SUMMARY Responsible for leading technical initiatives and owning critical infrastructure components end-to-end. This role drives stability and security improvements by designing implementation plans, standardizing configurations, and mentoring junior administrators. The administrator strengthens Alliant's security posture through disciplined patch governance, secure-by-default configurations, and effective incident response leadership. Systems Administrator III is expected to reduce operational risk by improving automation, monitoring, and recovery readiness. ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Serve as a technical lead for infrastructure projects (server modernization, platform upgrades, identity improvements) including planning, implementation, validation, and transition to operations. Own administration of assigned systems/services, including lifecycle management, performance, capacity, and security posture. Lead incident response for system-related events: coordinate troubleshooting, drive root cause analysis, and ensure durable corrective actions. Develop and maintain system standards (build templates, hardening baselines, naming conventions, access models) and ensure consistent adoption. Improve patch and vulnerability remediation processes by defining schedules, exception handling, and reporting to stakeholders. Design and execute backup/restore and DR test plans; validate recovery objectives and document results and remediation actions. Implement automation to reduce manual work and error risk (scripted provisioning, standardized checks, automated reporting). Partner with Security to implement and validate controls (privileged access workflows, logging requirements, configuration baselines). Review and approve changes for technical completeness, risk, and rollback readiness; coach others on change quality. Mentor Systems Administrator I/II staff through hands-on training, peer review, and troubleshooting guidance. Manage vendor support engagements for assigned platforms; coordinate escalations and track remediation to closure. Produce high-quality documentation and diagrams suitable for operational handoff and audit review. QUALIFICATIONS EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Technology, or a related field or equivalent experience. Five (5) or more years in systems administration, including ownership of production systems and leading technical workstreams. Experience with hybrid environments (on-prem + cloud) and identity integration patterns. Familiarity with infrastructure-as-code concepts and tools. Demonstrated experience improving operational metrics (reducing incidents, improving patch compliance, shortening recovery times). Experience supporting regulated environments and leading audit response for infrastructure controls. Experience with Azure, AWS, Google Cloud operations in a multi-account or multi-subscription enterprise environment. Experience with cloud monitoring, log analytics, backup, security posture, policy compliance, cost management, and automation tools. Experience in insurance, financial services, regulated environments, or enterprise shared services. SKILLS Advanced administration of Windows Server and core infrastructure services; solid Linux administration ability. Strong identity and access management experience (directory services, group policy strategy, privilege separation). Proven ability to lead troubleshooting for complex issues across systems, storage, and network dependencies. Experience designing and implementing standard builds and secure baselines. Strong change management execution and risk assessment skills. Automation proficiency (PowerShell required; ability to structure scripts/modules for reuse and peer review). Ability to mentor and lead through influence (not just “do the work,” but level up the team). Excellent communication: concise incident updates, stakeholder-friendly post-incident summaries, and clear technical documentation. Comfort working across teams (Security, Network, Cloud, App Owners) to drive outcomes.