Senior IT Systems Engineer

County of Santa Barbara; California (MO); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Plan

Pension

Public retirement reciprocity

Holidays & vacation

Service credit

Job summary

County of Santa Barbara’s IT Department seeks a Senior IT Systems Engineer to design, implement, and deliver enterprise infrastructure. You will translate architectural designs into secure, reliable production systems across on-premises and cloud environments, including Identity and directory services, Microsoft 365, and Azure.

Collaborating with architects, cybersecurity staff, and vendors, you will drive modernization efforts, optimize deployments, and mentor staff while ensuring operational

Qualifications

• Lead complex system implementations, upgrades and modernization initiatives.
• Develop automation, deployment pipelines, and repeatable build processes.
• Mentor engineers and lead technical project teams.
• Ensure builds meet security, compliance and architectural standards.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex system implementations, upgrades, and modernization initiatives.
• Develop advanced automation, deployment pipelines, and repeatable build processes.
• Serve as escalation point for complex technical issues.
• Validate and optimize system builds for performance, security, and compliance.
• Coordinate with Systems Architects for enterprise alignment.
• Lead technical project teams through major deployments and transformations.
• Mentor engineers and share expertise in design patterns.

Skills

Automation pipelines

System design

Deployment engineering

Project leadership

Mentoring engineers

Security compliance

Education

Bachelor's degree in IT or related field

Tools

Azure

Microsoft 365

Identity services

Directory services

Server virtualization

Job description

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced IT professional to oversee critical infrastructure engineering and deployment within the County of Santa Barbara’s Information Technology Department. Come and be a part of a team of talented individuals who are passionate about fostering a culture of teamwork, learning and respect!

In the IT Department our success is powered by people and technology. Our culture is what makes IT a fun and rewarding place to work! We establish, develop and nurture partnerships and open communication within our communities. We embrace a willingness to learn and accept new ideas, to actively listen and to be receptive to change. We strive to grow our talents and do our best in the service of others while taking pride in our work. We explore and deliver new and creative ways to pair technology with business needs

The Service Operations Division

The Service Operations Division keeps the County’s technology foundation strong, secure, and always available. We organize our work around a proven operating model: Design, Build, Run. The systems we deliver are thoughtfully architected, expertly engineered, and reliably operated:

• Design -Our Systems Architect drives architecture, strategy, and modernization, setting the technical direction so that solutions are built to last.
• Build -Our engineering and deployment team turns approved designs into secure, production-ready systems, the engineering, deployment, and delivery that bring modernization to life.
• Run -Our Infrastructure Operations team sustains what we deliver, providing the reliable, secure, and resilient operations the County depends on day in and day out.

The Senior IT Systems Engineer sits at the heart of the Build function, translating architectural vision into the dependable infrastructure that County departments, and the communities they serve, rely on every day.

The Position

The Senior IT Systems Engineer is responsible for the engineering, implementation, and delivery of the County’s enterprise technology infrastructure. This role participates in the Build function within the Service Operations division and is responsible for translating approved architectural designs into secure, reliable, and supportable production systems.

This role works on engineering and deployment activities across core infrastructure platforms including identity and directory services, Microsoft 365 services, endpoint and client computing environments, on-premises and cloud server infrastructure, storage systems, backup and disaster recovery solutions, and Azure cloud services. The Senior IT Systems Engineer ensures solutions are implemented in alignment with architectural standards, cybersecurity requirements, and operational readiness expectations prior to transition to ongoing support.

With guidance from the Engineering and Deployment Supervisor, this role partners closely with the Systems Architect (Design), Infrastructure Operations (Run), network and cybersecurity staff, application teams, vendors, and department stakeholders to deliver enterprise initiatives and modernization efforts on schedule and with high quality.

We are currently recruiting to fill one full-time vacancy. Remote work is permitted and this is a primarily remote role, but onsite work inSanta Barbara, CA is required when needed. Lodging/travel expenses are not provided. Employees of the County must primarily perform work in California. At this time, this position is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must have permanent (not temporary) work authorization to work in the United States without the need for visa sponsorship by the start date of employment. The payroll title for this role is EDP Office Automation Specialist II.

