IT Systems Administrator

We are hiring a Systems Administrator to own escalated support, run infrastructure projects, and standardize environments across our client base. This is a hands-on role for someone who takes ownership of their work, wants to be judged on its quality, and wants to grow. It is also a front-line role. Everyone here takes tickets and talks to clients, including the owner and senior leadership. No one is above the queue.

We are a close-knit team that works in the open. Peer review is how we collaborate, documentation is how we share what we know, and questions get asked out loud rather than sat on. We argue openly about the right approach, and the tiebreaker is always what benefits the client. Nobody gets left alone on a hard problem, and teaching what you know is part of the job, not a favor. What sets us apart from other providers is knowing the environment, answering fast, and making the support experience the reason clients stay. If a client has to call twice about the same thing, we treat that as our failure, not theirs.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Work the queue alongside the rest of the team, and own escalated tickets end to end: root cause, fix, document, close. Not symptom clearance.
• Administer Windows Server, Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS, and DHCP across multiple client environments.
• Administer Microsoft 365 and Azure: Exchange Online, SharePoint, Teams, OneDrive, Entra ID, conditional access, and Azure virtual machines.
• Configure and troubleshoot firewalls, VPNs, switching, and wireless.
• Lead and execute deployments, migrations, and upgrades with peer review and documented rollback.
• Own root cause and standardization: when a fix applies to more than one client, standardize it.
• Write and maintain documentation in IT Glue that another engineer can operate from without calling you.
• Mentor service desk technicians and guide escalations.
• Support clients remotely and onsite, roughly 30% of your time at client locations, primarily in the Phoenix metro with occasional day travel to northern and southern Arizona.

HOW WE WORK

Every production change follows change control and is recorded in a ticket. Every build is peer reviewed before it goes live, including small ones. Every automation, script, and scheduled task is documented before it runs. Work is judged on whether it survives your absence.

You will work within our standards and the direction you are given, and your work will be reviewed: changes are peer reviewed before production, documentation is audited, and escalation timing is measured. Within that structure, you are expected to take ownership of your work rather than wait to be told each step. You will also be expected to escalate at a defined threshold rather than when you run out of patience. We treat a fast, well-documented escalation as a good outcome and a silent three-hour struggle as a failure, regardless of whether the issue eventually got solved.

If you prefer to be the only person who understands an environment, this is not the job.

WHO DOES WELL HERE

People who read the error message before they ask. People who close the loop with the client after the fix, not just after the ticket. People who learn the next thing because they want to, not because a certification deadline forced it. Our measure of client service is simple: the client is never surprised. They hear about the risk from us before it becomes a problem, and they hear about the fix from us before they have to ask.

And people who are bothered by a patch. If the same ticket comes back next month, the first fix did not count. We would rather spend the extra hour now on a solution that removes the problem than close the ticket fast and see it again.

PLATFORMS YOU WILL WORK IN

• Microsoft 365 and Azure, including Entra ID and Azure VM administration
• Windows Server, Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS, DHCP
• VMware and Hyper-V
• Veeam and Slide for backup and disaster recovery
• Sophos, Meraki, and SonicWall firewalls, in a mixed vendor client base we are actively standardizing
• Ubiquiti and Meraki networking and wireless
• Datto RMM for monitoring and endpoint management
• Autotask for ticketing, time, and projects
• IT Glue for documentation
• Endpoint and identity security including MFA, conditional access, and EDR
• PowerShell for automation and standardization, * Which hypervisors have you administered in production, VMware, Hyper-V, or other?
• Describe a change you made in a client production environment that had to be rolled back. What was the rollback procedure and how was it documented?
• Describe a time you escalated an issue before you had solved it. What made you escalate at that point rather than continuing?

• 3 or more years in systems administration, MSP support, or a comparable multi-client role. MSP experience preferred.
• Demonstrated Windows Server, Active Directory, and Microsoft 365 administration.
• Hands-on administration of at least one enterprise firewall platform.
• Hands-on experience with at least one hypervisor, VMware or Hyper-V.
• PowerShell you have written yourself and run in production.
• Clear written documentation and clear client communication, technical and non-technical.
• Valid driver’s license, insured vehicle, and ability to travel to client sites, primarily in the Phoenix metro with occasional day travel to northern and southern Arizona., * Multi-vendor firewall experience
• Prior MSP experience with a PSA and RMM
• AZ-104, Security+, or equivalent current certification, * MSP and IT support: 3 years (Preferred)

License/Certification:

• Drivers License (Required)

• $70,000 to $85,000, depending on demonstrated depth, not years served
• $650 per month toward the health plan you choose, employer funded and tax free to you
• Flexible paid time off with no accrual cap. Taking at least three weeks a year is a requirement, not a suggestion. Time off is scheduled in advance with coverage arranged.
• Certification reimbursement. Exams and study materials are reimbursed on passing, with prior approval for the certification.
• Company-provided laptop and phone
• Mileage reimbursed at the IRS rate for client site visits
• Team events and meals, * Hybrid by default. We are not an office-based company. Most work is done remotely or at client sites, and the Scottsdale office is available when the work calls for it.
• Roughly 30% of your time at client sites, primarily in the Phoenix metro with occasional day travel to northern and southern Arizona. Onsite work includes rack and cable installation, equipment transport, and occasional lifting up to 50 pounds.
• Our service desk is staffed 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM Monday through Friday. All technical staff rotate shifts within that window. Schedules are set in advance, with flexibility around client site visits.
• Expect roughly 70 to 80% support and 20 to 30% project and standardization work, varying by week.
• Salaried, exempt.
• All work is performed on company-managed devices using company-provisioned tools., There is room to advance here, and advancement is decided on written, audited criteria: documentation compliance, escalation compliance, delivered projects with peer review and handoff, and demonstrated knowledge transfer. Not tenure.

HOW WE HIRE

Two interview stages. The first is a conversation about your experience and how you work. The second is hands-on: real-time troubleshooting scenarios, engineering questions, and a short documentation sample. Finalists provide three professional references, at least one a former direct manager, which we verify before an offer. We move quickly.

LiquidIT is an equal opportunity employer. Employment is contingent on E-Verify and a background check.

Pay: $70,000.00 - $85,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Flexible schedule
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Professional development assistance

LiquidIT is a managed IT service provider based in Scottsdale. We support small and mid-sized businesses across the Phoenix metro, with clients in northern and southern Arizona, on Microsoft 365, Azure, on-prem infrastructure, networking, and security.