Junior Systems Administrator

Andrewsama; Amarillo, Northern (TX, KY); Hybrid; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, vision coverage

Paid time off and holidays

Company vehicles provided for field

Exam reimbursement for certifications

Ownership of real systems for clients

Real project work

Small team with visible impact

Job summary

Andrews & Associates IT Solutions, LLC in Amarillo, TX, is seeking a Full-time Systems Administrator Level 2 for in-office work with field and project duties. You will own admin tasks that keep clients running, handle escalations, and build environments that enable client success while following established standards.

If you are already administering environments, you will inherit systems and problems to improve, with a floor of Level 2 skills and a path up through internal advancement.

Qualifications

• Four or more years in IT, including hands-on administration.
• Hands-on admin of cloud identity and endpoint mgmt in production.
• Windows Server and Active Directory administration, including GPO and hybrid identity.
• Firewall config and troubleshooting, including VPN and access policy.
• Strong networking fundamentals applicable in real buildings.

Responsibilities

• Take escalations from Level 1 and Level 2 and close them, or carry them up with remaining diagnostics.
• Administer cloud identity and endpoint management according to policy.
• Administer Active Directory: users, groups, permissions, DNS/DHCP.
• Deploy and configure workstations, servers, and mobile devices.
• Make firewall and network changes per approved plan.
• Install and configure switching and wireless hardware; validate coverage.
• Maintain backup and disaster recovery configurations; participate in DR testing.
• Respond to security alerts; investigate and remediate per procedures.
• Execute client projects: migrations, deployments, network builds, refresh cycles.
• Document configurations and changes for future support.
• Flag issues outside scope and communicate them.

Skills

IT Administration

Cloud Identity & Endpoint Mgmt

Windows Server/AD

Firewall & VPN

Networking fundamentals

Zero Trust

PowerShell

Initiative & Change discipline

Professional conduct

Job description

Full-time, in-office with field and project work

Compensation is set based on education, experience, and certifications.

The short version

This is the seat where configuration happens. You will own the administrative work that keeps our clients running, take the escalations our technicians cannot close, and build the environments the rest of the team supports.

If you are already administering environments somewhere else, understand this up front: you will inherit systems and problems you had no part in creating. That is the nature of the work. What is different here is that you are expected to make them better. You will help build the plans that enable our clients’ success and longevity, not just keep them running until the next problem. A strong Level 2 skill set is the floor for this role, not the target.

You will not be doing it alone. You work to standards someone else set, with a Systems Administrator to check the work and settle the calls above your scope. What we expect in return is that you close what you take, ask early rather than late, and start seeing why the standard is the way it is.

Who we are

Andrews & Associates is a managed services provider in Amarillo supporting law firms, medical practices, banks and insurance agencies, county and municipal government, and agriculture and energy operations across the Texas Panhandle and eastern New Mexico. Our clients operate in regulated industries, which means the work we do carries real consequences and real standards. We take that seriously, and we expect the people we hire to do the same.

We are a relationship-first, customer service-centered organization. Our clients are not accounts, and they are not ticket volume. They are people running businesses that depend on the systems we maintain, and they deserve nothing less than our best effort and the full leverage of our talent applied to their problems and their goals. Care and empathy for the client are not soft skills here. They are the job.

We promote from within. This role sits between our technicians and our Systems Administrators, and the path up from it is real for the people who earn it.

What you will actually do

• Take escalations from Level 1 and Level 2 and close them, or carry them up with the diagnostic work already done
• Administer cloud identity and endpoint management: compliance policies, automated enrollment, app deployment, and device configuration profiles to existing standards
• Administer Active Directory: users, groups, permissions, group policy changes, DNS, DHCP, and hybrid identity maintenance
• Deploy and configure workstations, servers, and mobile devices, including imaging, enrollment, and handoff to the client
• Make firewall and network changes to an approved plan: policy, NAT, VPN users, content filtering, and remote access
• Install and configure switching and wireless hardware, including the physical work, and validate coverage after the fact
• Maintain backup and recovery configurations, and participate in restore and disaster recovery testing
• Respond to security alerts, investigate, and remediate within our incident procedures
• Execute assigned pieces of client projects: migrations, deployments, network builds, and refresh cycles
• Document configurations, standards, and changes so the environment is legible to everyone who touches it after you
• Flag what you find. If a client environment has a problem outside your scope, we want to hear about it from you

Our doctrine is simple: fix the customer, then fix the problem. If a client is frustrated, that gets addressed before the keyboard does.

At this level, solution durability is the whole job. A technician’s mistake affects one user. An administrator’s mistake affects an entire client. Plan the change, know the rollback, test before you call it done, and build to a standard rather than to whatever solves today. Every one-off configuration left behind becomes a problem someone else inherits at the worst possible time.

What you need

• Four or more years in IT, including hands-on administrative work. A strong Level 2 skill set is the floor for this role, not the target
• Hands-on administration of cloud identity and endpoint management in production environments
• Windows Server and Active Directory administration, including group policy and hybrid identity
• Firewall configuration and troubleshooting, including VPN and access policy
• Network fundamentals you can apply, not just recite: VLANs, routing, switching, DNS, DHCP, and wireless behavior in real buildings
• Working understanding of zero trust principles and how to implement them without breaking the business
• Comfort with PowerShell for administration and repeatable tasks
• Initiative. Noticing a problem and documenting it is table stakes. We are looking for the person who then proposes the fix and drives it to done
• Change discipline. You plan the work, communicate it, and know how to undo it
• Genuine care for the people you are helping. Empathy is a requirement of this role, not a bonus. Most of the clients affected by your work will never meet you, and they deserve the same standard as the ones who do
• Professional appearance and conduct in client environments. You will be in law offices, exam rooms, bank branches, and county buildings
• A valid Texas driver’s license, an acceptable driving record, and reliable transportation
• Must pass a criminal background check, including fingerprinting. Approval under the FBI CJIS Security Policy is a prerequisite for an offer. If you cannot be cleared, we cannot hire you, regardless of technical ability
• Ability to lift 50 pounds and work in server rooms, ceiling spaces, and other cramped or non-ergonomic areas
• Availability for an on-call rotation and after-hours maintenance windows, which is when most administrative change happens

What helps you stand out

• Microsoft certifications such as MD-102, MS-102, AZ-104, or SC-300
• CompTIA Network+ or Security+, or CCNA
• Experience with enterprise firewall, wireless, endpoint protection, remote monitoring, application control, or backup platforms
• Scripting and automation beyond the basics
• Multi-tenant or MSP administration experience
• Familiarity with HIPAA, GLBA, CJIS, CMMC, or similar compliance frameworks and how they shape control decisions
• Familiarity with the identity and data protection controls behind client Copilot deployments, such as sensitivity labels, SharePoint permissions, and conditional access

What we offer

• Health, dental, and vision coverage
• Paid time off and paid holidays
• Company vehicles provided for field work
• Exam reimbursement for approved certifications upon successful completion
• Ownership of real systems for real clients, with an administrator available when you need one
• Real project work, not a queue you never get out of
• A small team where your work is visible, your judgment is trusted, and you have a real say in how we do things

Andrews & Associates IT Solutions, LLC is an equal opportunity employer.