Senior Systems Administrator

At slashBlue, we're a Managed Solutions Provider driven by our values of Loving Customers, Active Listening, Keeping Promises, and Eliminating Complexity. At the heart of our company is a desire to glorify God by equipping our staff and our clients to experience greater joy and purpose in their work. If that kind of dynamic, service-centered, and faith-friendly approach sounds like how you try to work, and you're an experienced Senior Systems Administrator, then read the details and apply.

Who We Are 

slashBlue provides comprehensive Managed IT solutions including Technology Advisory, Help Desk, Managed IT, and Cybersecurity Services. We help clients across Minnesota along with several other states to deploy, adopt, and efficiently use the right technology to achieve their goals by eliminating complexity, boosting productivity, and elevating workplace joy to fuel client growth and protect their reputation.

The Role and Responsibilities

As a Senior Systems Administrator on our Tech Excellence Team, you'll have four primary areas of responsibility:

1. Senior System and Network Administration:

• Manage, maintain, and resolve monitoring and alerting of client computing systems through reactive and proactive measures & maintenance--including servers, SAN/NAS, end-user computing, cloud systems, and other related technology.
• Manage, maintain, and resolve complex client networks to ensure connectivity, latency, and security are maintained--including the configuration, management, and support of firewalls, VLANs, routing, switches and switching, site-to-site & client VPNs, and policies.
• Manage our data resiliency services for client data, including maintaining current, dependable, and active backup solutions to restore and protect user information as well as assisting our cybersecurity team in the remediation of client data and systems based on cybersecurity audit results.
• Manage, update, and maintain accurate client system diagrams, documentation for our internal knowledge base, and workflow maps for supported client systems.

2. Technology Resolution Expertise:

• Required participation in rotating, scheduled Escalation & After Hours On-Call point of contact for our Help Desk & clients to provide advanced technical support for the timely closure of tickets, with superior customer service.
• Provide off & on-site (as needed) support to our clients, actively listening to issues and concerns then removing obstacles, whether they're skill-based, emotional, or technical, according to our Client Service Expectations.
• Coordinate with vendors and solution partners, as needed, in the escalation of client incidents and problems, stewarding issues to full and timely resolution.
• Provide ownership, encouragement, feedback, and knowledge transfer to Help Desk and other departments, to solve & prevent repeat client technical issues & problems.

3. Project & Service Solution Implementation:

• Review technology project solutions for supportability, manageability, monitoring, technical risks, dependencies, and mitigation strategies to help ensure smooth and incident-free client implementations.
• Work with Solutions Architecture team to validate project solution compatibility with existing client infrastructure and security requirements.
• Perform system and software installations, migrations, upgrades, and integrations of technologies into client environments, configuring security settings, policies, monitoring, backups, and disaster recovery requirements, as required, all delivered in scope and on time.
• Assist in production-readiness validation for new Service Catalog solutions from our Solutions Architecture team.

4. Automation, Standardization, and Improvements:

• Implement ideas & automation to help streamline current Help Desk, SysAdmin, Project and other department processes and support systems.
• Create and maintain client-facing knowledge-base articles, tips, trainings, and other documents in order to empower clients to use their technology to its fullest.
• Perform regular Root Cause Analysis initiatives, ticket trend analysis, and alert resolution discovery to maintain ITIL-based Problem Management process, identifying and resolving root issues for good.
• Develop and maintain automated scripts and configurations designed to Install and configure software and patching updates on all client systems.

Requirements

This role is a senior hands-on technical position , requiring a multi-year experienced candidate with a broad and deep knowledge across cloud, server, network, and end-user technologies as well as a proven record of superior, positive customer interaction.

