System Administrator

upenn; Philadelphia, Kennett Square (Philadelphia County, Chester County); On-site; GBP 56,000 - 82,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Pennsylvania's Penn Vet IT team seeks an experienced System Administrator to oversee campus technology infrastructure, including hospital systems, networks, and endpoints. You will coordinate with central IT and vendors to ensure secure, reliable operations across classrooms, farms, and research facilities.

The role requires hands-on field work, experience with VoIP and virtualization, and the ability to work in a university environment with multiple stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or related field.
• 2–3 years of IT infrastructure, networking, and systems administration experience.
• Leadership experience and ability to coordinate with campus facilities.

Responsibilities

• Serve as on-site networking liaison for Penn Vet campuses.
• Perform incident triage, routine maintenance, and vendor coordination.
• Maintain network, fiber, and wireless infrastructure per Penn standards.
• Collaborate with Penn Vet IT and campus community to address tech needs.

Skills

Networking basics

VoIP

Networking protocols

Virtualization

Cloud infrastructure

Monitoring tools

ITSM

Vendor management

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in IT/CS or related field

Master's degree preferred

Tools

VMware

Hyper-V

AWS

Azure

Job description

University Overview

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn's distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America's Best Large Employers in 2023.

Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.

The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.

Posted Job Title

System Administrator

Job Profile Title

Systems Administrator C

Job Description Summary

We are currently seeking an experienced IT Administrator to join the Penn Vet team and provide comprehensive technical support in the dynamic university setting, encompassing classrooms, hospital facilities, farm operations, and research labs. This role is responsible for overseeing the design, implementation, maintenance, and support of the organization's campus technology infrastructure. This includes hospital systems management, network engineering, phone systems, endpoint management, and coordination of technology-related facility operations. The role ensures the reliability, scalability, and security of all IT infrastructure, while managing vendor relationships and delivering exceptional service. The candidate is expected to have experience working closely with the school's desktop support teams and other IT-oriented teams within the university.

Job Description

DUTIES: This role will serve as the on-site networking liaison for the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center campus in Kennett Square, PA (alternatively at the Philadelphia campus as deemed necessary). This position provides essential local support, ensuring stable, secure, and resilient computing operations. The specialist performs hands‑on field tasks and Tier I/II network support, including incident triage, routine maintenance, and coordination with central IT teams and vendors. This role ensures that network systems, fiber infrastructure, and wireless technologies are maintained in accordance with Penn's technical standards and operational procedures. This position collaborates closely with the Penn Vet community, comprising faculty, staff, and students, to address technology‑related needs.

Location:

This position is located in Kennett Square, PA (Chester County), which is approximately 33 miles outside of Philadelphia. There is no public transportation to this location. You must have your own transportation.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• - Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or related field experience (Master's preferred). 2-3 years of experience in IT infrastructure, networking, and systems administration, with at least 1 year in a leadership role. Proven experience managing enterprise network environments and VoIP phone systems. Strong background in vendor management and facilities coordination.
• - Certifications: CCNP, CompTIA Network+, or equivalent networking certification or equivalent is strongly preferred.
• -Candidate must have their own transportation and a valid driver's license.
• - The candidate must be comfortable working in a farm environment and around large farm animals.

Skills:

• - Understanding of networking technologies (TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, VLANs, VPNs, routing, switching, firewalls), including physical tasks involving switches, routers, UPS, and fiber connectivity.
• - Experience with enterprise VoIP platforms
• - Knowledge of OSI and security models, networking protocols including Ethernet, TCP/IP, and SNMP.
• - Hands‑on experience configuring and troubleshooting network routers and Ethernet switches.
• - Familiarity with virtualization (VMware, Hyper‑v), cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure), and security best practices.
• - ProficiencywithmonitoringtoolsbackupsystemsandITSMplatforms.
• - Strong verbal&written communications skills&underhyper‑led?
• - Vendor management experience.

Key Competencies:

• o Strategic Thinking: