IT - SYSTEM ENGINEER

Columbia Association, headquartered in Howard County, Maryland, is known for engaging our diverse community, cultivating a unique sense of place, and enhancing the quality of life in Columbia, Maryland, all thanks to the efforts of our remarkable team members. If you share in our passion for teamwork and our vision, we want you to fast-forward your career with us at Columbia Association. 

IT - SYSTEM ENGINEER

Summary:  
The Systems Engineer (SE) serves as a technical expert in system administration for complex operating systems and recommends configuration of operating systems and applications. The SE investigates and analyzes feasibility of system requirements, develops system specifications, and identifies methods and solutions to ensure a high level of service to the customers of Columbia Association’s (CA) Information Technology (IT) division.  
 
Essential Duties: 

• Effectively participate in all aspects of design, development, testing, and implementation of all internal and external CA’s system features on an as-needed basis.

  Provide excellent customer support and address customer issues to resolve them in a timely and efficient manner. 

  Resolve product or service problems by clarifying customer concerns, determining the cause of the problem, selecting & explaining the best solution to solve the problem. 

• Fully document solutions to issues in ticketing system/knowledge base.

  Lead one or more architecture assignments, working closely with the CA IT personnel and partners to manage tasks and deliverables accordingly. 

  Ensure that the aspects of the architecture are driven by the business goals of the organization and that the requirements driving the overall architecture are managed consistently and effectively. 

  Present the technical benefits of adopting a consistent architectural approach. 

  Assess requirements and present System Engineering-based recommendations in line with the strategic CA IT objectives for the enterprise and wider best practice. 

  Ensure that the various frameworks comprising enterprise architecture are consistent and coherent, developed at an appropriate level of detail, and that changes are controlled to maintain consistency. 

  Serve as a subject matter expert for architectural frameworks, methods, and tools.

  Advise and assist CA personnel and external partners’ personnel in any architecture disciplines. 
  Perform scheduled monthly, quarterly, and annual systems engineering, operational, and security compliance activities while maintaining comprehensive documentation and audit logs to ensure continuous audit readiness and regulatory compliance.
   

Additional Duties: 
 

• Manage and monitor all installed systems and infrastructure.

  Install, configure, test, and maintain operating systems, application software and system management tools. 

  Proactively ensure the highest levels of systems and infrastructure availability. 

  Monitor and test application performance for potential bottlenecks, identify practical solutions, and work with vendors to implement those fixes. 

  Maintain security, backup, and redundancy configurations 
  Maintain and administer Virtual Server and Azure environments

  Write and maintain custom scripts to increase system efficiency and lower the human intervention time where appropriate. 

  Participate in the design of information and operational support systems.
  Provide solution reviews and maintain solution inventory.
  Participate in annual table top exercises

  Provide 2nd and 3rd level support for CA Help Desk. 

  Liaise with vendors and other IT personnel for problem resolution. 

• Effectively facilitate installation of all updates and patches to CA systems in a timely yet tested/secure manner.

  Effectively plan and facilitate any other ongoing CA system support both on-site and with all CA’s facilities. 

  Effectively assist as technical resource with all universal support and infrastructure problems and projects. 

  Under the guidance of CA IT Network Manager, monitors and maintains CA’s 

• Monitors and maintains a comprehensive set of performance metrics for all system features. 

  Maintain an up-to-date knowledge of best practices, policies, and technical specifications for endpoint computing and server hardware.  

  Interact with team members in developing new service programs and in efficiently providing services offered. 

 
Requirements: 
 
Experience 

• Have strong technical and analytical background and experience in desktop/server configuration and integration - sufficient to allow for performance as single technical security support person or a lead in a security systems team.  

Education 

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or relevant Software Engineering experience or related field, or equivalent combination of education and work experience. 

 
Certification 

• Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE) preferred

  Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert preferred 

  Microsoft 365 Certified: Administrator Expert preferred 

• Microsoft 365 Certified: Fundamentals preferred

  VMWare Certified Professional (VCP) preferred
  Network+ and Security+ preferred

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 
Problem Solving 

• Demonstrated skill in problem solving and troubleshooting computer hardware, software, and network connectivity. 

  Experience as primary technical support contact for a client. 

  Proven working experience in installing, configuring, and troubleshooting Windows based environments. 

  Solid experience in the administration and performance tuning in Windows Enterprise. 

  Solid Cloud experience, preferably in Azure and AWS (Amazon Web Services) 

  Experience with virtualization and containerization (e.g., VMware,) 

  Experience with monitoring systems and vulnerability scanning (Tenable One, Action1, ADAudit Plus)
  Experience in security awareness training and phishing simulations platforms (KnowBe4)

  Solid scripting skills (e.g., shell scripts, Perl, Ruby, Python) 

  Solid networking knowledge (OSI network layers, TCP/IP) 
   

Communication/Professionalism 

• Demonstrated excellent technical and non-technical communication skills, both written and oral. 
• Experience providing technical customer support on the phone, online, and in person.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team providing timely, high-quality services.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality when accessing records for business needs.

Technical Skills 

• Cisco Meraki knowledge is a plus 

• 8 x8 VOIP Platform is a plus
• Security experience is a plus (NIST 800-53)

 
 
Salary Range:
 

The pay range for this position is $32.50 per hour to $48.50 per hour. The actual pay rate offered will depend on the overall qualifications of the individual applicant for the position and the amount budgeted for the role. CA offers a positive, fun work environment and a generous benefits package. Part-time benefits include a free Fit & Play membership, Wellness benefits w/Perks and some paid leave. Full-time benefits include medical, dental, vision, life insurance, 401(k), a free Fit & Play membership, Wellness benefits w/perks and paid leave.

Disclaimer: 
 
The above statements are intended to describe the work performed by the IT Systems Engineer. These statements are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, tasks, and skills required of a Team Member in this position. CA reserves the right to require, consistent with CA’s Team Member policies, that other tasks be performed when warranted by CA’s business needs (for example, emergencies, changes in personnel or workload, corporate reorganization, technical development). CA also reserves the right to revise this job description at any time. 

Columbia Association is an equal employment opportunity employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified individuals without regard to the following legally protected characteristics: race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, military/veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state or federal law. EOE/ADA. We encourage applications from candidates who can contribute to the diversity of our organization. Over and above non-discrimination, CA’s mission includes engaging our diverse community and meeting the evolving needs of a dynamic and inclusive community. That’s why we welcome folks of diverse or marginalized backgrounds and abilities to apply to become part of the CA team.