LINUX SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR

$60,000 - $85,000/Yr

University of Missouri - Columbia, MO

Full-time - Entry Level

Columbia, MO

Educational Services

About the position

The Linux System Administrator position at the University of Missouri-Columbia involves providing advanced technical support for research computing needs across the campus. The role requires building, installing, and managing computer systems, research instrumentation, and security solutions while ensuring top-tier customer support. The successful candidate will work closely with faculty, staff, and students to resolve technical issues and support research workflows, utilizing a variety of technologies and best practices.

Responsibilities

• Frequently work one-on-one with faculty, staff, and students to aid in resolving issues.
• Diagnose and resolve end-user problems using various methods including error messages, analysis of logs, and collaboration with vendors.
• Respond to escalated issues from customers and other support teams; perform triage and provide remote problem resolution.
• Coordinate with outside vendors for procurement and installation of hardware, software, and research instrumentation.
• Research, recommend, and implement hardware and software purchases to meet customer needs and ensure compatibility with university systems.
• Contribute to the development of customer support strategies.
• Learn and understand research workflows, investigate best practices, and guide development of workflows for data collection and analysis.
• Investigate and test new tools, systems, techniques, and software products.
• Provide technical guidance, documentation, and training to customers and IT professionals.
• Document system configurations, modifications, and concerns.
• Manage work orders, projects, and track efforts.
• Work well with colleagues, customers, and external organizations in written and verbal communication.
• Advocate for the needs of researchers while promoting institutional policy.
• Stay current with emerging IT trends related to research computing and support.

Requirements

• A bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience is required.
• Experience installing, configuring, maintaining, and troubleshooting Linux systems in Academic, Enterprise, or Research environments.
• Experience securing and monitoring Linux systems and educating customers on proper security practices.
• Ability to determine and initiate necessary actions to restore normal services with minimal downtime.
• Experience as a member of a highly technical and customer-service driven team.
• Demonstrated experience with documentation, professional communication, and interpersonal relationships in IT and/or research focused groups.

Nice-to-haves

• Direct customer support in an academic or research environment is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated experience managing Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Enterprise Linux clones (CentOS/Oracle Linux/Alma/Rocky), Debian, and Ubuntu is highly desirable.
• Experience with web application development is highly desirable.
• Experience with networking, security, and compliance is a plus.
• Experience compiling and installing software on Linux systems without using standard package repositories is highly desirable.
• Experience with database management (MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB) is a plus.
• Experience with Python and R languages or development environments is a plus.

Benefits

• Medical, dental and vision plans
• Retirement
• Paid time off
• Short- and long-term disability
• Paid parental leave
• Paid caregiver leave
• Educational fee discounts for all four UM System campuses