IT System Administration – Senior/Specialist

Washington State Department of Ecology; Lacey (WA); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Washington State Department of Ecology is seeking an IT System Administrator – Senior/Specialist to advance Identity and Access Management across on-premises and cloud environments, including Azure and Intune.

You will mentor Domain Administrators, align security policies with governance, and modernize the IAM architecture while collaborating with cross-functional teams in a hybrid telework setup.

Qualifications

• Seven years of experience and/or education related to IAM duties.
• Ability to design, configure, and troubleshoot AD, DNS, and GPOs.
• Experience with cloud IAM and Azure Entra ID modernization.

Responsibilities

• Mentor and guide Domain Administrators.
• Improve the security posture of Ecology's IAM strategy.
• Communicate Ecology's modernization strategy to Management.
• Assess Windows Domain Controller architecture and health.
• Assess Group Policy architecture and health; identify streamlining opportunities.
• Plan adoption of Intune-based policy management.
• Design and plan Azure technologies for cloud-native IAM.

Skills

Critical Thinking

Decision-Making

Identity & Access Management

Active Directory & Entra ID

Group Policy

DNS Administration

System Maintenance

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher in CS/IT/STEM

STEM background preference

Tools

Azure Entra ID

Intune

Active Directory

PowerShell

Job description

Keeping Washington Clean and Evergreen

The Department of Ecology is hiring an

IT System Administration – Senior/Specialist

The Department of Ecology is hiring an IT System Administration – Senior/Specialist within the Information Technology Security Services Office.

Location:

• Headquarters Office in Lacey, WA.
• Upon hire, you must live within a commutable distance from the duty station.

Schedule

• This position is eligible for telework and flexible schedule options.
• You may telework most of your work time with occasional in-person meetings and activities.
• Schedules are dependent upon position needs and are subject to change.

Application Timeline

• Apply by September 09, 2026
• Applications submitted after the date above may not be reviewed unless additional qualified applicants are needed.

Duties

In this role, you will be the senior Identity and Access Management Administrator, with responsibilities for Windows Domain Controllers and cloud-based identity management platform, including Azure. You will be responsible for architecting and modernizing Ecology's Identity and Access Management strategy through the adoption of cloud-native technologies.

What You Will Do

• Mentor and guide other Domain Administrators.
• Provide excellent customer service and collaborate with other teams to improve the security posture of Ecology's Identity and Access Management strategy.
• Communicate effectively with Management to articulate Ecology's strategy for modernizing Identity and Access Management.
• Assess the current Windows Domain Controller architecture and health and identify optimization opportunities.
• Assess the current Group Policy Objects architecture and health and identify opportunities to streamline.
• Assess and identify opportunities to improve the security posture of Ecology's Identity and Access Management strategy and infrastructure.
• Assess and plan the adoption of Intune based policy management.
• Design and plan the use of Azure technologies for cloud native Identity and Access Management.

Qualifications

For detailed information on how we calculate experience and responses to other frequently asked questions, please visit our Recruitment website .

Required Qualifications

• Seven years of experience and/or education related to the duties of the position, which must include the following:
• Critical Thinking & Decision-Making – Proven track record evaluating risks, analyzing complex IAM, AD, DNS, and GPO issues, and making informed decisions to maintain secure and stable operations.
• Security & Compliance – Demonstrated ability to apply and uphold security policies, governance requirements, and best practices to maintain compliant and secure identity, directory, and DNS environments.
• Identity & Access Management Administration – Demonstrated ability to manage identity lifecycles, authentication, permissions, and roles to ensure secure and efficient access control.
• Active Directory & Entra ID Management – Proven track record configuring, maintaining, modernizing, and troubleshooting Active Directory and Azure Entra ID to ensure reliable identity and directory services.
• Group Policy Architecture & Management – Demonstrated ability to design, implement, and troubleshoot GPOs to enforce secure configurations and agency-wide standards. Ability to translate GPO’s to Intune and Azure Policies.
• DNS Administration & Architecture – Proven track record designing, implementing, securing, and troubleshooting on-premise and cloud DNS services to ensure accurate and reliable name resolution.
• System Maintenance & Continuity Planning – Demonstrated ability to apply updates, monitor performance, and implement disaster recovery strategies to maintain secure and resilient IAM, AD, and DNS operations.
• Education involving a major study in Computer Science, Information Technology (IT), Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM), or closely related field.

This position does not require formal education. Instead, applicants may meet the qualification requirement through experience alone or through any combination of experience and education totaling seven years. Education in a related field may be applied year-for-year toward the seven-year requirement, as long as the applicant has at least three years of directly related experience and meets all the required competencies listed above. The examples listed below illustrate acceptable combinations of experience and education that satisfy this requirement.

Examples Of How To Qualify

• 7 years of experience.
• 6 years of experience AND 30-59 semester or 45-89 quarter college credits.
• 5 years of experience AND 60-89 semester or 90-134 quarter college credits (Associate’s degree).
• 4 years of experience AND 90-119 semester or 135-179 quarter college credits.
• 3 years of experience AND a Bachelor’s degree or higher.

Special Requirements/Conditions Of Employment

• Must be able to provide transportation to and from office or offsite trainings or assignments.
• This position requires training to keep consistent with industry best practices. Leadership works with industry leaders to forecast changes in information technology and lists required training in this position’s yearly Performance Development Plan (PDP). Staff within this division are provided two (2) hours per week for training. It is expected that this position will take what is learned in their training and apply it to their daily work.

