Senior System Administrator
Reports to: IT Director
Company Size: Approx. $100M Annual Revenue
Industry: Global ETO OEM Manufacturing
Location: Florence, KY (Headquarters)
FLSA Status: Exempt
Role Overview
The Senior System Administrator is a dual-role position responsible for the health, security, and scalability of our global IT environment. You will serve as supporting technical architect and hands-on administrator for our US headquarters, while simultaneously managing MSP infrastructure life-cycle projects across our international sites including in Europe, India, and China.
This role, in collaboration with the IT Director, works to translate business objectives and IT Strategy into technical execution. You will ensure our manufacturing floor remains operational 24/7 while leading the charge on modernizing our tech stack.
Core Responsibilities
1. Project Execution (The "PM" Side)
- Global Standardization: Lead projects to standardize hardware and supporting software across all operations to ensure unified security and support.
- Vendor Management: Negotiate and manage contracts with MSP, ISPs and hardware vendors globally, optimizing spend for a md-market business.
- Cloud Management: Support planned efforts to shift legacy on-premise workloads to the cloud to reduce local hardware footprints. Management and optimization of cloud resources.
- Budgeting: Assist the IT Director in CAPEX/OPEX planning for infrastructure renewals and expansions.
2. Global Infrastructure Management (The "Admin" Side)
- Systems Administration: Maintain and optimize a hybrid environment (On-premise servers, cloud servers, and SaaS applications).
- Network Oversight: Manage SD-WAN, VPN tunnels, and firewalls connecting global sites to ensure seamless communication between the US and international hubs.
- Manufacturing Continuity: Support shop-floor technologies to minimize production downtime.
- Security & Compliance: Implement and monitor cybersecurity protocols, including MFA, EDR, and BC/DR testing.
- Other responsibilities as assigned.
Qualifications & Experience
Education & Experience:
- Years of Experience: 7+ years in Systems Administration, with at least 2 years in a project leadership or "Lead" capacity.
- Manufacturing Background: Strong preference for candidates who understand the urgency of 24/7 manufacturing environments and OT systems.
- Global Exposure: Proven experience managing remote infrastructure or coordinating with international teams/vendors.
Technical Skills:
- Cloud: Proficiency in Azure (preferred) or AWS administration.
- Networking: Strong understanding of WAN/SDWAN, TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, and Firewall management.
- Identity Management: Advanced knowledge of MDM, AD, and MFA.
- Cyber Security: Working experience with these (or similar) core component applications including:
- Identity & Access Management: Microsoft Entra ID
- Endpoint & Mobile Security: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint & Intune
- Network Security: Fortinet FortiGate NGFW or Palo Alto Firewalls
- Data Protection & Governance: Veeam Data Cloud for Microsoft 365
- Security Operations: Microsoft Sentinel, KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training
Soft Skills:
- Cultural Competence: Ability to communicate effectively across time zones and cultures (specifically Europe, India and China).
- Ownership: A "buck stops here" mentality, willingness to be hands-on when a critical system fails.
- Communication: Ability to explain complex technical risks to non-technical stakeholders.
- Other duties as assigned.
Working Conditions:
- Periodic "on-call" availability for critical global system failures.
- Ability to work flexible hours occasionally to sync with teams in Europe and Asia.
Why Join Us?
This is a pivotal role for someone who wants to manage the entire technology stack of a global mid-market company. You won't just be maintaining legacy infrastructure; you will be building the digital backbone that allows us to scale to $200M in Revenue and beyond.
