Job Title: Systems Administrator
Location: Chatham, New Jersey
Employment Type: Full-time
About the Role
We are seeking a hands-on Systems Administrator to maintain, monitor, and improve a large, distributed Linux infrastructure. This role is deeply practical, including responsibilities such as maintaining server configurations, administering internal services, performing and validating hardware repairs, supporting monitoring and reporting platforms, and improving operational workflows.
The ideal candidate has strong Linux fundamentals, enjoys solving problems efficiently, and takes ownership of both routine and strategic tasks. This position provides exposure to real-time production and back-office compute environments and close collaboration with staff across all functions. Responsibilities will grow over time with interest and ability.
Responsibilities
- Monitor server hardware, basic network links, resource utilization, and alerting platforms (e.g., Nagios, Zabbix, Grafana)
- Diagnose hardware or OS-level issues and coordinate or execute component replacements
- Provision and validate servers after repairs, including BIOS/firmware/driver updates and configuration confirmation
- Administer and maintain internal services such as DNS, NIS, GitLab, MySQL, Apache, SLURM, Samba, Postfix, Dovecot, or equivalents
- Support configuration changes, production image builds, SSL certificate management, time synchronization (NTP/PTP/White Rabbit), and security hardening
- Improve or automate routine operational tasks using Bash, Python, or equivalent scripting tools
- Validate outsourced or vendor networking work meets requirements and is configured correctly
- Maintain accurate configuration documentation, access controls, and runbooks
- Collaborate with engineering to improve observability, resiliency, and long-term system stability
- Participate in small on-call or after-hours rotations as production work requires
Qualifications
- 1–5 years of Linux systems administration or infrastructure operations experience
- Strong command-line and Bash scripting skills
- Basic Python knowledge desired but not required
- Familiarity with some subset of: DNS, NIS, SLURM, monitoring/alerting tools (Nagios/Zabbix/Grafana), GitLab, MySQL, Apache, Postfix/Dovecot, Samba, time sync (NTP/PTP/White Rabbit), SSL certificates, SNMP, ELK, Splunk — or equivalents
- Basic Cisco networking knowledge sufficient to convey requirements, verify implementation, and validate outcomes
Personal Attributes
- Smart, motivated, reliable, and eager to grow technically
- Calm under pressure in a production environment where downtime is not an option
- Practical and grounded, comfortable taking ownership of strategic improvements and routine tasks
- Strong troubleshooting instincts with a preference for diagnosing problems systematically
- Documentation-first mindset for clarity and repeatability
- Collaborative communicator who works effectively with engineering, operations, and external vendors
Culture & Work Environment
- High autonomy: engineers own their domains and drive solutions
- Hands-on ownership: see your work implemented in production systems
- Scientific mindset: experiment, iterate, and refine
- Minimal meetings; focus on meaningful work and collaboration
- Peer culture: engineers and analysts work as equals
- Strong emphasis on work-life balance and personal development
Compensation & Benefits
- Salary: $120k – $140k plus bonus
- Vacation: flexible, typically 2–4 weeks/year
- Health: comprehensive coverage with reimbursement for out-of-pocket medical expenses
- 401(k): generous match
- Daily lunch provided
Mission: Create and maintain a highly supportive, engaging, and intellectually stimulating workplace where employees thrive.
