Facilities Automation Systems Administrator

The Pennsylvania State University; Ferguson Township (PA); Hybrid; USD 91,000 - 137,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

75% tuition discount

Job summary

The Pennsylvania State University is seeking an experienced Facilities Automation Systems Administrator Supervisor to lead administration, maintenance, and security of facility automation systems across critical university facilities.

Reporting to the Manager, Operational Technology Infrastructure and Security, you will supervise staff, align priorities, and ensure BAS/SCADA/LMS systems are reliable, secure, and compliant with university policies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree and 6+ years of relevant experience.
• Experience with Windows and Linux operating systems in OT environments.
• Knowledge of BAS/SCADA OT infrastructure and security requirements.

Responsibilities

• Administer and support BAS, SCADA, LMS, and OT infrastructure.
• Monitor system performance, alarms, and reliability; troubleshoot issues.
• Coordinate incident response and change control for software/firmware updates.
• Supervise a team of Facilities Automation Systems Administrators and coordinate priorities.

Skills

BAS

SCADA

LMS

OT infrastructure

Windows/Linux admin

Johnson Controls

Automated Logic/ALC

BACnet

Modbus

VMware

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

Proxmox

VMware vSphere/ESXi

Veeam

NetApp

Juniper

Job description

POSITION SPECIFICS

The Office of Physical Plant (OPP) is an organization driven by its mission to “Provide Excellent Facilities Services for Penn State.” OPP is seeking an experienced Facilities Automation Systems Administrator Supervisor to lead the administration, maintenance, security, integration, and lifecycle management of facility automation systems supporting critical University facilities. Reporting to the Manager, Operational Technology Infrastructure and Security, this position provides technical leadership for facilities automation systems and supervises a team of Facilities Automation Systems Administrators. This position offers a flexible work arrangement that combines remote and on-campus work. Questions related to flexible work should be directed to the hiring manager during the interview process. The successful candidate will establish priorities, coordinate daily work, develop staff capability, and ensure that automation systems are secure, reliable, resilient, and aligned with University requirements.

Technical Responsibilities

• Administer and support BAS, Environmental Control Systems, LMS, SCADA platforms, servers, databases, controllers, field devices, and related OT infrastructure.
• Administer and troubleshoot virtualization, storage, backup, and network environments supporting OT systems, including Proxmox VE, VMware vSphere/ESXi, Veeam, NetApp, and Juniper technologies.
• Management of Windows and Linux Operating Systems.
• Support Automated Logic/ALC and Johnson Controls systems, including supervisory workstations.
• Monitor system/infrastructure performance, communications, alarms, trends, and operational data; identify anomalies and improve reliability.
• Design, maintain, and troubleshoot integrations among BAS, SCADA, LMS, energy management, maintenance management, and enterprise systems.
• Support BACnet/IP, BACnet MS/TP, Modbus TCP/RTU, SNMP, REST/API integrations, serial communications, and related protocols.
• Maintain OT infrastructure; DNS, DHCP, NTP, secure remote access, gateways, and protocol-conversion technologies.
• Develop standards for configuration, capacity planning, performance tuning, backup and recovery, business continuity, asset inventories, and infrastructure lifecycle management.
• Evaluate, test, validate, and deploy software, firmware, operating-system, and application updates through formal change-control processes.
• Diagnose complex hardware, software, networking, communications, and control-system issues.
• Coordinate incident response, outage recovery, root-cause analysis, corrective actions, and system-health assessments.
• Maintain system architectures, network diagrams, configuration baselines, procedures, maintenance schedules, recovery plans, and other technical documentation.
• Support alignment with NIST SP 800-82, ISA/IEC 62443, University policies, and applicable safety, environmental, laboratory, and security requirements.
• Participate in commissioning, acceptance testing, inspections, audits, upgrades, and project implementation activities.

