ASSOCIATE SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATOR JOB DESCRIPTION

A systems administrator who handles server patches, user account provisioning, and backup validation on the same afternoon is not filling three roles. That is what the Associate Systems Administrator actually owns: the unglamorous operational layer that keeps enterprise infrastructure continuously available. This position sits within the IT operations function, supporting end users, database staff, and business analysts who depend on stable, well-documented systems to do their own work. Across Windows server environments and multiplatform configurations, the work is technical, documentation-heavy, and directly tied to uptime.

As the Associate Systems Administrator, you maintain the reliability and security of enterprise server and desktop infrastructure while serving as a frontline resource for end-user technology needs. You work within an IT operations team, supporting hardware, operating systems, and business applications across a multi-user environment where system availability is a daily performance measure.

Career Impact: Hands-on ownership of server OS validation, patch cycles, and endpoint configuration builds the documented technical depth that hiring managers look for when promoting into senior systems or infrastructure roles.

Business Impact: When user accounts, backup jobs, and patch schedules are managed well, the employees and database teams who depend on those systems lose no productive time to preventable outages or security gaps.

Growth Opportunity: Exposure to endpoint deployment management, administrative scripting, and multiplatform environments broadens your technical profile in directions that open paths toward senior administrator, systems engineer, or infrastructure architect roles.

• Install, configure, and validate server operating systems and hardware components to meet production environment standards.
• Monitor daily system performance and availability across server resources, key processes, and network infrastructure to catch issues before they escalate.
• Apply OS patches and upgrades on a scheduled basis and configure new services as operational requirements change.
• Manage user accounts, system logon credentials, and access provisioning in response to authorized requests.
• Troubleshoot hardware, software, and network problems and resolve or escalate incidents to restore service within defined timeframes.
• Maintain system documentation, technical guides, and baseline configuration records to support audit readiness and team continuity.
• Support backup execution and disaster recovery procedures to ensure data integrity and availability across managed systems.
• Collaborate with database administrators, business analysts, and IT team members on application deployment and infrastructure improvement projects.

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related discipline, or equivalent work experience.
• 2 or more years of systems support experience, with demonstrated responsibility for server administration or end-user infrastructure.
• Working knowledge of Windows server administration, including user account management, group policy, and OS patching.
• Ability to troubleshoot hardware, software, and basic network issues across LAN, WAN, and multiplatform environments.
• Familiarity with backup and disaster recovery concepts and the operational procedures that support data availability.
• Experience maintaining technical documentation, configuration records, and procedural guides to a standard usable by other team members.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities under time constraints.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills for supporting end users and coordinating with cross-functional IT staff.

• CompTIA A+, Network+, Security+, or a Microsoft certification such as MCSA at any level.
• Experience with endpoint configuration management platforms, administrative scripting languages, or OS deployment tooling.
• Prior exposure to a Life Sciences, financial services, or other regulated enterprise environment where change control and audit trails are standard.
• Familiarity with identity and access management platforms used for single sign-on and application provisioning.

• System uptime percentage across managed servers, reflecting the reliability of patch and maintenance cycles.
• Mean time to resolution for user-reported incidents, measuring responsiveness across help desk and escalation queues.
• Patch compliance rate across the server and endpoint estate within defined maintenance windows.
• Backup job completion rate and successful restore test frequency, indicating data protection reliability.
• User account provisioning and deprovisioning turnaround time against IT service desk SLAs.
• Typical tools: endpoint management platforms (commonly MECM/SCCM or equivalent); ticketing systems (commonly ServiceNow or equivalent); scripting environments (commonly PowerShell or equivalent).

• Base Salary Range: $55,000 to $75,000 annually depending on experience and location.
• Bonus: Discretionary annual bonus of 3 to 7 percent of base salary.
• Equity: Not typically offered at this level in enterprise IT roles.
• Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision coverage; employer contributes to premium.
• PTO: 10 to 15 days annually plus standard federal holidays.
• Common Perks: Professional certification reimbursement, on-site or hybrid schedule options, IT equipment provided.

Figures are estimates based on general US market benchmarks and may be outdated. Adjust based on location, company size, and seniority level.

Reasonable accommodations are available to applicants and employees with disabilities throughout the hiring process and employment, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and applicable state law. Employment is contingent on satisfactory completion of a background check. All applicants must be authorized to work in the United States. Qualified applicants will be evaluated without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected under federal, state, or local law.

The Associate Systems Administrator Network Engineer owns the design, configuration, and maintenance of secure network and computing infrastructure supporting a proprietary customer program. Working across cross-functional engineering and support groups, this role delivers hardened, highly available systems that enable both ongoing production operations and development projects across domestic sites.

