Senior Network & Systems Administrator

Company Summary

The SJRA is a public entity whose mission is to develop, conserve, and protect the water resources of the San Jacinto River basin. Its primary purpose is to implement long-term, regional projects related to water supply and water quality. SJRA delivers raw water to both municipal and industrial consumers and provides water treatment and wastewater services through the ownership, operation, and maintenance of infrastructure including reservoirs, groundwater wells, surface water and wastewater treatment plants, pump stations, lift stations, and miles of open channel and conveyance systems.

Position Summary

The Senior Network and Systems Administrator is a key technical leader responsible for the design, implementation, maintenance, and optimization of the organization's network and server infrastructure. This role ensures the availability, cybersecurity, scalability, and performance of all enterprise IT systems, including local and wide area networks (LAN/WAN), cloud and on-premises servers, virtualization platforms, and storage systems.

As a senior member of the IT team, the administrator provides strategic guidance on infrastructure improvements, leads complex projects, mentors junior staff, and works closely with cross-functional teams to align technology with business objectives. The ideal candidate possesses deep technical expertise, a proactive problem-solving mindset, and a strong commitment to operational excellence, security, and continuous improvement.

This job requires attention to detail, discretion, good judgment, good interpersonal skills, good written and verbal communication skills, the ability to multi-task, teamwork, and the pursuit of excellence.

- Network and Systems Administration: Designs, configures, and maintains enterprise LAN, WAN, wireless networks, firewalls, VPNs, and cloud-based network infrastructure. Administers and maintains physical and virtual server environments, including Windows and/or Linux servers. Oversees Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, Group Policy, and domain controller operations.

- Infrastructure Monitoring and Optimization: Monitors system performance, network availability, and capacity; proactively addresses bottlenecks and implement improvements. Ensures high availability and reliability of all critical infrastructure components.

- Cyber Security and Compliance: Implements and enforces cybersecurity policies, firewalls, intrusion detection/prevention, and patch management. Performs regular audits, vulnerability assessments, and risk mitigation efforts. Ensures systems are compliant with relevant industry standards and regulations (e.g., CISA, NIST, ISO 27001).

- Cloud and Virtualization Management: Manages and optimizes virtualization environments (e.g., VMware, Hyper-V). Administers cloud services and hybrid infrastructures (e.g., Microsoft Azure, AWS, Microsoft 365).

- Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity: Ensures critical data is regularly backed up and securely stored.

- Technical Leadership and Project Management: Leads infrastructure projects from planning to implementation, including system upgrades, migrations, and integrations. Coordinates with vendors, consultants, and internal teams to deliver technical solutions. Mentors and guide junior IT staff and support personnel.

- Documentation and Reporting: Maintains accurate and up-to-date documentation of system configurations, network diagrams, and standard operating procedures. Generates technical reports and recommendations for senior leadership and auditors.

- End-User and Cross Departmental Support: Provides advanced technical support and troubleshooting for complex network or system issues. Collaborates with other departments to assess infrastructure needs and align IT solutions with business goals.

- Coordinates third-party maintenance for network hardware/software.

- Performs other duties deemed appropriate and as assigned by his/her direct supervisor, appropriate Department/Division Manager, the appropriate Senior Manager, or the General Manager, including duties outside of regular business hours.

- This position is classified as primary essential personnel. The individual holding this position will be required to work as usual or as needed (1) during an emergency event, (2) in preparation for an emergency event,and/ or (3) during recovery from an emergency event as directed by their direct supervisor, appropriate Department/Division Manager, the appropriate Senior Level Manager, or the General Manager.

Benefits

SJRA offers a comprehensive benefits package which includes:

- Health

- Dental

- Vision

- Life insurance

- Tuition assistance

- Paid Time Off

- Retirement Savings Plan in which SJRA contributes 8% automatically and matches up to an additional 4% of the employee's contribution.

Requirements

- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field is preferred. Equivalent combination of education and experience considered.

- At least 5 years' experience in server technologies including Windows and Linux, Microsoft 365, storage and backup technology is required.

- Experience with server virtualization, Active Directory, blade servers, server enclosures, switching and routing technology and principles, Cisco and/or Juniper routers, backup and Disaster Recovery concepts and practices, Firewalls, VPN devices, wireless networking technology and principles, TCP/IP, DNS, project management with third-party applications, knowledge of security functions and hardware/software installation is required.

- Texas Driver's License with Insurable driving record Required.

- Cisco Certified Network Associate preferred.

- Microsoft MCP, MCAF, MCAAA preferred.