Systems Administrator

ZGF Architects; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 75,000 - 87,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision coverage

HSA with employer contribution

401(k) with employer match

PTO 4 weeks

10 paid holidays per year

Paid parental leave

Job summary

ZGF Architects in Washington, DC is seeking a Systems Administrator to join the Technology team. You will collaborate across seven North American offices, supporting AD, Microsoft 365, Azure, and virtualization while maintaining security standards.

The role requires strong documentation, teamwork, and the ability to travel to other ZGF offices as needed. The salary range is posted with benefits including medical/dental/vision, HSA, 401(k) match, PTO, holidays, and parental leave.

Qualifications

• Experience in systems administration desired or related relevant experience.
• Strong work ethic, team player, honest and accountable with good communication.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Personal and professional integrity.
• Strong documentation skills.
• Time-sensitive deadline awareness and reliability.
• Creative problem-solver contributing to firm-wide initiatives.
• Experience managing AD domain environments including GPO, DFS, and AD sites.
• Experience managing Windows Server environments and related services.
• Experience managing Microsoft 365 apps and services (Entra ID, Azure, Exchange, SharePoint, Teams, Defender, Intune).
• Experience managing LAN/WAN switches/routers; scripting via PowerShell.
• Strong system security fundamentals.
• Willingness to travel to other ZGF offices as required; ability to lift/move equipment.
• Understanding of technology in architectural processes; professional certification preferred.

Responsibilities

• Participate in technical research and development for continued innovation.
• Maintain firm-wide system standards and procedures.
• Monitor and maintain data center equipment and environment.
• Provide advanced assistance to the Desktop Support team.
• Provide on-call availability after hours and on weekends.
• Monitor health of systems including AD, M365, Azure, Entra ID, storage, virtualization, servers.
• Support system backup and recovery operations.
• Support VMware and Azure virtualization infrastructure.
• Support NAS and iSCSI SAN storage technologies.
• Support AD, Azure, Entra ID environments.
• Support Microsoft 365 apps and services (Teams, O365, Intune, Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Defender).
• Support LAN/WAN connectivity (TCP/IP, OSPF, DHCP, DNS).
• Maintain a security-first approach to technology implementations.

Skills

Systems administration

Communication skills

Team player

Documentation

Problem solving

Time management

Security fundamentals

Travel readiness

Education

Professional certification

Tools

Active Directory

Group Policy

Windows Server

Microsoft 365

Azure

Entra ID

SharePoint

Exchange Online

Defender for Endpoint

PowerShell

LAN/WAN networking

VMware

Job description

ZGF is seeking a System Administrator to join our team in our Washington, DC office. This role will collaborate with the entire Technology team across seven North American offices implementing firm-wide initiatives and assisting with high-quality cross-office support. A successful candidate will be a strong team player and be eager to learn and thrive in a multi-tasking environment.

As a Systems Administrator, you will….

• Participate in technical research and development to enable continuing innovation
• Contribute to and maintain firmwide system standards and procedures
• Monitor and maintain data center equipment and environment
• Provide advanced assistance to the Desktop Support team
• Provide on-call availability after hours and on weekends
• Monitor and evaluate health of all systems including Active Directory, M365, Azure, Entra ID, storage, virtualization, server hardware and software
• Support system backup/recovery operations
• Support VMware and Azure virtualization infrastructure
• Support storage technologies such as NAS and iSCSI storage area networks (SAN)
• Support Active Directory, Azure, and Entra ID environments
• Support Microsoft 365 cloud apps and services such as Teams, O365, Intune, Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, and Defender for Endpoint
• Support LAN/WAN network connectivity, including TCP/IP, OSPF, DHCP, DNS
• Maintain a security-first approach to technology implementations

Qualifications:

• Experience in systems administration desired or related relevant experience
• Good work ethic – timely, team-player, honest, dependable, conscientious, respectful, and accountable; Exhibit sound judgment and possess excellent communication skills
• Ability to plan and perform assignments as an integrated, cooperative team member while simultaneously, at times, be able to operate independently with minimal or no supervision
• Personal and professional integrity
• Strong documentation skills.
• Sensitive and responsive to the time-critical nature of our employees’ deadline-driven work
• Creative problem-solver with a willingness to contribute to firm-wide initiatives
• Experience managing and maintaining Active Directory domain environments including Group Policy, AD Users and Computers, DFS, AD Sites and Services
• Experience managing and maintaining Windows Server environments and related services
• Experience managing and maintaining Microsoft 365 apps and services such as Entra ID, Azure, Exchange Online, SharePoint, Teams, Defender, or Intune
• Experience managing and maintaining LAN/WAN switches and routers
• General understanding of scripted automation using PowerShell and other tools
• Strong understanding of system security fundamentals
• Able to periodically travel to other ZGF offices as required for infrastructure support
• Occasionally requires ability to lift and carry various technology equipment
• Understanding of the application of technology to architectural processes (Preferred)
• Professional certification (Preferred)

Base Salary Range

$74,610 - $87,045 annually, depending on skills and experience.

Benefits

ZGF employees enjoy medical, dental, and vision coverage with a generous employer contribution; an HSA with employer contribution; a 401(k) with employer match; four weeks of PTO; 10 paid holidays per year; and paid parental and family leave programs.

Apply With

• Cover Letter
• Resume

We know that great projects take more than a design team to become a reality. Whether you're a finance professional, project manager, or specialist in another field, your expertise helps create a healthier, more equitable built environment. Studies show that women and people from underrepresented groups are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every qualification. We encourage you to apply even if you don't check every box—your skills and experiences may be exactly what we need.

ZGF Architects is committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and welcoming workplace. As an equal opportunity employer, we celebrate the unique qualities and perspectives that each individual brings to our team. We encourage applicants of all backgrounds, experiences, and identities to apply. Regardless of age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law, we are excited to consider qualified candidates.

If you're ready to contribute to meaningful work, we invite you to submit your cover letter and resume online.