Key Responsibilities

• Support network projects that provide dedicated program infrastructure.
• Work with cross-functional teams to ensure infrastructure solutions meet program requirements and schedule.
• Support the design, install, configure, test, troubleshoot, and provide maintenance of infrastructure hardware, software, and components.
• Provide creative problem solving, critical thinking, and advanced troubleshooting across a broad domain of secure network and computing systems.
• Develop solutions that are imaginative, thorough, practicable, and consistent with organization objectives.
• Manage and maintain availability of network, storage, computing, and software of multiple infrastructure systems and terrestrial communications devices.
• Implement strict operational security requirements and directives while maintaining production environments.
• Collaborate effectively within a small team environment and interact with inter-organizational personnel.
• Develop and update documentation for processes, technical guides, and baseline configuration.
• Address and develop solutions for network security requirements by performing hardening and patching vulnerabilities and supporting end-of-service-life management and recapitalization planning.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Electronics, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science, or equivalent advanced technical education with 2+ years of related experience.
• Security+, CISSP, CEH, CISA, or other DoD 8570.01 IAT certification required.
• CCNA, CCNP, or other Cisco certification required.
• 2+ years of experience with installing, hardening, monitoring, and maintaining network and computing security solutions.
• Experience with infrastructure implementation, troubleshooting, and integrating hardware and software components into functional systems.
• Experience with DISA STIGs and CIS Benchmarks.
• Experience with Rapid7 Nexpose and Nessus.

Reporting to the IT leadership team, the Associate Systems Administrator serves as a primary resource for Halloran employees by resolving hardware and software issues both remotely and onsite, including help desk support, ticket escalation, and system rollout documentation. Partnering with colleagues across the organization, this role strengthens end user technology access and contributes to the reliable operation of IT infrastructure within a Life Sciences environment.

Primary Duties

• Partner with IT team members and colleagues to resolve technology issues, including providing help desk support for systems and applications.
• Manage ticket escalations and provide technical support to end-users via phone, email, and chat.
• Identify needs for additional technologies, software, hardware, and security solutions and propose appropriate solutions.
• Provide guidance and hands-on support for the implementation of new systems, software, and system improvements.
• Independently troubleshoot and resolve technical difficulties using available resources and document libraries.
• Develop organization-wide announcements, job aids, and instructional documentation to support system upgrades and rollouts.
• Provide high-touch communication to all employees while resolving technical issues in a timely manner.
• Assist in onboarding and offboarding of employees, including system access management, hardware configuration, and new employee orientation.
• Escalate IT-related issues to other IT team members as necessary.

Skills & Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; minimum 3 years of related experience, or additional experience in lieu of education.
• Experience supporting Windows and Mac systems and applications.
• Experience troubleshooting basic network issues.
• Experience in the Life Sciences industry preferred.
• Proficient in Windows Server, Windows 10, and Office 365.
• Experience with Box.com, Zoom, and/or Okta platforms.
• Ability to work independently with limited guidance; self-motivated and self-sufficient.
• Strong prioritization, time management, analytical, and critical thinking skills.
• Strong documentation skills.

Sitting at the intersection of systems administration and operational reliability, the Associate Systems Administrator leads the upkeep, configuration, and performance of client and server computer systems at SAS offices, including daily monitoring, patch application, and user account management. Operating across hardware, software, and documentation functions, this role shapes system stability and directly supports the organization's ability to resolve user and system problems at scale.

Duties

• Perform daily system monitoring and operations, verifying the integrity and availability of all hardware, server resources, systems, and key processes.
• Create, change, and delete user accounts per request.
• Apply OS patches and upgrades on a regular basis and configure new services as necessary.
• Develop, review, and maintain control instructions and documentation.
• Prepare and conduct system and program tests requiring the interfacing of hardware and software of moderate complexity.
• Troubleshoot hardware, software, or performance problems on the systems network and repair imaging hardware as needed.
• Serve as contact for user-reported problems and compile reports on system performance and usage.
• Install and modify hardware and software products and verify, track, and resolve user and system problems.
• Develop training materials, conduct demonstrations, and assist with documentation projects and new product evaluation.
• Develop, test, and maintain tools for specific environments and systems.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related quantitative field.
• 2+ years of experience in a networked interactive environment in user support, customer support, or training.
• Knowledge of one or more operating systems and client/server environments.
• Strong background in digital and analog electronics.
• Superior problem-solving skills and strong oral and written communication skills.
• Fluent in both spoken and written English and Portuguese.
• Ability to travel as required.

