Senior System Administrator

Sanderson Government & Defence; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A central government organisation is seeking a skilled Senior Systems Administrator to provide advanced technical leadership across infrastructure, cloud, security, and systems operations. The ideal candidate will manage and optimise both on-prem and cloud-hosted systems, ensuring compliance with security standards. The role involves troubleshooting complex issues, conducting vulnerability management, and administering Microsoft 365 services. This is a full-time position located in Cambridge, offering a competitive day rate inside IR35.

Qualifications

• Experience managing and optimising on-prem and cloud-hosted systems.
• Proven track record in advanced system monitoring and troubleshooting.
• Expertise in enforcing security and compliance standards.

Responsibilities

• Manage on-prem and cloud systems effectively.
• Conduct vulnerability scanning and manage security controls.
• Administer Microsoft 365 services and manage identities.

Skills

Advanced technical leadership

System administration

Cloud management

Security compliance

Networking expertise

Troubleshooting

Tools

Microsoft 365

MS Entra ID

Vulnerability scanning tools

Job description

Position: Senior Systems Administrator
Location: Cambridge
Day Rate: £40 p/h inside IR35

A central government organisation is seeking a Senior Systems Administrator to provide advanced technical leadership across infrastructure, cloud, security and systems operations.

Core Technical Responsibilities

Systems Administration

• Manage and optimise on‑prem and cloud‑hosted systems in line with best practice.
• Perform advanced daily monitoring of servers, hardware, and key services.
• Oversee lifecycle management of IT assets and third‑party devices.
• Embed automation and good practice across systems and processes.

Security & Compliance

• Conduct vulnerability scanning and manage remediation activities.
• Operate security control tools to protect corporate assets.
• Maintain patching, BIA/BCP and recovery processes.
• Enforce security and information governance standards.

Cloud & Identity Management

• Administer cloud environments in partnership with suppliers.
• Manage Microsoft 365 services (SharePoint Online, Teams).
• Oversee Identity & Access Management via MS Entra ID (provisioning, conditional access, MFA).
• Lead the organisation's System Maturity Framework.

Networking & Infrastructure

• Support WiFi, firewalls, VPNs and core network services.
• Apply strong knowledge of DNS, DHCP, TCP/IP, switching and routing.
• Monitor and optimise performance for reliability and availability.

Technical Support & Escalation

• Act as senior escalation point for 2nd/3rd line issues across infrastructure, cloud, applications and networking.
• Troubleshoot complex hardware, software and network problems.
• Provide expert support for critical systems such as CAFM.

To learn more, please do reach out to Tom Royston via email on [e-mail]

Reasonable Adjustments:

Respect and equality are core values to us. We are proud of the diverse and inclusive community we have built, and we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and perspectives. Our success is driven by our people, united by the spirit of partnership to deliver the best resourcing solutions for our clients.

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