Leadership/Supervisory

• Supervise a team of Facilities Automation Systems Administrators, including assigning work, establishing priorities, reviewing performance, coaching staff, supporting professional development, and participating in hiring and onboarding.
• Promote cross-training, knowledge sharing, consistent work practices, accountability, and a customer-focused culture.
• Collaborate with Facilities Operations, Operational Technology, Information Technology, Information Security, vendors, consultants, project teams, and campus stakeholders.
• Communicate technical information clearly to technical and nontechnical audiences.

Preferred Skills and Knowledge

• Proficiency in Windows and Linux environments.
• Comprehensive knowledge of BAS, SCADA, and OT infrastructure.
• Familiarity with Proxmox, VMware, Veeam, NetApp, Juniper, Automated Logic/ALC, Johnson Controls, BACnet, Modbus, OPC UA, MQTT, and SNMP.
• Understanding of OT environments and their differences from traditional IT environments, including availability, safety, deterministic communications, long equipment lifecycles, vendor dependencies, and change-management risks.
• Knowledge of virtualization, storage, backup and recovery, network administration, cybersecurity, system integration, and infrastructure monitoring.
• Strong troubleshooting, documentation, analytical, organizational, and project-coordination skills.
• Demonstrated ability to supervise, coach, mentor, and develop technical staff.
• Experience in higher education, healthcare, research, laboratory, or large-scale facilities operations preferred.

MINIMUM EDUCATION, WORK EXPERIENCE & REQUIRED CERTIFICATIONS

Bachelor's Degree 6+ years of relevant experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience accepted

• Required Certifications: None

BACKGROUND CHECKS/CLEARANCES

Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies. Penn State does not sponsor or take over sponsorship of a staff employment Visa. Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S.

SALARY & BENEFITS

The salary range for this position, including all possible grades, is $91,488.00 - $137,280.00. Salary Structure - Information on Penn State's salary structure Penn State provides a competitive benefits package for full-time employees designed to support both personal and professional well-being. In addition to comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, employees enjoy robust retirement plans and substantial paid time off which includes holidays, vacation and sick time. One of the standout benefits is the generous 75% tuition discount, available to employees as well as eligible spouses and children. For more detailed information, please visit our Benefits Page.

CAMPUS SECURITY CRIME STATISTICS

Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and the Pennsylvania Act of 1988, Penn State publishes a combined Annual Security and Annual Fire Safety Report (ASR). The ASR includes crime statistics and institutional policies concerning campus security, such as those concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. The ASR is available for review here.

EEO IS THE LAW

Penn State is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. If you are unable to use our online application process due to an impairment or disability, please contact 814-865-1473. Penn State is committed to and accountable for advancing equity, respect, and belonging. We embrace individual uniqueness, as well as a culture of belonging that supports equity initiatives, leverages the educational and institutional benefits of inclusion in society, and provides opportunities for engagement intended to help all members of the community thrive. We value belonging as a core strength and an essential element of the university’s teaching, research, and service mission.

Federal Contractors Labor Law Poster PA State Labor Law Poster Penn State Policies Copyright Information Hotlines There’s a reason Penn State consistently ranks among the top one percent of the world’s universities. Across 24 campuses, our 100,000 students and 40,000 faculty and staff know the real measure of success goes beyond the classroom – it’s the positive impact made on communities across the world. Our ideals stem from our origins as Pennsylvania’s sole land-grant institution, which allow us to continue to bring positive impact to humanity through our teaching, research, and engagement mission. And across the world is a community of Penn Staters – more than half a million strong – driven by that same spirit to serve our local and global communities. At Penn State, passion is met with collaboration in an environment that is rooted in shared pride for the accomplishments of our fellow students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Penn Staters cheer each other on to build a culture committed to service and engagement. Our University values represent our core ethical aspirations for all our daily activities and actions as students, faculty, staff, and volunteers at Penn State. Our values are as follows; Integrity, Respect, Responsibility, Discovery, Excellence, and Community. We Are Penn State. One Community. Impacting Many.