A key member of the systems administration team, the Associate Systems Administrator builds proficiency in Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager to support application deployment, Operating System Deployments, and lab environment maintenance. Collaborating across technical staff, this role delivers scripted automation and infrastructure documentation that enable consistent, reliable software and system management across the organization.

Functions

• Learn and administer Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager, including application packaging, deployment management, and ticket handling.
• Maintain Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager lab environments and support Operating System Deployment integration, maintenance, and testing.
• Develop and maintain technical environment documentation.
• Automate tasks via scripts using languages such as PowerShell, VBScript, Perl, SQL, Visual Basic, and PHP.
• Collaborate with technical staff to resolve software and infrastructure system problems.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Experience & Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related discipline, or equivalent experience.
• Knowledge of Windows Administration and Active Directory.
• Knowledge of and interest in learning Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager administration, including tools, processes, and patching.
• Knowledge of and interest in building Operating System Deployments for workstations.
• Experience with administrative scripting including VBScript, ADSI, Perl, WMI, and PowerShell.
• Knowledge of SQL for reporting purposes and ServiceNow for ticket management.
• Detail-oriented with strong documentation, communication, and teamwork skills.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills with a structured, methodical approach and ability to manage competing priorities.

Embedded within the IT team of a privately held strategic consulting firm, the Associate System Administrator maintains the integrity and high availability of infrastructure spanning Active Directory, Windows Server, and Windows Desktop platforms. Working closely with local management, HR, and business analysts, this role ensures end users across a wide range of industries retain reliable access to the technology required for daily operations.

Core Functions

• Provide first-line technical support to employees for production environment incidents and new technology requests.
• Exercise independent judgment in prioritizing and performing repairs and regular maintenance for all IT infrastructure equipment, including Windows servers, WAN, LAN, VoIP systems, and desktops and laptops.
• Maintain information security by ensuring systems are patched, antivirus definitions are current, GPOs are deployed, and firewalls, IPS, and IDS are monitored.
• Configure and maintain backup solutions and ensure approved disaster recovery measures are in place to protect the integrity and availability of company data.
• Assist business analysts and IT team members in deploying software applications and providing application troubleshooting and support to end users.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Management Information Systems, or related discipline, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• CompTIA A+, Network+, Security+, MS MCTS, MCDST, MCSA, or higher certification required.
• 4+ years of IT experience, including at least 1 year in a Windows Server administration role.
• Experience with MS Active Directory, Windows Server 2012–2016, Windows 7, Windows 10, and VMware.
• Experience configuring and troubleshooting LAN, VLAN, WLAN, VPN, DNS, DHCP, and TCP/IP.
• Familiarity with Fortinet and Synology preferred.
• Passion for customer service, dedication to teamwork, and strong desire to learn new technologies.

Reliable server infrastructure depends on the Associate Systems Administrator, who supports the installation, validation, and ongoing maintenance of server operating systems and hardware components across the organization. Based within the IT operations function and interacting with database staff including DBAs and system programmers, this role builds the documentation and monitoring foundation that keeps production systems stable and recoverable.

Accountabilities

• Support server operating systems and configure and install computer hardware and operating system software.
• Install and validate server systems and troubleshoot and resolve problems and outages.
• Assign system logon passwords and maintain software logs and installation media.
• Provide backups of available servers, software, and applications.
• Interact with database staff including DBAs and system programmers.
• Maintain library of documentation for system software.
• Provide application support and assist in troubleshooting, batch processing, and scheduling.
• Monitor server performance and plan, coordinate, and implement all server operating system software and hardware changes.

Technical Qualifications

• In progress toward a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related discipline.
• At least 1 year of experience in systems support.
• Working knowledge of network technology and security systems.
• Applicable programming experience.
• Familiarity with multiplatform environments.

As the Associate Systems Administrator, this role owns the smooth operation of multi-user computer systems, coordinating with network administrators and evaluating vendor products to inform hardware and software purchasing decisions. The IT operations function relies on this work to maintain system documentation, enforce computing resource policies, and keep administrator accounts, storage allocation, and system-wide software running without interruption.

Activities

• Maintain smooth operation of multi-user computer systems, including coordination with network administrators.
• Interact with users and evaluate vendor products.
• Make recommendations to purchase hardware and software, coordinate installation, and provide backup recovery.
• Develop and monitor policies and standards for allocation related to the use of computing resources.
• Set up administrator and service accounts, maintain system documentation, tune system performance, install system-wide software, and allocate mass storage space.

Position Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required.
• 4 additional years of experience may be considered in lieu of degree.
• DoD Top Secret or SCI clearance required.
• Must be able to obtain SCI clearance prior to start date.
• 2+ years of experience working as a computer operator in a large computer facility.