Network & Systems Engineer

City of Ferris; Ferris (TX); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Ferris seeks a Network & Systems Engineer to maintain the reliability, security, and performance of its network, servers, and cloud services. You will monitor systems, patch, investigate alerts, and respond to outages while collaborating with departments, vendors, and service providers.

Under supervision of IT leadership, you will design, implement, and document changes, protect critical operations, and provide technical support for city staff and external users, ensuring a secure

Qualifications

• Associate’s or Bachelor’s Degree in IT or related field is required.
• Two years in technology support services or network administration.
• Industry certifications or equivalent experience accepted.

Responsibilities

• Operate and manage IT systems and resources with a security-first approach.
• Provide customer service focused technical support and issue resolution.
• Monitor network/system availability, performance, and security, and respond to outages.
• Plan, test, deploy, and document OS, firmware, app, and network updates.
• Identify and remediate vulnerabilities in coordination with leadership and vendors.
• Administer and troubleshoot network and systems infrastructure including security controls.

Skills

Network troubleshooting

Customer service

Security governance

Education

Associate’s or Bachelor's Degree in IT or related field

Tools

Switches

Firewalls

VPNs

Servers

Virtualization

Identity services

Storage

VoIP

Cloud platforms

Job description

The Network & Systems Engineer works under the direct supervision of the Director of Information Technology & Systems, with broad administrative direction from the Assistant City Manager of Operations and the City Manager. This position functions as a critical IT team member, maintaining the availability, security, and performance of the City of Ferris’s network, servers, cloud services, and related technology infrastructure. The position monitors systems, performs preventive maintenance and patching, investigates alerts, resolves technical problems, and responds to critical outages affecting City operations. The Network & Systems Engineer will work with City departments, IT team members, vendors, and service providers to restore services promptly, mitigate recurring problems, and maintain reliable systems that support employees and the community. The position will provide technical support when issues require network or systems expertise.

With a specific focus on maintaining City technology resources and systems, the Network & Systems Engineer is tasked as a key position in designing, developing, and maintaining networks and systems supported by the City, providing a user-friendly, efficient, secure, and reliable technology environment. The Network & Systems Engineer is also a key partner in identifying and responding to organizational and community opportunities for program/process improvement in the areas of productivity, efficiency, transparency, and cost effectiveness.

PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Operate and execute all assigned activities with a focus on the City of Ferris Mission, Vision, and Values
• Provide daily operational support and management of all IT systems and resources as needed
• Provide customer service focused technical support and trouble resolution for internal and external customers
• Execute all assigned responsibilities with a security-first approach aligned with City security governance plans and guidelines
• Maintain effective and complete documentation for all IT resources and processes
• Preserve and Maintain availability of City technology resources and systems. Patching, Upgrading, and securing applications and systems supported by the City.
• Monitor a diverse network and system environment while mitigating and resolving operational outages to maintain critical uptime.
• Monitor network, server, cloud, and other assigned infrastructure for availability, performance, capacity, and security issues; proactively investigate alerts and take corrective action.
• Plan, test, deploy, and document operating system, firmware, application, and network device updates in accordance with City maintenance and change procedures.
• Identify, prioritize, and remediate vulnerabilities and configuration issues in coordination with the Director of Information Technology and applicable vendors.
• Administer and troubleshoot assigned network and systems infrastructure, which include switches, firewalls, wireless networks, VPNs, servers, virtualization, identity services, storage, VoIP, IP access control and security, and cloud platforms.
• Serve as the primary incident responder for network, system, and security events. Asses the impact, contain or mitigate the issue, restore service, escalate when needed, and keep appropriate staff informed.
• Provide technical assistance to employees and departments for issues involving connectivity, access, and all City technology infrastructure.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

Knowledge of:

• Complex, current, and applicable networking, system administration, and system diagnostic techniques necessary for designing and maintaining a diverse technology environment across the City.
• Current best practice design and implementation strategies for IT systems, networking, and security infrastructure

Skill in:

• Provide consultative engagements with customers to understand application, network, and system needs and effectively communicate solutions.
• Demonstrating empathetic communications and problem resolution
• Demonstrating calm, effective, and efficient responsiveness and problem resolution in high risk scenarios affecting public safety and organizational continuity
• Collaborating with team members to produce solutions and products aligned with City of Ferris Mission, Vision, and Values
• Identifying and leveraging diverse sources of information and resources critical to resolving complex problems

Ability to:

• Adopt and functionally internalize the City of Ferris Mission, Vision, and Values as a foundation for customer relations, service delivery, and operational norms
• Manage, prioritize, and complete complex tasks in a highly-evolving and dynamic environment
• Monitor a diverse network and system environment to mitigate and resolve operational outages.
• Respond to system and operational outages as reported or alerted within 15 minutes remotely and 45 minutes on-site

Conduct effective, best practice IT system triage support as a first responder to critical systems, network, or security infrastructure outages

• Understand and carry out oral and written directions
• Communicate effectively and timely with team members and leadership to ensure appropriate situational awareness and resolution escalation as needed
• Establish and maintain effective cooperative working relationships with internal and external team members, product vendors, and support providers

Personal Attributes:

• A career professional who natively adopts a commitment to service and self sacrifice to ensure the common good and success of the organization and community.
• A professional for whom individual fit with organizational culture drives a commitment to personal and professional growth with a goal of continual alignment, synergy, and commitment.
• A professional who is passionate for delivery of technilogical solutions to enhance community and constituent quality of life
• An individual for whom technology is a tool, a mechanism for the betterment of the customer rather than an end unto itself
• A life-long student and learner with a drive to expand and enhance his technological, operational, civic, and interpersonal skills and capacity

SUPERVISORY/BUDGET RESPONSIBILITIES

NONE

INCIDENT RESPONSE and WORKING CONDITIONS

• Standing, walking, sitting, kneeling, stooping, bending, twisting, climbing, and crouching will be required
• Lifting, carrying, pushing/pulling up to 50 pounds
• 24x7 On-call *When not on approved leave
• Occasional outdoor work in all weather conditions
• Occasional contact with hazardous chemicals, materials, and spills
• Occasional work around loud equipment and fumes
• The position will require scheduled after-hours maintenance and unscheduled response to after-hours critical incidents.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Associate’s or Bachelor’s Degree in applicable IT field or closely related field
• Two years in a technology support services/network administration position;
• OR an equivalent combination of education and experience and industry certifications

PREFERENCES

• Bilingual in Spanish and English, both oral and written