Job Details

Systems Administrator I, II or III

Position Number: 7109984
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Position Type: Computing - Network/System Administration

Systems Administrator I, II or III

Job Summary

About the Center for High Performance Computing (CHPC)

The Center for High Performance Computing (CHPC) at the University of Utah provides advanced computing and data systems and services that support cutting-edge scholarship and innovation across all disciplines. The CHPC partners with faculty, researchers, and institutional stakeholders to design and operate, scalable and performant computing environments that enable data-intensive and computationally complex research.

In addition to supporting traditional high-performance computing workloads, the CHPC plays a critical role in developing and maintaining computational environments for artificial intelligence (AI) and research with sensitive information that must meet federal and sponsor compliance requirements. Through collaboration, technical expertise, and a commitment to service, the CHPC advances the University of Utah's research mission by delivering reliable, trustworthy, and forward-looking research computing infrastructure.

At CHPC, we foster a positive, collaborative environment. You will join a team of specialists and have the opportunity to build skills in system administration in a heterogenous computing environment working closely with senior mentors. You will also have the opportunity interact and cross-train with diverse technical groups - including storage, networking, and user services - while being encouraged to experiment and innovate with emerging technologies.

Under the direction of the Cloud Team Lead, you will join a collaborative team of specialists. In this role, you will work closely with senior mentors to develop skills in systems administration. You will assist in supporting core services and the needs of the researchers within a complex environment, focusing on containerization, virtualization, supporting physical hosts, host-side networking, and storage connectivity.

This is a prime opportunity for a System Administrator candidate to further develop their skills at scale while expanding into technologies such as Kubernetes.

Responsibilities
Infrastructure & Virtualization Management: Design, deploy, and maintain enterprise server environments for both Windows and Linux. Management and maintenance of hypervisor's networking, storage and compute resources (VMWare, KVM).

Linux Server Management: Installing, upgrading, and regular maintenance of Linux OSes, including applications (Apache, Nginx, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, etc.) Configuration Management with Ansible and CI/CD pipelines.

Database Administration: Manage the full lifecycle of various SQL instances (MS SQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL), including installation, configuration, and backups.

Windows Server Management: Installing, upgrading, and regular maintenance of Windows Server versions. Administrating Active Directory, GPO management, Configuration Management, Remote DesktopServices, Internet Information Services (IIS), MS SQL, and various 3rd party applications.

Security: Work closely with security staff to ensure systems are meeting standards (NIST 800-171) and best practices.

Communication: Ability to collaborate in a team environment while still being able to work independently.

Documentation: Participate in the documentation of system configurations, deployment processes, and support procedures. Contribute to user-facing documentation to ensure accurate knowledge transfer.

Mentorship: Train others in your areas of expertise and participate in trainings and conferences to expand skills and areas of knowledge, including exploring new technologies.

Customer Service: Provide professional, clear, and timely communication while troubleshooting issues to ensure researcher success.

Work Environment
Schedule: Primarily Monday-Friday during standard business hours. Requires occasional flexibility for after-hours maintenance and urgent system remediation.
Primary Work Environment: Standard office environment for administrative tasks, system monitoring, and team collaboration. Hybrid negotiable.
On-site Engagement: Data Center access as dictated by infrastructure requirements and hardware deployment cycles.

Minimum Qualifications

Linux Proficiency: Demonstrated ability to manage the Linux servers (file permissions, group policy, application management).

Scripting Fundamentals: Basic proficiency in a scripting language (Bash or Python) to automate simple administrative tasks.

Networking Fundamentals: Understanding of basic networking concepts (IP addressing, RDP, SSH, ports, firewalls).

Analytical Problem-Solving: Ability to troubleshoot technical issues and resolve challenges through a mix of critical thinking and following detailed instructions in a complex environment.

Physical Requirements: Occasional assistance to move and position server equipment weighing up to 50 lbs. at the data center as possible.

Department may hire employee at one of the following job levels:

Equivalency Statement: 1 year of higher education can be substituted for 1 year of directly related work experience (Example: bachelor's degree = 4 years directly related work experience).

Systems Administrators, I: Requires a bachelor's (or equivalency) with up to 2 years of directly related work experience or a master's (or equivalency) degree.

Job Code: P34441

P14 Salary Range (DOE): $32,904 -$63,774

Systems Administrators, II: Requires a bachelor's (or equivalency) + 4 years or a master's (or equivalency) + 2 years of directly related work experience.

Job Code: P34442

P16 Salary Range (DOE): $39,815 - $77,167

Systems Administrators, III: Requires a bachelor's (or equivalency) + 6 years or a master's (or equivalency) + 4 years of directly related work experience.

Job Code: P34443

P19 Salary Range (DOE): $52,993 - $102,709

Preferences

Experience administrating systems in a heterogeneous environment (RHEL, Ubuntu, Windows)

Experience with CI/CD (git)

Expertise with Linux (RHEL, Ubuntu) and Windows Server

Experience with configuration management (Ansible)

Experience with running various SQL databases in HA

Experience managing containers (Podman, Kubernetes)

Strong skills with scripting (Bash, PowerShell, Python, etc.)

Familiarity with Kubernetes orchestration

Familiarity working with environments that have restricted data (PII, PHI, HIPAA, etc.)

Special Instructions

Requisition Number: PRN44829B
Full Time or Part Time? Full Time
Work Schedule Summary: 8am-5pm
Department: 00640 - CHPC Ctr for High Perform Computing
Location: Campus
Pay Rate Range: 32,904 to 102,709
Close Date: 7/23/2026
Open Until Filled:

To apply, visit https://utah.peopleadmin.com/postings/200755