Systems Administrator in Savage, Minnesota at Highmark Companies

Systems Administrator

Manage, oversee, and own the entire IT environment for Highmark Companies. We are building out our internal IT team, and we're hiring the senior technical person who can run and troubleshoot it. This isn't a role where you manage one slice of the stack, you'll run the whole environment: approximately 150 workstations, 11+ servers, and six operating divisions across the south metro.

You'll work directly with our IT Manager, who handles strategy and budget. You'll own how it actually gets built, secured, and kept running. If you've been waiting for a role where your decisions are the decisions, this is it.

Location: Hybrid remote - occasional on site work required in Savage, MN

What Highmark Companies offers

• Competitive Salary, starting between $95,000.00 and $125,000.00 DOE.

• Health Insurance — Company pays 100% of employee-only premium

• Health Savings Account

• Dental

• Vision

• Life Insurance

• Short-Term & Long-Term Insurance

• 401K + 3% employer contribution

• 8 Paid Holidays

• Unlimited Paid Time Off with Our Responsible Time Off Policy

• Profit Sharing

• Paid Employee Referral Program

• Employee Discount Program

• Great culture and team dynamic

Responsibilities

Microsoft 365 & Identity

Full Entra ID and Microsoft 365 tenant administration — Exchange Online, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, Defender, Intune

User provisioning, permissions, conditional access, and MFA administration

Microsoft licensing management and renewal planning

Endpoints & Devices

Intune device management across all workstations, laptops, and mobile devices

Full device lifecycle: purchasing, imaging, deployment, shipping to field staff, end-of-life replacement

IT asset register, warranty tracking, and refresh planning

Corporate mobile account administration and networked print support

Network & Infrastructure

Own the network: wireless, VLANs, DHCP, DNS, routing, and switching across every site

Firewall administration, policy management, and VPN configuration

Azure server infrastructure and on-premises server administration

Infrastructure monitoring, alert response, and a seven-day patch policy

Lead infrastructure projects independently — migrations, upgrades, and new-site standups

Security & Continuity

Execute our CIS Implementation Group 3 security remediation roadmap

Triage SOC alerts alongside our managed detection and response partner

Lead incident response end to end: detection, containment, remediation, documentation

Run company-wide phishing simulation and security awareness training

Own backups and disaster recovery, including validated test restores

Documentation & Business Partnership

Build and maintain IT documentation, runbooks, and configuration standards

Draft and maintain IT policy

Deliver IT onboarding and training for new hires

Evaluate new software and platforms as the business grows

Manage hardware, ISP, and software vendor relationships

Partner with the Operations Finance Manager on the IT budget and capital refresh planning

Working Conditions

This role works in a hybrid, remote-friendly environment, with required & occasional visits to our Savage office.

The incumbent should be able to lift and position equipment up to 50 pounds and occasionally climb, kneel, or crawl to reach network equipment and cabling, with or without reasonable accommodation.

Some work may fall outside standard hours for maintenance windows, outages, and security incidents.

About Highmark Companies

Highmark Companies is a family of six businesses spanning residential construction, home services, exteriors, restoration, custom cabinetry, and interior design — Highmark Builders, Highmark Home Services, Exteriors by Highmark, Restorations by Highmark, Christian Brothers Cabinets, and Ruby + Suede. We're headquartered in Savage, Minnesota.

Highmark Companies is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, familial status, status with regard to public assistance, membership or activity in a local human rights commission, disability, age, genetic information, veteran or military status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

We provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities throughout the application process. Contact Human Resources to request an accommodation.

Qualifications

Required

5+ years in systems administration or IT infrastructure, including 2+ years operating with real independent responsibility for an environment

Administrator-level Microsoft 365 experience — Exchange Online, SharePoint, Teams, Entra ID, Intune, Defender (configuration and governance, not end-user support)

Strong Windows Server and networking background: routing, switching, firewalls, VPN, VLANs, DNS, DHCP, multi-site troubleshooting

Track record leading infrastructure or security projects independently, start to finish

Working knowledge of a security framework (CIS Controls, NIST CSF, or similar), including hands-on remediation work

Backup and disaster recovery administration, including performing and validating test restores

Comfort making real decisions — architecture, vendor selection, security priorities, spend recommendations

Ability to explain technical issues clearly to field crews, production staff, and executives alike

Valid driver's license, acceptable driving record, ability & willingness to travel to our offices and job sites

Preferred

Previous role as the sole or lead IT resource for a company of 100+

Previous ownership of an internal IT function or moved an organization off an MSP

Construction, property services, manufacturing, or another multi-site, field-heavy industry

Azure infrastructure administration

Palo Alto Networks firewall experience

Certifications such as CompTIA Security+ or Network+, Microsoft 365 Certified: Administrator Expert, Azure Administrator Associate, CCNA, or Palo Alto PCNSA/PCNSE

Certifications are a plus, not a requirement. If you've built the skills on the job, we want to talk.