Network System Administrator
San Francisco, CA

Job Description

AKQA is an ideas and innovation company. We collaborate with forward-thinking companies to create the future. At AKQA we believe in the imaginative application of art and science to create beautiful ideas, products and services. With an entrepreneurial and collaborative approach, we design adaptive digital services and applications that capture the imagination, delivering impressive returns for our clients.

From our location in San Francisco's SOMA district - the epicenter of the Bay Area's technology industry - AKQA offers our staff the opportunity to produce meaningful work for world-class companies in one of the world's most vibrant and beautiful cities.

As a System Administrator at AKQA, you will be working within the sys-admin team, based in the San Francisco office, and will be jointly responsible for the day to day running of the infrastructure across all North American offices and for resolving customer related issues escalated from the helpdesk. You will work closely with the Global Engineering team, based out of the US and UK, assisting on global infrastructure projects and would be expected the take the lead on some more localised projects. You will be expected to recommend changes and improvements as appropriate and to contribute to the continual improvement of all services and systems.

The focus of this role is to monitor and maintain core infrastructure systems, recommend changes and improvements, work with the global team to implement approved changes.

Key Responsibilities

* Support the day to day operation of the infrastructure
* Guarantee that all ICT systems and applications are secure, and conform to corporate policies
* Automating key processes. (PowerShell scripting or SCCM knowledge ideal)
* Perform daily system monitoring, verifying the integrity and availability of all hardware, server resources, systems and key processes, reviewing system and application logs, and verifying completion of scheduled jobs such as backups
* Recommending and Improving the life-cycle of systems and services within the department
* Maintain and update documentation
* Monitor the sys-admin escalation queue and respond to tickets in a timely and appropriate manner, ensuring that customers receive an excellent service
* Ensure that knowledge is transferred amongst the team as to prevent silos of knowledge from forming

AKQA Competencies

Innovation

Able to create an environment that encourages creative thinking and problem solving. Demonstrates the ability to champion change by building commitment and support for change among direct reports/other team members. Able to bring an understanding of what has worked in the past and apply this to future strategy.

Quality

Is passionate about the work and creates a working environment that cultivates and stretches high performing agency talent. Possesses a strong bias to action and strives for perfection.

Service

Able to partner with clients and colleagues in a positive and professional way. Has a strong sense of personal responsibility for initiatives and has the ability to become known as a 'go to' person. Shares the belief that their work is about generating results for clients, rather than taking individual credit. Actively builds strong relationships within the department/office and helps build an environment where divergent views can be shared openly.

Thought

Able to think strategically and use knowledge and experience to generate new opportunities and future challenges. Able to develop unique concepts that help to position the company as a world-class, ideas-led agency. Is able to communicate effectively and knows when to modify own preferred style for maximum effectiveness.

Skills and Experience

Contributing to AKQA's founding values: Innovation, Service, Quality and Thought; you will be excited about being part of our success. You will thrive when faced with new challenges and will constantly strive to improve the way things are done for our clients.

* A good understanding and demonstrable experience of supporting Wintel environments particularly the latest Windows Server editions and Active Directory
* Knowledge and experiencing in setup and configuration of Dell PowerEdge servers and SAN storage. Also any major vendors such as Dell or HP
* Working knowledge of windows configuration management, SCCM or PowerShell DSC
* Administration of the Office 365 Suite. Understanding of mail server and smtp principles
* Deployment and topology configuration experience of Skype for Business Server/Online, Teams or Lync 2013 Server
* Experience in deploying / managing large VMware vSphere environments and datacenter clusters
* Good understand and experience in disaster recovery and backup technologies, ideally Commvault
* Basic understanding of TCP/IP and networking
* Knowledge of Nagios or a Nagios based monitoring system.
* Basic knowledge of Cloud Services (Azure or AWS)
* Some basic Linux knowledge would be advantageous but not necessary
* Have excellent problem-solving skills and be able to communicate technical feedback to other members of your team, and developers
* Ability to create comprehensive technical documentation.

Although not essential the following qualifications are desirable and demonstrate the necessary technical skills for this position:

* Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE)
* VMware Certified Professional (VCP)
* Certified Cisco Network Associate (CCNA)

AKQA is an Equal Opportunities Employer, we believe that diversity is vital to AKQA's ability to provide our clients with the best recommendations and are committed to fostering a varied and inclusive work environment. Your race, colour, ancestry, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability or veteran status have no bearing on our hiring decisions. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.