripting skills (Bash, KSH, or similar)
• Experience with file system management, permissions, and networking in Linux environments

Automation Tools (Desirable)

• Working knowledge of Ansible for configuration management
• Ability to create and maintain Ansible playbooks
• Familiarity with version control systems (Git)

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Sterling File Gateway B2B integrations and partner management
• Knowledge of IBM Sterling Control Center for monitoring
• Familiarity with containerization technologies (Docker, Kubernetes)
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP)
• Certifications in IBM Sterling products or Linux administration
• Experience with monitoring tools (Nagios, Splunk, ELK stack)
• Knowledge of database basics (Oracle, DB2, PostgreSQL)

Technical Competencies

• Strong understanding of networking concepts (TCP/IP, DNS, firewalls, load balancers)
• Experience with SSL/TLS certificates and PKI infrastructure
• Knowledge of scripting languages beyond shell (Python, Perl, Ruby - plus)
• Ability to read and interpret system logs and debug complex issues
• Understanding of ITIL processes and change management

Soft Skills

• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Strong organizational and time management skills
• Customer service oriented mindset
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
• Flexibility to provide after-hours support when required

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field
• Equivalent work experience may be considered in lieu of degree

Work Environment

• Occasional on-call rotation required
• May require participation in off-hours maintenance windows

Additional Details:

Locations:

The selected candidate will reside within a reasonable commuting distance defined by the employing Reserve Bank and will work full-time onsite.

• Eligible Locations for Hire: Boston, MA- New York, NY- Philadelphia, PA- Cleveland, OH- Richmond, VA- Atlanta, GA- Chicago, IL- St. Louis, MO- Minneapolis, MN- Kansas City, MO- Dallas, TX- San Francisco, CA.
• The following Reserve Bank locations are preferred due to the concentration of System IT team members in these locations: Richmond, Charlotte, Dallas, New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Kansas City.

The expected starting salary range for this position is between $104,300 and $123,400 annually in addition to annual performance-based discretionary bonuses. Final salary and offer will be determined based on the applicant’s relevant experience, skills, internal equity, and alignment with geographic and other market data.

*The listed salary is applicable to 7th District. Final offers are determined by factors including the candidate’s qualifications, internal alignment considerations, district assignment, and geographic location.

What we Offer

• Comprehensive benefits package includes medical, dental, vision, prescription drug coverage, 401k savings plan, retirement plan, paid time off, transit benefit, onsite gym and subsidized cafeteria
• A learning environment with opportunities to gain new skills and grow your career

Additional Requirements

• Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States without the need for visa sponsorship now or in the future.
• This position has additional screening requirements due to the information accessed while performing the job. These additional screenings would be initiated at the time of offer acceptance and could take approximately two months to be completed. The screening covers areas such as education/employment verification, criminal history, credit history, and reaches out to your references and people that know you well.
• As a condition of employment, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago employees must comply with the Bank’s ethics rules, which generally prohibit employees, their spouses/domestic partners, and minor children from owning securities, such as stock, of banks or savings associations or their affiliates, such as bank holding companies and savings and loan holding companies. If you or your spouse/domestic partner or minor child own such securities and would not be willing or able to divest them if you accepted an offer of Bank employment, you should raise this issue with the recruiter for this posting, who can provide you contact information for our ethics official if necessary.

Always verify and apply to jobs on Federal Reserve System Careers or through verified Federal Reserve Bank social media channels.

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, or veteran status.

Full Time / Part Time

Full time

Regular / Temporary

Regular

Job Exempt (Yes / No)

Yes

Job Category

Information Technology Family Group

Work Shift

First (United States of America)

The Federal Reserve Banks are committed to equal employment opportunity for employees and job applicants in compliance with applicable law and to an environment where employees are valued for their differences.

Always verify and apply to jobs on Federal Reserve System Careers ( or through verified Federal Reserve Bank social media channels.

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