Senior Systems Engineer

The Senior Systems Engineer is responsible for the planning, design, implementation, administration, and support of the City’s server, storage, virtualization, cloud, and enterprise systems infrastructure. The position ensures the security, availability, performance, and reliability of assigned systems; performs advanced monitoring, maintenance, patching, backup, and recovery activities; and resolves complex technical issues in support of City operations and services., Strategy & Planning

• Collaborate with executive management and department leaders to assess near- and long-term server, storage, and computing capacity needs.
• Create and maintain technical documentation, including system configurations, server and application dependencies, standard operating procedures, diagrams, service records, and inventories of servers, assets, and licenses.
• Develop, implement, and maintain policies, procedures, and related training plans for systems administration, system usage, backup, and disaster recovery; provides technical guidance and mentorship to junior team members. Contribute to IT infrastructure and roadmap planning, including on-premises, hybrid, and cloud hosting strategies.

Acquisition & Deployment

• Design and deploy server, storage, and virtualization infrastructure, including physical servers, hypervisors, storage arrays, backup systems, UPS, and other data center hardware.
• Plan and execute migrations, upgrades, and retirements of operating systems, enterprise applications, and cloud services such as Microsoft 365 and Azure. Identifies and addresses legacy and unsupported servers, in accordance with City policy.
• Research, evaluate, and maintain current knowledge of emerging technologies, products, services, cybersecurity practices, and industry standards to support the City’s IT systems, infrastructure, and operational needs.
• Interact and negotiate with external/third party providers to secure systems products and services.

Operational Management

• Configure and administer Windows and Linux servers, virtualization platforms (primarily VMware vSphere and VMware Cloud Foundation), and enterprise storage systems such as NetApp ONTAP to ensure their smooth and reliable operation for fulfilling business objectives and processes.
• Administer directory, identity, and certificate services, including Active Directory, Microsoft Entra ID, Group Policy, DNS, DHCP, and public key infrastructure (PKI) with automated certificate issuance and renewal. Manage email and collaboration platforms, including Microsoft Exchange Online and Microsoft 365.
• Monitor system performance, capacity, and health; troubleshoot problem areas as needed; automate routine administrative tasks using scripting tools such as PowerShell; and provide performance statistics and reports.
• Manage patching, updates, and vulnerability remediation for servers and enterprise systems. Participate in managing systems security controls, including access management, endpoint protection, and security audits, in coordination with network and cybersecurity personnel.
• Manage backup and recovery solutions, test restores, and support disaster recovery exercises in accordance with city policies.

Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology / Computer Science or a closely related field. An equivalent combination of education and job-related experience may be considered on a year-for-year basis.

Preferred: Microsoft role-based certification relevant to the position (for example, Azure Administrator Associate or Microsoft 365 Administrator Expert). VMware Certified Professional (VCP) or NetApp Certified Data Administrator (NCDA).

A valid Arizona Operator’s Driver’s License is required.

Five (5) years of progressive experience configuring, installing, and managing server infrastructure, including Windows Operating Systems, Linux operating systems (Red Hat Enterprise Linux or Ubuntu preferred), and storage systems, and performing migrations, upgrades, or decommissioning of legacy and unsupported server platforms.

Proven experience administering Active Directory, Microsoft Entra ID, Group Policy, DNS, DHCP, and public key infrastructure (PKI) and certificate lifecycle management, including Active Directory Certificate Services and ACME-based automation; and administering Microsoft 365, including Exchange Online, SharePoint, and Teams.

Advanced, hands-on technical knowledge of virtualization platforms, preferably VMware vSphere and VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF); Microsoft Hyper-V experience is also preferred. Familiarity with containers and Kubernetes is preferred.

Proven experience with enterprise backup and recovery, disaster recovery planning, system capacity planning, security hardening, patch management, and systems management best practices, including formal change, incident, and problem management processes (such as ITIL); and knowledge of applicable data privacy and security practices and laws.

Advanced troubleshooting skills across server hardware, operating systems, virtualization, storage, and enterprise applications; working knowledge of scripting and automation, such as PowerShell; and working knowledge of networking fundamentals, including TCP/IP, VLANs, and firewalls, as they relate to server and application support.

Personal Attributes: Strong interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills, including the ability to present technical information in user-friendly language and to explain technical issues in terms of operational and business impact.

Ability to research connectivity and interoperability issues and products as they relate to servers, storage, and desktop systems, in coordination with the networking team as required.

Highly self-motivated and directed, with keen attention to detail and proven analytical and problem-solving abilities.

Ability to work and prioritize tasks in a stressful and fast-paced environment. Demonstrated ability to lead or contribute to infrastructure projects from planning through implementation, including documenting work (such as tickets, change records, and standard operating procedures) so others can support or continue it, and to partner effectively with department staff, vendors, and other IT teams such as networking, security, and applications.

The City of Avondale offers a comprehensive benefits package with outstanding health and wellness benefits, financial perks, work-life balance, and more. Explore our Benefits Guide for full details!