Desired Qualifications

• Cloud Infrastructure Familiarity – Ability to understand and work with broader Azure services (beyond Entra ID and DNS) to support identity integrations across cloud environments.
• Scripting & Automation – Ability to use tools like PowerShell to automate identity, AD, DNS, and GPO tasks to improve efficiency and consistency.
• Identity Governance & Administration (IGA) Tools – Ability to work with identity governance platforms and workflows to support lifecycle automation, attestation, and compliance.
• Hybrid Identity Architecture – Ability to design and support hybrid identity environments that integrate on-premise AD with cloud identity platforms.
• Network Infrastructure Awareness – Ability to understand related network components (firewalls, VLANs, routing) that affect IAM and DNS performance and security.

If you are excited about this role and meet the required qualifications, we encourage you to apply. Desired qualifications reflect additional knowledge, skills, or experience that are nice to have but not required. Studies have shown that some applicants, especially women and people of color, are less likely to apply unless they meet every listed qualification. At the Department of Ecology, we are dedicated to building a diverse and authentic workplace centered in belonging, and we welcome applicants with varied backgrounds and unique perspectives.

Supplemental Information

Ecology does not use the E-Verify system; therefore, we are not eligible to extend STEM Optional Practical Training (OPT). For more information, please visit www.uscis.gov .

Our Commitment to DEIR

Domestic, Equity, Inclusion, and Respect (DEIR) are core values central to Ecology's work. We strive to be a workplace where we are esteemed for sharing our authentic identities, while advancing our individual professional goals and collaborating to protect, preserve, and enhance the environment for current and future generations.

Diversity: We celebrate and appreciate diversity; our unique perspectives and abilities enrich us all and lead to innovative approaches and solutions.

Equity: We champion equity, recognizing that each of us need different things to thrive.

Inclusion: We intentionally create and hold space so that we all have meaningful opportunities to participate and contribute to Ecology’s work.

Respect: We treat each other with respect and dignity, acknowledging the inherent worth of our diverse perspectives and lived experiences, even in times of uncertainty and disagreement.

We believe that DEIR is both a goal and an action. We are on a journey, honoring our shared humanity and taking steps to demonstrate our commitment to a vision where each of us is heard, seen, and valued.

Application Process

Ecology seeks diverse applicants: We view diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect through a broad lens including race, ethnicity, class, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, immigration status, military background, language, education, life experience, physical disability, neurodiversity, and intersectional identities. Qualified job seekers from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Need an Accommodation?

• Please contact us at 360-407-6186 or [e-mail]
• If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you may call through the Washington Relay Service by dialing 711 or 1-800-833-6384.

Questions?

• For specific questions about the position location options, schedule, or duties, please contact Senthil Masilamani at [e-mail]
• If you need assistance applying for this job, are inquiring about the status of your application, would like to request the full position description, or have any other questions, please contact the Recruitment Team at [e-mail]

About The Information Technology Security Services Office

The Information Technology Services Office’s (ITSO) mission is to create and support useful technology services that adapt for the future and support Ecology’s mission.

The Security Team's mission is to guide Ecology in securing evolving technologies to meet business needs in an increasingly dynamic threat landscape. We accomplish this by utilizing a risk-based and proactive approach in a collaborative environment.

Team Values

• Expertise/Excellence: Encompasses the team's commitment to high standards in cybersecurity knowledge and practice.
• Innovative and Forward-Thinking: Combining innovation with a forward-thinking approach to stay at the forefront of security concepts.
• Risk-Based and Proactive Strategy: Reflects a focus on identifying and managing risks proactively.
• Adaptability and Continuous Learning: Emphasizing the importance of evolving and learning in a rapidly changing cybersecurity landscape.
• Transparency and Customer Focus: Underscores the importance of being transparent in operations and centered on customer needs.
• Collaboration: Emphasizes the importance of working together within the team and with customers to achieve more comprehensive and effective cybersecurity outcomes.

About The Department Of Ecology

As the State of Washington’s environmental protection agency, we are deeply committed to protecting, preserving, and enhancing Washington’s environment for current and future generations. Joining Ecology means becoming part of a team dedicated to protecting and sustaining healthy land, air, water, and climate in harmony with a strong economy. A career in public service at Ecology allows you to help solve some of the most challenging problems facing our state, while keeping your health and financial security a priority. We combine one of the most competitive benefits packages in the nation with a strong commitment to life/work balance. We invest in our employees to create and sustain a working environment that encourages creative leadership, effective resource management, teamwork, professionalism, and accountability.

Ecology employees may be eligible for the following: Medical/Dental/Vision for employee & dependent(s) , Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) , Vacation, Sick, and other Leave *, 11 Paid Holidays per year *, Public Service Loan Forgiveness , Tuition Waiver , Long Term Disability & Life Insurance , Deferred Compensation Programs , Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP) , Flexible Spending Arrangement (FSA) , Employee Assistance Program , Commute Trip Reduction Incentive , Combined Fund Drive , SmartHealth * Click here for more information

Equal Opportunity Employer

The Washington State Department of Ecology is an equal opportunity employer. We strive to create a working environment that includes and respects cultural, racial, ethnic, sexual orientation and gender identity diversity. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, persons of disability, persons over 40 years of age, veterans, military spouses or people with military status, and people of all sexual orientations and gender identities are encouraged to apply.

Collective Bargaining

This is a position covered by a bargaining unit for which the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) is the exclusive representative.

Note:

This recruitment may be used to fill other positions of the same job classification across the agency. Once all the position(s) from the recruitment announcement are filled, the recruitment may only be used to fill additional open positions for the next sixty (60) days.