System Administrator I

Systems Administrator IThe Systems Administrator I supports the day-to-day administration, maintenance, and troubleshooting of the organization's server, cloud, endpoint, and network infrastructure. This role assists with Microsoft 365 administration, user identity and access management, endpoint management, virtualization, backup operations, patching, monitoring, and basic network support. The Systems Administrator I works closely with senior infrastructure, security, and help desk staff to resolve escalated technical issues, complete routine system administration tasks, improve documentation, and support reliable IT operations. This position is intended for a technically curious, process-minded administrator who can learn quickly, follow established procedures, communicate clearly, and grow into broader infrastructure responsibilities over time.Salary starts at 65K per year and will pay based on experience.Office hours are Monday - Friday 8am - 5pm at our Warrenville locationKey ResponsibilitiesAssist with administration and support of Windows Server environments, including routine maintenance, patching, monitoring, and basic troubleshooting.Support Microsoft Hyper-V virtualization environments, including basic virtual machine administration, resource monitoring, snapshot/checkpoint awareness, and escalation of host or storage issues.Assist with Veeam backup and recovery operations, including reviewing backup job status, escalating failures, helping validate restores, and maintaining backup documentation.Perform basic Microsoft 365 administration tasks, including user and group management, license assignment support, mailbox and distribution list assistance, and service health awareness.Support Microsoft Intune endpoint management tasks, including device enrollment assistance, compliance and configuration profile troubleshooting, application deployment support, and device inventory review.Assist with identity administration in Active Directory and Microsoft Entra ID, including user lifecycle tasks, group membership changes, password resets, MFA support, and access troubleshooting.Maintain familiarity with Azure concepts and assist senior administrators with basic Azure administrative tasks, monitoring, and documentation as assigned.Provide basic networking support and troubleshooting for DNS, DHCP, TCP/IP, VPN connectivity, VLAN awareness, wireless connectivity, and general LAN/WAN issues.Respond to escalated help desk tickets involving servers, endpoints, identity, Microsoft 365, network connectivity, application access, and related infrastructure services.Use PowerShell and administrative tools to gather information, perform routine tasks, and assist with automation under guidance from senior staff.Monitor system alerts, backup notifications, security notifications, and service health dashboards, escalating issues according to established procedures.Assist with endpoint, server, and application patching activities while following change management and maintenance window expectations.Create and maintain accurate documentation for procedures, configurations, troubleshooting steps, inventory, recurring tasks, and known issues.Follow IT security policies and best practices, including least privilege access, secure authentication, change control, and careful handling of sensitive information.Participate in infrastructure projects, system upgrades, migrations, hardware replacements, and technology rollouts as assigned.Collaborate with help desk, infrastructure, network, security, and application teams to resolve issues and improve operational reliability.Provide professional, timely communication to end users and internal IT teams, including clear ticket notes, status updates, and escalation details.Participate in after-hours maintenance or on-call support as needed for critical system issues or planned infrastructure work.Other duties as assigned.RequirementsAssociate degree or bachelor's degree in IT, Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field preferred; equivalent hands-on experience will be considered.2–5 years of experience in IT support, systems administration, infrastructure support, or a similar technical role.Working knowledge of Windows desktop and Windows Server operating systems, including basic administration, event logs, services, permissions, and troubleshooting.Familiarity with Active Directory, Group Policy concepts, Microsoft Entra ID, MFA, identity lifecycle tasks, and access management fundamentals.Familiarity with Microsoft 365 administration, including Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint/OneDrive concepts, licensing, and service health monitoring.Exposure to Microsoft Intune or other endpoint management platforms, including device configuration, compliance, application deployment, and mobile device management concepts.Familiarity with Hyper-V virtualization concepts, including virtual machines, host resources, virtual switches, checkpoints, and basic capacity considerations.Familiarity with Veeam or similar backup platforms, including backup job monitoring, restore concepts, backup repositories, and escalation of backup failures.Basic understanding of networking concepts, including TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, routing, switching, VPNs, firewalls, wireless networks, and common connectivity troubleshooting methods.Basic PowerShell knowledge, including running commands, gathering system information, exporting results, and safely following tested scripts.Ability to troubleshoot technical issues methodically, document findings, identify patterns, and escalate when deeper expertise is required.Understanding of core security practices such as least privilege, phishing awareness, patching, endpoint protection, MFA, password hygiene, and secure remote access.Experience with IT ticketing systems and the ability to maintain accurate, timely, and useful ticket documentation.Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to explain technical issues clearly to both technical and non-technical users.Ability to manage multiple priorities, follow documented procedures, ask good questions, and work effectively in a team-oriented IT environment.Preferred SkillsMicrosoft certifications or coursework strongly preferred, especially certifications related to Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, identity, endpoint administration, or Windows Server/Hyper-V administration.Specific Microsoft certifications such as Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate, Microsoft 365 Certified: Endpoint Administrator Associate, Microsoft Certified: Identity and Access Administrator Associate, Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate, or similar are a plus.Experience supporting Hyper-V, Veeam Backup & Replication, Microsoft Intune, Microsoft Entra ID, Exchange Online, and SharePoint/OneDrive in a business environment.CompTIA A+, Network+, Security+, or similar foundational certifications are a plus.Basic understanding of ITIL or similar IT service management practices.Exposure to monitoring tools, endpoint security tools, remote management tools, and infrastructure documentation platforms.Interest in continuing to develop skills in cloud administration, automation, cybersecurity, networking, and infrastructure operations.Physical RequirementsAbility to lift and carry computer equipment up to 40 lbs.Availability to work after-hours or on-call as needed to support maintenance windows, upgrades, or critical system incidents.To view our company benefits, please visit our careers site at Associated