Systems Engineer - Data Enclave Platform

National Opinion Research Center - NORC; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 94,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement plan

PTO & holidays

Dental & vision

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Parental leave

Tuition assistance

EAP

Job summary

NORC at the University of Chicago in Chicago, IL, is seeking a Data Enclave Platform Systems Engineer to support secure computing environments, including Data Enclave and DEGOV. You will help with platform administration, onboarding users, troubleshooting, monitoring, and documentation to advance compliant research infrastructure.

This hybrid role requires collaboration with security and IT teams, strong problem solving, and hands-on experience managing enterprise platforms.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a technical field or equivalent experience.
• 3 years of experience supporting enterprise infrastructure, operational platforms, or production systems.
• Strong troubleshooting, analytical, communication, and customer service skills.
• Ability to work effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Windows Server, Active Directory, Group Policy, and enterprise infrastructure administration.
• Citrix, VDI, remote access, user profile management, and application delivery.
• Identity and access management, security administration, and compliance-oriented operations.
• Incident response, troubleshooting, monitoring, change management, and customer support.
• PowerShell scripting, operational automation, technical documentation, and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Administer and maintain secure computing environments, primarily the Data Enclave and DEGOV.
• Support customer and user onboarding, access provisioning, and platform resource management.
• Monitor platform health, troubleshoot infrastructure and application issues, and support production operations.
• Assist with patching, upgrades, lifecycle management, disaster recovery testing, and modernization efforts.
• Support security controls, vulnerability remediation, compliance documentation, and audit readiness.
• Maintain runbooks, operational procedures, and technical documentation; contribute to cross-training and process improvement.

Skills

Windows Server

Active Directory

Group Policy

Citrix

VDI

Remote access

IAM

Incident response

PowerShell

Automation

Education

Bachelor's degree in a technical field

Tools

Azure

Virtualization platforms

IAM solutions

Job description

JOB SUMMARY:

The Data Enclave Platform Systems Engineer supports the operation, maintenance, and improvement of NORC's secure computing environments, including Data Enclave, DEGOV, and related regulated research platforms.

This role supports platform administration, user onboarding, troubleshooting, monitoring, documentation, security/compliance operations, and infrastructure modernization efforts.

Location: This is a hybrid role based in our Chicago Loop office, with a minimum of six days per month in the office.

Qualified applicants must be eligible to work in the U.S. We regret that we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position.

DEPARTMENT: Secure Computing and Systems Operations

NORC's Information Technology program provides technology services to our staff and clients. Given the critical role technology plays in our day-to-day lives, we are committed to providing professional, high-quality solutions in order to further our collective goal of advancing social science research.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Key Responsibilities

• Administer and maintain secure computing environments, primarily the Data Enclave and DEGOV.
• Support customer and user onboarding, access provisioning, and platform resource management.
• Monitor platform health, troubleshoot infrastructure and application issues, and support production operations.
• Assist with patching, upgrades, lifecycle management, disaster recovery testing, and modernization efforts.
• Support security controls, vulnerability remediation, compliance documentation, and audit readiness.
• Maintain runbooks, operational procedures, and technical documentation; contribute to cross-training and process improvement.

Success Measures

Within the first year, the successful candidate should be able to:

• Independently support routine Data Enclave and DEGOV operations.
• Onboard users and projects with minimal supervision.
• Troubleshoot common Citrix, Windows, identity, and infrastructure issues.
• Contribute to incident response, documentation, cross-training, and operational improvements.
• Serve as a backup resource for critical platform operations and support future platform growth.

REQUIRED SKILLS:

• Bachelor's degree in a technical field or equivalent experience.
• 3 years of experience supporting enterprise infrastructure, operational platforms, or production systems.
• Strong troubleshooting, analytical, communication, and customer service skills.
• Ability to work effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Windows Server, Active Directory, Group Policy, and enterprise infrastructure administration.
• Citrix, VDI, remote access, user profile management, and application delivery.
• Identity and access management, security administration, and compliance-oriented operations.
• Incident response, troubleshooting, monitoring, change management, and customer support.
• PowerShell scripting, operational automation, technical documentation, and continuous improvement.

Preferred Experience

• Secure research computing or controlled-access environments.
• Microsoft Azure, virtualization platforms, or IAM solutions.
• FedRAMP, NIST 800-53, or similar security frameworks.
• Customer onboarding and user lifecycle management.

SALARY AND BENEFITS:

The pay range for this position is $94,000 - $125,000

This position is classified as regular. Regular staff are eligible for NORC's comprehensive benefits program. Benefits include, but are not limited to:

• Generously subsidized health insurance, effective on the first day of employment
• Dental and vision insurance
• A defined contribution retirement program, along with a separate voluntary 403(b) retirement program
• Group life insurance, long-term and short-term disability insurance
• Benefits that promote work/life balance, including generous paid time off, holidays; paid parental leave, bereavement leave, tuition assistance, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

NORC is committed to equity and transparency in its pay practices. We publish salary ranges and benefit information for every job. The listed hiring range reflects what we, in good faith, expect to pay at the time of posting, though actual compensation may vary and may be adjusted over time. A candidate's placement within the range depends on factors such as competencies, education, qualifications, experience, skills, performance, and organizational needs.

WHAT WE DO:

NORC at the University of Chicago is an objective, non-partisan research institution that delivers reliable data and rigorous analysis to guide critical programmatic, business, and policy decisions. Since 1941, our teams have conducted groundbreaking studies, created and applied innovative methods and tools, and advanced principles of scientific integrity and collaboration. Today, government, corporate, and nonprofit clients around the world partner with us to transform increasingly complex information into useful knowledge.

WHO WE ARE:

For over 80 years, NORC has evolved in many ways, moving the needle with research methods, technical applications and groundbreaking research findings. But our tradition of excellence, passion for innovation, and commitment to collegiality have remained constant components of who we are as a brand, and who each of us is as a member of the NORC team. With world-class benefits, a business casual environment, and an emphasis on continuous learning, NORC is a place where people join for the stellar research and analysis work for which we're known, and stay for the relationships they form with their colleagues who take pride in the impact their work is making on a global scale.

EEO STATEMENT:

NORC is an equal opportunity employer. NORC evaluates qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, sexual orientation, and other legally protected characteristics.