Highlighted Benefits:

• Primarily remote schedule
• Health Plan: County contributes towards premium; HSA offered
• Pension Retirement
• Reciprocity with other public sector retirement systems (like CalPERS)
• 13 holidays, 12 sick leave days (unlimited accumulation), and 12 to 25 days of vacation (based on length of service) per year
• Time and service credit towards an advanced vacation accrual rate for previous public service.
• For more information on County benefits, please click here.

1. Lead complex system implementations, upgrades, and modernization initiatives.
2. Develop advanced automation, deployment pipelines, and repeatable build processes.
3. Serve as escalation point for complex technical issues.
4. Validate and optimize system builds for performance, security, and compliance.
5. Coordinate with Systems Architects to ensure implementations align with enterprise architecture.
6. Lead technical project teams through major deployments and transformations.
7. Conduct deep testing, troubleshooting, and remediation during system upgrades.
8. Mentor engineers across all levels, sharing expertise in design patterns and advanced build methods.
9. Recommend enhancements to standards and practices based on implementation experience.
10. May provide functional and technical supervision to staff as assigned.
11. Performs related duties as assigned.

The knowledge, skills, and abilities listed here may be acquired through various types of training, education, and experience. A typical way to acquire the required knowledge and abilities would be:

1. Four years of experience that included analyzing, designing, testing, and implementing enterprise-wide software and hardware on a large scale (about 150 servers), including two years of direct experience with a large wide area network (about 5000 devices); or,
2. Two years of experience performing duties equivalent to those of an EDP Office Automation Specialist I with Santa Barbara County; or,
3. A combination of training, education, and experience that is equivalent to one of the employment standards listed above and that provides the required knowledge and abilities.

Additional Requirements:This role also requires the ability to participate in scheduled after hours work and standby support.

Selection Process

1. Review Application to determine applicants that meet the employment standards.
2. Supplemental Questionnaire Ranking: Applicants who meet the employment standard will have their responses to the supplemental questionnaires evaluated and scored. Candidates' final score and rank on the eligibility list will be determined by the scored supplemental questions. This process may be eliminated if there are fewer than 11 qualified candidates.

Candidates must receive a percentage score of at least 70 on the Supplemental Questionnaire Ranking to be placed on an employment list. An adjustment may be made to raw scores based on factors listed in Civil Service Rule VI. Those candidates who are successful in the selection process will have their names placed on the employment list for a minimum of three months. At the time the employment list is established, all candidates will receive written notice of their score on the exam(s), rank on the employment list, and exact duration of the employment list.
Completion of a 12-month probationary period is required.

Conditional Job Offer: Once a conditional offer of employment has been made, candidate will be required to successfully complete a background check, which includes a conviction history check and Live Scan fingerprinting.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS:
The County of Santa Barbara is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to applicants. Qualified individuals with disabilities who need reasonable accommodation during the application or selection process should contact the recruiter listed on the job posting. We require verification of needed accommodation from a professional source, such a Medical Provider or a learning institution.

Disaster Service Worker:Pursuant to Governmental Code section 3100, all employees with the County of Santa Barbara are declared to be disaster service workers subject to such disaster service. Activities as may be assigned to them by their superiors or by law.

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Statement

The County of Santa Barbara provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants and prohibits discrimination, harassment, and retaliation of any type with regard to any characteristic or status protected by any federal law, state law, or Santa Barbara County ordinance. The County continues to be committed to a merit-based selection process and to eliminating barriers to attracting and retaining top qualified candidates. The County has a long-standing practice of providing a work environment that respects the dignity of individual employees and values their contributions to our organization.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Wednesday, October 7, 2026 at 4:59 p.m. PST, postmarks not accepted.

Recruiters will correspond with applicants by email during each step of the recruitment process. Applicants are reminded to check spam filters continuously during the Selection Process steps to ensure they do not miss required deadlines.

For any questions, please contact Sabina Netto, ITD Human Resources Manager at [e-mail]