Systems Administration Manager

Department

PSD Computer Science: Staff Leadership

About the Department

The Department of Computer Science is an academic department that has a rich history of advancing and defining new fields of discovery in the physical sciences and computer science, and this tradition contin-ues today. Our inquiry and impact spans from the edge of theory to human-computer interaction to Data Science. We are part of the Physical Sciences Division which includes departments and a number of in-terdisciplinary research institutes and centers.

Job Summary

The System Administration Manager manages and provides technical leadership for the Computer Science Department's Technical Staff, which provides a large and diverse set of computer-based services in support of departmental research, teaching, and administration. The System Administration Manager must possess mature technical skills, sufficient to take a first-among-equals position within a talented technical staff; well-developed administrative skills, which include long term computational facility planning and budgeting; and strong personal skills. The System Administration Manager reports to the Manager and the Departmental Chair.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for long-term planning and requirement specification in departmental research, instructional, and administrative computing.

• Knowledgable with datacenter operations, such as racking and installing machines and understanding cooling systems.

• Oversees the Computer Science computer infrastructure, including both Linux and Apple machines.

• Collaborates with PSD IT Team and the Office of CISO, IT security, etc.

• Manages all IT needs for the Computer Science department.

• Manages four professional staff.Establishes performance goals, allocates resources and assesses policies for direct subordinates.

• Work directly with faculty who often have advanced and sometimes novel research computing needs and will assist them in advising on the computational components of grant proposals in support of research computing.

• Works with the Computing Committee Chair, and will serve ex officio on the Department's Computing Committee, which identifies short- and long-term issues and opportunities in departmental research computing, which provides research computing leadership and support, and which sets policies for all departmental computing in accordance with general University policies.

• Works with the Department's Directors of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies, the Departmental Counselor, and Instructional Lab Manager on providing instructional computing leadership and support.

• Assists the Departmental Chair and Departmental Administrator on providing administrative computing leadership and support.

• Collaborates with other high-level IT professionals at the University, representing the department in technical matters, and seeking operational efficiencies through cooperation with other units.  

• Manages a single team's progress by maintaining accurate and up-to-date logs, ensures that all projects have the necessary management oversight and approvals for successful completion.

• Ensures the implementation of approved best practices and information technology policies that result in the highest quality systems administration.

• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 7+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Education:        

• Bachelor's degree in computer science.

Experience:

• Experience managing networked servers and workstations with knowledge of TCP/IP network services, system utilities, hardware installation, and OS installation.
• Experience in a multi-platform network environment including mail service and client support, backup and restore technologies, Macintosh and PC communication software support, and various graphical user interfaces.
• Direct work experience with Linux operating systems.
• Experience with research technologies including SLURM.
• Client and web server administration experience.
• Experience with standard programming languages such as Python, Ruby, C,C++, and Bash shell scripting.
• Experience with virtualization technologies.
• Experience with data and network security.
• Experience with LDAP directory systems.
• Experience with system configuration and management technologies.

Technical Skills or Knowledge:

• Knowledge of configuration and management of clusters.
• Knowledge of backup technology and other monitoring and automated systems management technologies.
• Knowledge of the Linux operating system.
• Knowledge of Proxmox virtualization.
• Knowledge of Puppet configuration management.
• Knowledge of integration and management issues in a heterogeneous computing environment.

Preferred Competencies

• Expertise with system administration issues in a large and complex client server environment.
• Understanding of intruder techniques and software exploitation methods.
• Outstanding deductive and investigative skills to identify and diagnose complex, non-intuitive technical problems.
• Ability to apply in-depth knowledge and experience of internal or external business issues to improve products or services.
• Ability to take a new perspective using existing solutions
• Ability to learn new procedures, techniques, and approaches quickly.
• Ability to effectively assist and train members of all levels of ability.
• Integrity and credibility to work with sensitive data.
• Experience overseeing the work of others.  

Application Documents

• Resume (required)
• Cover Letter (required)
• References (required)

Job Family

Information Technology

Role Impact

People Manager

Scheduled Weekly Hours

37.5

Drug Test Required

No

Health Screen Required

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

No

Pay Rate Type

Salary

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FLSA Status

Exempt

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Pay Range

$125,000.00 - $140,000.00

The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible

Yes

The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history.A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment.Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

The University of Chicago's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information. The Report can be accessed online at: http://securityreport.uchicago.edu. Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.