Human Resources

Job Description Summary

As the Linux System Administrator working in our Operations Shop area, you will be responsible for maintaining and supporting the Linux Desktop Environment (LDE) used by the faculty, staff, and students on Michigan Technological University’s campus, as well as designing the future of the Linux desktop environment by researching and implementing new tools and technologies. You will oversee the packaging and distribution of Linux academic software available to faculty, staff and students in their offices and our computer labs. You will train and supervise a team of Linux student technicians who will assist you in these responsibilities. You will model and teach problem-solving, professional customer communication, and other interpersonal skills. You will become part of a culture that empowers employees, treats them with respect, and encourages innovation and open communication.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities (other duties may be assigned)

Operational:
● Coordinate the build process, troubleshooting, and deployment of Linux desktop computers and laptops.
● Manage and maintain data recovery policies and training related to the LDE.
● Use Red Hat Satellite and Puppet to manage the LDE.
● Coordinate Linux software packaging and distribution to faculty, staff, graduate student, and lab computers.
● Manage Linux OS and software patching.
● Liaise with University faculty to assess and understand Linux software needs related to teaching and research; work with team to package, distribute, and update software; communicate and coordinate with faculty customers.
● Commit to learning about continuous improvement strategies and applying them to everyday work. Actively engage in University continuous improvement initiatives.

Supervisory:
● Train general IT student technicians in Linux concepts and tasks; be available to answer questions as subject matter expert.
● Train Linux IT student technicians in technical skills including software packaging, advanced troubleshooting, and technical support of the LDE, and interpersonal skills such as problem-solving and professional customer communication.
● Coordinate interview and hiring process for Linux IT student technician team.
● Apply safety-related knowledge, skills, and practices to everyday work.

Required Education, Certifications, Licensures (minimum requirements)

● Bachelor's degree in Applied Computing or a comparable technology-related degree program; or an equivalent combination of education and experience from which required knowledge and abilities can be acquired.

Required Experience (minimum requirements)

● A minimum of two years’ experience in system administration and support of servers and/or workstations in a large (250+ system) Linux environment required.
● A minimum of two years of information technology-related customer service experience including experience managing customer requests in a request tracking system.
● Experience working with configuration management systems such as Red Hat Satellite, Puppet, Red Hat Automation Platform (Ansible), Chef, etc.

Desirable Education and/or Experience

● Experience with code management systems such as Jira, BitBucket, Subversion, or GIT.
● Experience and ability to work within change management systems.
● Experience supervising student employees.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and/or Abilities (minimum requirements)

● Proficiency administering (installation, configuration, and maintenance) Red Hat or Ubuntu workstations in an enterprise desktop environment.
● Proficiency with Bash, Python, Perl, or similar scripting language.
● Knowledge of enterprise authentication and authorization systems (e.g. NIS, LDAP, Kerberos, etc.).
● Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to build solid working relationships with people of diverse personalities and professional backgrounds, with a strong focus on customer service.
● Must be self-directed and able to prioritize work and be able to meet deadlines in a timely manner. In addition, must be able to participate and interact as a team player on many projects.
● Demonstrated commitment to contribute to a safe work environment.

Desirable Knowledge, Skills, and/or Abilities

● Familiarity with network home drives, NFS, SMB.
● Familiarity with virtualization and/or container systems, such as Vagrant, VirtualBox, and Docker
● Familiarity with common Linux windows managers such as GNOME, KDE, etc.
● Knowledge of common network concepts, protocols and tools.

Work Environment and/or Physical Demands

WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• Work is performed on campus in an open-office layout with moderate noise levels.
• Work is performed that requires the use of a computer, input devices, screens, telephone, and video communications equipment.
• Frequent use of computer and exposure to computer screens where visual strain may occur.
• Frequent repetitive hand/wrist motions and finger manipulation.
• Frequent written, oral and/or visual communication with students, faculty and staff.

Required Training and Other Conditions of Employment

Every employee at Michigan Technological University will receive the following 4 required trainings; additional training may be required by the department.

Required University Training:

• Employee Safety Overview

• Anti-Harassment, Discrimination, Retaliation Training

• Annual Data Security Training 

• Annual Title IX Training

Required Departmental Training: 

• Additional Information Technology related training modules

Background Check:

Offers of employment are contingent upon and not considered finalized until the required background check has been performed and the results received and assessed.

Other Conditions of Employment:

The successful applicant will be responsible for ensuring eligibility for employment in the United States on or before the effective date of the appointment. Visa sponsorship is unavailable at this time. This is not an E-Verified Position.

1.00

FLSA Status

Exempt

Appointment Term

12 months

Pay Rate/Salary

Negotiable based on education and experience (No less than $50,000).

Title of Position Supervisor

Operations Manager

Posting Type

Special Instructions to Applicants (if applicable)

● Your references should include the contact information for at least three (3) professional references.
● Include any optional documents, for example: Certification(s)/License(s)/Letter(s) of Recommendation

Additional Information

About IT Operations Shop:
Our group is responsible for the installation, configuration, and troubleshooting of the desktop and laptop computing environment for Michigan Technological University faculty, staff, and students. We work in coordination with teams of systems administrators who support and maintain the backend infrastructure on which our services rely. The systems and services we run support the entirety of the faculty, staff, students, alumni, and campus academic community. Our team of full-time staff and over 60 part-time student technicians are hardworking and creative problem solvers with a demanding amount of technical work to accomplish.

About the University:
Michigan Tech is an internationally renowned doctoral research university located in Houghton, MI in Michigan’s scenic Upper Peninsula, on the south shore of Lake Superior. The area provides a unique setting where natural beauty, culture, education, and a diversity of residents from around the world come together to share a superb living and learning experience.

Diversity Information:
Michigan Tech is an ADVANCE institution, one of a select group of universities in receipt of NSF funds in support of our commitment to increase diversity and the participation and advancement of women in STEM.