System Administrator II

Contract Based System Administrator IIRole: System Administrator IILocation: Boston, Massachusetts (Locals)Hire Type: Contract (3 months)Client: STATE OF MASkills Needed: Exchange, Office 365, Routing, Cisco, MCSE, DNS, Azure, Active Directory, VOIP, protocols, Microsoft Technologies, DHCP, Azure Active Directory, networking technologies, IP addressing, hybrid configuration, MAPC and Azure, Help MAPC, Microsoft Certified Professional Certification, MS Office Products, MS SaaS products, Group Policies, MS Hyper-V, Citrix XenServer, Cisco CUCM 12.1 to 14.1Job DescriptionPosition Summary: The Metropolitan Area Planning Council – an independent state agency serving Greater Boston – is looking for an experienced IT System Administrator for a 3 month contract with the possibility to extend. Principal responsibilities will include managing the agency’s cloud services, backup, and O365 accounts; leading the design and implementation of strategic IT initiatives; and supporting the maintenance of AWS or Azure servers hosting custom web applications. All this work takes place in the context of a mission-driven agency staffed by researchers, web developers, planners, and public engagement specialists working to promote affordable housing, sustainable transportation, municipal collaboration, and inclusive decision-making. Qualifications include 10 years of progressively responsible experience that demonstrates a range of capabilities. The ideal candidate will be positive, detail-oriented, self-directed.Responsibilities:Assess the configuration of the Active Directory (AD) hybrid configuration with MAPC and Azure; verify or correct best practices in operation; Help MAPC answer the question: should we or can we move to full Azure AD?Configure, maintain, and optimize MAPC’s connection and integration with Azure and all O365 cloud applications. Provide detailed information and documentation on our existing setup.Integrate and optimize MAPC’s on-premises Exchange email with O365. We currently have on-premises Exchange 2013 servers with an active O365 setup. Help MAPC answer the questions: Can we move to full O365 only? Can we retire the Exchange servers? Do we need to maintain a hybrid environment? If so, why?Configure, verify and document Acronis backups and work with IT Manager to conduct full failover testing.If time permits: Assist with management of Cisco VOIP phone system – primarily perform an upgrade on our existing environment from Cisco CUCM 12.1 to 14.1.Qualifications: Candidates should have 10 years of progressively advancing experience that demonstrates a range of capabilities. Microsoft Certified Professional Certification desired: MCSE preferred.Successful candidates will demonstrate all or most of the following:Strong technical troubleshooting and support skills with a focus on Microsoft technologies, MS Office Products, and MS SaaS productsAdvanced knowledge of Microsoft products including Exchange, Office 365 and Azure and the administration of all productsAdvanced understanding of networking technologies and protocols such as IP addressing, DNS, DHCP, and routing through multiple VLAN’sAdvanced knowledge of Active Directory and Group Policies and the integration of Azure Active DirectoryAdvanced knowledge of Microsoft operating systems including Windows 10 and 11, and current Windows ServersExperience with virtualization technologies, preferably MS Hyper-V and Citrix XenServerDemonstrated experience with VOIP, preferably CiscoExcellent communications skills both verbal and written to technical and non-technical staffExcellent time management and problem-solving skills; ability to prioritize assigned projects, help desk calls, and emails