IT Systems Administrator
Austin, TX

Job Description

This role as Systems Administrator will align platform and service direction to department initiatives through innovative strategy, sophisticated metrics analysis, automation and ownership of platform success.

This is part of the Compute and Storage engineering team who owns evaluation, design, setup and operationalization of critical global information storage and replication services, server and OS services, data protection services, and data center management.

The team is spread amongst IT centers globally for follow-the-sun operation and sets direction for the enterprise services mentioned. This role will align platform and service direction to department initiatives through innovative strategy, sophisticated metrics analysis, automation, and ownership of platform success.

Main Responsibilities:

* Manage a massive scale file replication software platform to business SLA
* Perform data center management, encompassing the engineering and management of racks, cabinets, rack space allocation, environmental and power sensors, cabinet PDUs, data center security, managing major data center projects like a UPS replacement, translation of IT data center needs to Facilities and assisting Facilities with navigating IT
* Define platform roadmap and integrate with the broader service (multiple related platforms) roadmap
* Establish asset, software and data lifecycle roadmap, including refresh and retirement strategies
* Design, deliver, enhance, and support services per agreed SLAs
* Proactive identification of upcoming risks and costs through trend identification, data analytics, correlation identification, periodic support matrix review, self-directed research, supplier discussion, and review of concerns with the relevant stakeholders
* Prepare platform and train operations teams for delegation of maintenance tasks
* Crosstrain team members in areas of expertise
* Present platform updates to stakeholders on a regular cadence
* Execute backup and recovery activities
* Participate in follow-the-sun oncall, staying within 1 hour of the office while on duty
* Participate in after hours meetings up to 3 hours per week for APAC staff
* Perform in-depth root cause analysis of problems and define actions for timely resolution and corrective actions; work with relevant vendors as necessary to assist with root cause analysis and problem resolution
* Provide thought leadership and apply leading trends in technologies across service planning and delivery
* Support Vendor Relationship Owners and Service Owners to issue RFPs, assess bid proposals, negotiate contracts, and onboard vendors
* Collaborate with Business Relationship Managers to collect requirements from business units to shape storage and data services
* Flexible to support delivery of infrastructure services outside of compute and storage, specifically within the areas of end user computing; networking, and applications
* Serve as a Subject Matter Adviser on storage and data technologies; act as the escalation resource for tier three support and major incidents with the Service Desk and Infrastructure Operations teams
* Lead compute and storage projects from planning to delivery

Main Qualifications:

* Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, information systems or demonstratable data analytics skills
* 8 years of relevant work experience
* Experience working within an Enterprise Services Delivery Organization or similar function
* Experience working with cloud storage and data services
* In depth knowledge of storage and data architecture frameworks, concepts, and designing IT solutions including block, file, file replication, object, and cloud storage solutions at scales that require planning around performance or capacity limitations
* Knowledge of data transmission, network and replication technologies and capabilities
* Operational knowledge of DNS, AD, NTFS ACLs, UNIX security, SMB and NFS protocols
* Knowledge of Information Lifecycle Management and tiered storage models
* Proven ability to prioritize and execute tasks in a high-pressure environment, and make sound decisions in emergency situations
* Highly self-motivated and directed with attention to detail
* Strong customer service orientation
* Experience working in a team-oriented, collaborative environment
* Strong interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills
* Proven skills in service development, delivery, operations

Preferred Qualifications:

* Experience and familiarity with large scale file datasets, job schedulers like Jenkins, and automation solutions like NetApp WFA or Ansible.
* Experience with IBM Aspera products
* Experience managing unstructured data solutions and metadata
* Experience supporting fast moving business organizations
* Relevant experience in a service-oriented organization
* Ability to develop & articulate technology innovation roadmap and vision
* Strong strategic planning skills
* Experience managing relationships across varying levels of technical competency
* Knowledge of managing power and environmental conditions in a data center