University Overview
The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America’s Best Large Employers in 2023.
Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.
The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.
Posted Job Title Sr. Systems Administrator Consultant Job Profile Title Systems Administrator Senior Job Description Summary Information Systems & Computing (ISC) is the University of Pennsylvania’s central IT organization, providing the core network, data, voice, video, and enterprise application infrastructure and services upon which Penn’s numerous Schools and Centers build their unique tools and capabilities.
ISC’s 270-plus employees work closely with the University’s IT organizations in order to create, deliver and support products and services that help Schools and Centers operate efficiently and effectively. We strive to be easy to work with, and to serve as a trusted advisor to Penn’s IT community, faculty, staff and students in support of an environment of discovery and progress.
ISC’s focus on customer service and the high-quality, cost-effective, reliable implementation of modern IT solutions advances the mission of the University, as well as that of each individual School and Center. At Penn, technological freedom and departmental autonomy represent dearly held core values. ISC supports those ideas by providing foundational services and cogent counsel, empowering individuals and departments to employ their distinct strengths in support of their goals.
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The Senior Systems Administrator-Consultant will report up through ISC's Technology Services organization, which provides systems engineering, operations, networking, telecommunications, and collaboration services for use by the global University community through its four teams and through leadership of ISC’s Cloud First Initiative. Technology Services ensures ISC's technology strategy meets the evolving technology needs of the University through the Strategy Review Board. This position will become an integral member of the Tech Services Platform Infrastructure team and will use their technical expertise and skill to drive large and small projects with clients across campus. They will analyze client requests and requirements, interpret the needs and develop recommendations and plans that utilize Azure and on-premises services. The services include, but are not limited to, virtual servers, web services, Entra ID, Active Directory, Azure deployments. The position requires exceptional customer service skills and active listening, to gather and understand service requirements. This position will meet directly with staff and needs to build relationships and trust with clients across campus. Also required is continuous self-education and understanding of technologies used in higher education. Job Description
Job Responsibilities:
Lead requirements gathering with clients to define needs and scope of work.
Propose solutions based on customer requirements and develop and manage project plans.
Maintain knowledge of new technologies and identify opportunities to implement solutions that address client needs.
Assists in deploying new, and review existing client application and service deployments, for best approach, efficiency, and resiliency.
Secure, monitor, support backups, maintain and patch management of Windows Systems.
Manage users, groups, and device objects in Active Directory and Entra ID.
Support virtual machines and services in Azure and on-premises using modern support methods such as Desired State Configuration.
Address client server performance or availability issues using monitoring and logging tools, such as Splunk and Azure Monitoring.
Provide technical support of deployed applications defined in the service level agreements with ISC clients.
Deploy and maintain Group Policy objects in Active Directory.
Support deployment of OIDC/SAML Enterprise Applications using either Shibboleth Service Provider or Entra ID.
Collaborate with various technical groups and act as a liaison across university, to ensure continuity of service.
Respond to support requests and incidents as required and consistent with service level agreements.
Perform after hours support, when acting as primary or backup in an on call situation.
Qualifications
Required:
Bachelor of Science degree and 3 to 5 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience
1-3 years of consulting experience
3-5 years of Windows Systems Administration
3+ years of Azure and EntraID experience, deploying systems, and managing user, group, and device objects
Proficient in deploying Windows systems on VMware and Azure
Excellent active listening, written and oral communication skills
Track record of building and maintaining customer relationships
Collaboration skills with multiple stakeholders and ability to work well with in a team
Preferred:
Experience supporting higher education technology
Strong problem solving and attention to detail
Project Management Experience
Job Location - City, State Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Department / School Information Systems and Computing Pay Range $61,046.00 - $120,000.00 Annual RateSalary offers are made based on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, as well as internal and market factors and grade profile. Affirmative Action Statement
Penn adheres to a policy that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected class. Special Requirements
Background check required after a conditional job offer is made. Consideration of the background check will be tailored to the requirements of the job. University Benefits
Health, Life, and Flexible Spending Accounts : Penn offers comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits to protect you and your family’s health and welfare. You can also use flexible spending accounts to pay for eligible health care and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.
Tuition : Take advantage of Penn's exceptional tuition benefits. You, your spouse, and your dependent children can get tuition assistance here at Penn. Your dependent children are also eligible for tuition assistance at other institutions.
Retirement: Penn offers generous retirement plans to help you save for your future. Penn’s Basic, Matching, and Supplemental retirement plans allow you to save for retirement on a pre-tax or Roth basis. Choose from a wide variety of investment options through TIAA and Vanguard.
Time Away from Work: Penn provides you with a substantial amount of time away from work during the course of the year. This allows you to relax, take vacations, attend to personal affairs, recover from illness or injury, spend time with family—whatever your personal needs may be.
Long-Term Care Insurance: In partnership with Genworth Financial, Penn offers faculty and staff (and your eligible family members) long-term care insurance to help you cover some of the costs of long-term care services received at home, in the community or in a nursing facility. If you apply when you’re newly hired, you won’t have to provide proof of good health or be subject to underwriting requirements. Eligible family members must always provide proof of good health and are subject to underwriting.
Wellness and Work-life Resources : Penn is committed to supporting our faculty and staff as they balance the competing demands of work and personal life. That’s why we offer a wide variety of programs and resources to help you care for your health, your family, and your work-life balance.
Professional and Personal Development: Penn provides an array of resources to help you advance yourself personally and professionally.
University Resources: As a member of the Penn community, you have access to a wide range of University resources as well as cultural and recreational activities. Take advantage of the University’s libraries and athletic facilities, or visit our arboretum and art galleries. There’s always something going on at Penn, whether it’s a new exhibit at the Penn Museum, the latest music or theater presentation at the Annenberg Center, or the Penn Relays at Franklin Field to name just a few examples. As a member of the Penn community, you’re right in the middle of the excitement—and you and your family can enjoy many of these activities for free.
Discounts and Special Services : From arts and entertainment to transportation and mortgages, you'll find great deals for University faculty and staff. Not only do Penn arts and cultural centers and museums offer free and discounted admission and memberships to faculty and staff. You can also enjoy substantial savings on other goods and services such as new cars from Ford and General Motors, cellular phone service plans, movie tickets, and admission to theme parks.
Flexible Work Hours: Flexible work options offer creative approaches for completing work while promoting balance between work and personal commitments. These approaches involve use of non-traditional work hours, locations, and/or job structures.
Penn Home Ownership Services: Penn offers a forgivable loan for eligible employees interested in buying a home or currently residing in West Philadelphia, which can be used for closing costs or home improvements.
Adoption Assistance: Penn will reimburse eligible employees on qualified expenses in connection with the legal adoption of an eligible child, such as travel or court fees, for up to two adoptions in your household.
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