Network Administrator - Northwest Florida State College

The Network Administrator serves on the Systems Operations team and is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the College’s campus network, telecommunications, and virtual server infrastructure. The College recently completed an SD-WAN migration and operates Cisco enterprise switching, Meraki wireless, and a Microsoft Hyper-V virtual environment supporting a mixed Windows and Linux server estate across multiple campuses. A core expectation of this position is to help move network management away from manual, device-by-device administration toward automation, version control, and repeatable processes. This is a networking-focused position that also requires working competency in server administration and virtualization., Network & Telecommunications

• Administer, monitor, and troubleshoot the College’s Cisco core and access-layer switching environment, including VLAN assignment, inter-VLAN routing, ACL management, and port security
• Administer the College’s SD-WAN environment, including site and tunnel health, path selection and failover policy, and centralized template-based configuration
• Administer the Cisco Meraki wireless environment, including access point deployment, SSID and RF configuration, firmware management, and client troubleshooting
• Administer the Cisco IP telephony environment, voice gateway, PRI/SIP trunk connectivity, analog fax, elevator, and emergency phones, phone provisioning, call routing, voicemail, and moves, adds, and changes
• Coordinate with circuit and service providers on WAN connectivity, bandwidth changes, and outage resolution
• Respond to network outages and performance degradation, perform root cause analysis, and maintain accurate topology diagrams, IP address management records, and port documentation
• Manage structured cabling infrastructure across all campuses, including copper and fiber runs, patch panel termination and labeling, cable pathway management, and testing and certification of new drops
• Maintain IDF and MDF closets in clean, documented, and serviceable condition, including rack layout, cable management, patch schedules, and port-to-jack mapping records
• Lead the effort to standardize existing cable plant in the MDF and IDF closets, defining the College standard for terminations, labeling, and patch schedules, and directing contracted remediation work to that standard
• Coordinate low-voltage cabling contractors on construction and renovation projects, including scope review, standards compliance, and acceptance testing

Automation & Configuration Management

Adopt and maintain version-controlled network configuration management, including standardized templates and peer-reviewed change workflows, working with the team’s systems engineer to extend existing practices to the network layer Build and maintain automation for routine network changes using Ansible, Python, or comparable tooling in place of manual device-by-device configuration Implement automated configuration backup, compliance checking, and drift detection across all managed network devices Identify recurring manual tasks and systematically replace them with documented, repeatable automated processes

Server, Virtualization & Directory Services

• Administer the Microsoft Hyper-V virtual server environment, including virtual machine provisioning, resource allocation, checkpoint management, virtual switch configuration, and host patching
• Perform Windows Server domain administration, including DNS zones and records, DHCP scopes and reservations, Active Directory objects, and Group Policy troubleshooting
• Manage NTFS and share-level file permissions and security group membership in accordance with least-privilege practices
• Administer Linux servers in the College’s mixed server environment, including command line operation, package and patch management, service and daemon configuration, user and permission management, and log review
• Perform server and application installations, patching, service restarts, log review, and first-level application service troubleshooting across both Windows and Linux platforms

Security & Operations

• Apply security best practices across all administered systems, including network segmentation, access control, secure device configuration, and timely vulnerability remediation
• Support incident response by providing network and system logs, traffic analysis, and technical assistance during suspected security events, and assist the Information Security & Compliance Officer with audit evidence
• Participate in scheduled after-hours and weekend maintenance windows as required by the needs of the College
• As a part of the College’s risk management program, annual mandatory compliance training is required
• Perform other duties as directed by the Chief Information Officer

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field; or comparable relevant experience, education, and industry certification in lieu of the stated degree
• Five (5) years of professional, full-time network administration experience in a production business environment supporting a multi-site network, including responsibility for production changes and service-affecting outages
• Hands-on Cisco switching experience, including IOS command line configuration, VLANs, trunking, routing fundamentals, and troubleshooting
• Working knowledge of enterprise voice systems, including IP telephony, voice gateway, and analog endpoint support
• Working familiarity with version control (Git) and scripting or automation tooling, with demonstrated willingness to move away from manual configuration. Candidates should be prepared to discuss automation they have used, or contributed to
• Working knowledge of Windows Server administration, Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, NTFS permissions, and server virtualization
• Working familiarity with Linux server administration, including command line operation and service management
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to document work clearly and concisely
• Ability to lift network equipment, work in IDF/MDF closets, and use a ladder as required
• Must work on-site and travel between College campuses as needed, * Production experience with Ansible for network configuration management, Python network scripting, or a networking source-of-truth platform
• Demonstrated hands-on Linux server administration experience in a production environment, including shell scripting and service configuration
• Hands-on SD-WAN administration experience
• Experience with enterprise firewalls
• Working knowledge of structured cabling standards and practices, including ANSI/TIA-568 and BICSI guidelines, fiber and copper testing, and cable plant documentation
• Hands-on experience with Cisco Unified Communications or comparable enterprise VoIP platforms
• Certifications such as CCNA, CCNP Enterprise, Cisco DevNet Associate, or RHCSA
• Prior experience in a K-12, higher education, or public sector environment

• Health insurance for employee and dependent coverage available.
• College-paid basic life insurance for employee with additional coverage for employee and/or dependents at employee’s expense
• College-paid retirement with 3% employee contribution to the Florida Retirement System (FRS)
• Optional dental and vision insurance at employee’s expense
• Paid leave accrual (sick and vacation/annual leave)
• Paid time off for designated holidays, winter break, and spring break

• 36-hour, 4-day workweek (Monday - Thursday) available to many departments

  40-hour workweek

  34-hour workweek

• Free tickets to designated Mattie Kelly Arts Center and Raider Athletic events