System Administrator I at City of Cedar Park – Cedar Park, Texas

ABOUT CEDAR PARK
The City of Cedar Park is a vibrant suburb of over 83,000 residents, located 17 miles northwest of downtown Austin and recognized for its quality of life in the fast-growth dynamic Central Texas region. Cedar Park is the fourth largest city in the Austin metropolitan area, shares a border with Austin, and is ideally situated for corporate headquarters with a growing number of high tech and major manufacturing employers. With deep roots as a small community and ability to retain a hometown feel, it is known for its outstanding schools, probusiness climate and relaxed family environment. Named one of the Best Suburbs for Growing Families and Best Small City in America in 2020, Cedar Park offers all the benefits of life in an emerging first ring suburb in a region known for its high tech, innovation and live music, with desirable neighborhoods, an entrepreneurial business environment, and an effective, well managed city government.

VISION
We image the City of Cedar Park as a family-oriented community, one of compassion, integrity, diversity and many faiths. We are an attractive destination, a leader in business development and committed to an exceptional quality of life for all.

JOB SUMMARY

System Administrator I performs entry-level to intermediate technical work supporting the City of Cedar Park’s enterprise technology infrastructure. This position is responsible for assisting in the installation, configuration, maintenance, and monitoring of servers, operating systems, cloud services, network systems, and related hardware and software to ensure secure, reliable, and efficient IT operations across all City departments.

Under the direction of senior IT staff, the System Administrator I provides day-to-day operational support for Windows and/or Linux servers, Active Directory, virtualization environments, backup and disaster recovery systems, endpoint management tools, and cybersecurity controls. The role troubleshoots system issues, applies patches and updates, supports user account administration, and documents system configurations and procedures.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Manages a 24-hour continuous server farm (on-premises and hybrid cloud) to provide maximum uptime for the City's related services.
• Provides maintenance, development, and administration of backup and recovery services, Active Directory (including Microsoft Entra ID integration), software delivery, SQL systems management, virtualization technology including VMware, Microsoft Azure cloud resources, and Microsoft 365 tenant administration (Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint Online, OneDrive, security & compliance features).
• Maintains up-to-date knowledge of Active Directory/Entra ID, including user accounts, permissions, sites and services, domain replication, schema, group policy, DNS, NTFS shares, Microsoft SQL Server user accounts and permissions, Azure identity/governance, conditional access policies, and Microsoft 365 licensing/management.
• Installs, maintains, and troubleshoots Microsoft Windows Server 2016 or later (including hybrid configurations), performance issues, security enhancements, Microsoft SQL Server 2019 or later database access, email delivery (Exchange on-premises and online), account management, name resolution, Azure resource provisioning/troubleshooting, and Microsoft 365 service configurations.
• Utilizes software packaging and delivery services (including Microsoft Intune/Endpoint Manager where applicable) for unattended deployment of software updates, patches, and application management across on-premises and cloud environments.
• Maintains and continuously improves the design of the server infrastructure (on-premises, hybrid, and cloud) to enhance application stability, backup/recovery services, management tools, security posture, and scalability in Azure and Microsoft 365 environments.
• Acts as a Level 2 Support Technician for helpdesk escalations, troubleshooting Microsoft desktop operating systems (Windows 11), Apple iOS, Android, smart phones/devices; utilizes tools to resolve printing, access, general OS issues, wireless support, Microsoft 365 collaboration tools (Teams, Outlook, SharePoint), and endpoint management issues.
• Ensures all systems, equipment, and machines used in daily operations are available, properly maintained, up to date with security patches/software updates, and accessible via applications in both on-premises and cloud environments.
• Works varied shifts and responds to after-hours on-call assignments as assigned; and
• Performs such other related duties as may be assigned.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

An Associate’s Degree or 60 college credit hours from an accredited college in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field, plus two (2) years of experience in systems administration, preferably in a hybrid cloud/on-premises environment. OR any equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Certifications and Licenses

• Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) or Microsoft 365 Certified: Administrator Expert (MS-102) certification, or the ability to obtain within one (1) year of date of hire.
• Preferred: Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) or Microsoft 365.

Knowledge:

• Microsoft Windows Active Directory/Entra ID in hybrid environments.
• Microsoft 365 administration, including user/license management, Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint Online, OneDrive, security/compliance features, and endpoint management.
• Configuration and administration of Virtual Server Clusters and Storage Area Networks ().
• Backup service configuration and administration (on-premises and Azure-).
• SharePoint technology (on-premises and online), including site development and permissions.
• Microsoft SQL Server 2019 or later.
• IP/Cloud-based phone systems
• Wireless technologies.

Skills/Abilities:

• Operate standard office equipment, including computers and related tools.
• Demonstrate proficiency in both oral and written communication.
• Understand and follow instructions, policies, rules, and regulations.
• Analyze information and formulate quick, effective, and reasonable responses.
• Accurately handle several items simultaneously during stressful situations.
• Maintain accurate records; and
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with co-workers.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The City of Cedar Park is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer. As an EEO employer, the City will conduct its staffing activities, selection, promotion, demotion, transfer, training, and separation in accordance with Federal, State, and Local EEO laws and regulations as they affect the City. The City of Cedar Park will not discriminate against any applicant or employee based on race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, veteran status, or disability.