Required Technical & Operational Knowledge : (5+ years experience in the following)

• Networking: Configure, manage, support, and troubleshoot business-class networks for latency & connectivity of firewalls, VLANs, routing, switches & switching, site-to-site & client VPNs, WAPs, policies, DHCP, TCP/IP, SD-WAN, on multiple vendor solutions such as Cisco Meraki, Ubiquiti UniFi, Fortinet, SonicWall, etc.
• Server Infrastructure and Cloud technology: Deploy and maintain physical and virtualized infrastructure, both on-premise and cloud, including solutions as Azure Administration, Windows Server management, Microsoft Intune device deployment, VMWare, Microsoft Hyper-V administration, Virtual networking, Resource optimization, and High Availability.
• Data Backup, Disaster Recovery, & Business Continuity: Implement, manage, recovery test, & troubleshoot to achieve client RPO/RTO of cloud, SaaS, and on-premise BCDR solutions, such as Datto BCDR (SIRIS, SaaS, Azure backup, etc.), Acronis, Veeam, etc.
• End-user computing: Configure, manage, support, and troubleshoot hardware (Dell, Lenovo, etc.), OS (Windows, MAC) and software, inclduing the Microsoft 365 & Google Workspace suite of products.

• Identity Management: Design, implement, troubleshoot, and migrate identity and server environments, inclusing Account Mgmt using Active Directory/Entra ID, Group Policy management, Hybrid Identity, DNS mgmt, Certificate Services.
• Cybersecurity Services: Assist cyber team in implementation of security controls and response to security incidents, including MFA, Conditional Access, Endpoint Protection, Email security, Vulnerability Mgmt, and security baselines.
• Scripting & Process Automation: Identify process, procedure, and other task inefficiencies then automate & improve, using Ai tools, Powershell Scripting, balancing technical decisions with business risk, security, and operational impact.
• Overall Capabilities:
• Ability to create standards and best practices.
• Understand how to resolve advanced client & infrastructure issues and when to escalate to vendors for assistance.  
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Must be able to communicate technical concepts in a non-technical manner both externally and internally.  
• Ability to work effectively within a support-based and time-sensitive environment. 
• Ability to self-manage workload to ensure that tickets, proactive mgmt & maintenance, projects tasks, are maintained and managed on-time and in budget.  

Desired Technical & Operational Knowledge:

• Experience with the Kaseya family of Managed Service Provider tools & services (Autotask, Datto RMM, IT Glue, Datto BCDR, etc.)
• Infrastructure/General Certifications: (any or all)
• CompTIA A+
• CompTIA Cloud+
• Microsoft Certified: Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate
• Microsoft 365 Certified: Enterprise Administrator Expert
• VMware Certified Professional (VCP)
• Network Certifications: (any or all)
• Cisco CCNA
• Cisco CCNP Enterprise
• CompTIA Network+
• Cybersecurity Certifications: (any or all)
• CompTIA Security+
• Microsoft Certified: Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals
• Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)

Work Environment :

• M-F business hours Remote Work position (availability to work from several--but not all--US states)
• Required semi-annual to annual in-person meetings at Minneapolis/St. Paul MN location (travel reimbursement provided)
• Rotating, scheduled Escalation POC for our after-hours full-service Help Desk
• Home/Remote Office high-speed, dependable internet connectivity required
• Home/Remote Office space capable of providing private, professional, and uninterrupted, disturbance-free work area

Is This You? 

If you're passionate about technology, committed to excellent service, and align with our mission to glorify God through purpose-driven work, we want to talk to you. This role is perfect for someone who finds joy in helping others, thrives in a fast-paced environment, and wants to be part of a team that's making a meaningful difference in how businesses experience technology. 

If you're looking for "just another IT job," then this isn't the role for you. But if you're seeking purpose alongside your paycheck, let's connect. 

Benefits

• Employer-sponsored Health Insurance
• Paid Time Off
• 10 Paid Holidays
• Volunteer Time Off (16 hrs annually)
• Work remote with reimbursement for remote office expenses and workspace
• Annual Training & Development reimbursements
• Potential Performance Bonus
• Professional, Supportive, Team-oriented, Faith-forward & Family-friendly culture