Senior IT Systems Engineer

Senior IT Systems Engineer

Salary

See Position Description

Location

Multiple Locations- See Job Description, CA

Job Type

Full-time

Job Number

26-2489-03 (O)

Department

Information Technology

Opening Date

09/24/2026

Closing Date

10/7/2026 5:00 PM Pacific

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

Description

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced IT professional to oversee critical infrastructure engineering and deployment within the County of Santa Barbara's Information Technology Department. Come and be a part of a team of talented individuals who are passionate about fostering a culture of teamwork, learning and respect!

In the IT Department our success is powered by people and technology. Our culture is what makes IT a fun and rewarding place to work! We establish, develop and nurture partnerships and open communication within our communities. We embrace a willingness to learn and accept new ideas, to actively listen and to be receptive to change. We strive to grow our talents and do our best in the service of others while taking pride in our work. We explore and deliver new and creative ways to pair technology with business needs

The Service Operations Division

The Service Operations Division keeps the County's technology foundation strong, secure, and always available. We organize our work around a proven operating model: Design, Build, Run. The systems we deliver are thoughtfully architected, expertly engineered, and reliably operated:

• Design - Our Systems Architect drives architecture, strategy, and modernization, setting the technical direction so that solutions are built to last.
• Build - Our engineering and deployment team turns approved designs into secure, production-ready systems, the engineering, deployment, and delivery that bring modernization to life.
• Run - Our Infrastructure Operations team sustains what we deliver, providing the reliable, secure, and resilient operations the County depends on day in and day out.

The Senior IT Systems Engineer sits at the heart of the Build function, translating architectural vision into the dependable infrastructure that County departments, and the communities they serve, rely on every day.

The Position

The Senior IT Systems Engineer is responsible for the engineering, implementation, and delivery of the County's enterprise technology infrastructure. This role participates in the Build function within the Service Operations division and is responsible for translating approved architectural designs into secure, reliable, and supportable production systems.

This role works on engineering and deployment activities across core infrastructure platforms including identity and directory services, Microsoft 365 services, endpoint and client computing environments, on-premises and cloud server infrastructure, storage systems, backup and disaster recovery solutions, and Azure cloud services. The Senior IT Systems Engineer ensures solutions are implemented in alignment with architectural standards, cybersecurity requirements, and operational readiness expectations prior to transition to ongoing support.

With guidance from the Engineering and Deployment Supervisor, this role partners closely with the Systems Architect (Design), Infrastructure Operations (Run), network and cybersecurity staff, application teams, vendors, and department stakeholders to deliver enterprise initiatives and modernization efforts on schedule and with high quality.

We are currently recruiting to fill one full-time vacancy. Remote work is permitted and this is a primarily remote role, but onsite work in Santa Barbara, CA is required when needed. Lodging/travel expenses are not provided. Employees of the County must primarily perform work in California. At this time, this position is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must have permanent (not temporary) work authorization to work in the United States without the need for visa sponsorship by the start date of employment. The payroll title for this role is EDP Office Automation Specialist II.

Highlighted Benefits:

• Primarily remote schedule
• Health Plan: County contributes towards premium; HSA offered
• Pension Retirement
• Reciprocity with other public sector retirement systems (like CalPERS)
• 13 holidays, 12 sick leave days (unlimited accumulation), and 12 to 25 days of vacation (based on length of service) per year
• Time and service credit towards an advanced vacation accrual rate for previous public service.
• For more information on County benefits, please click here.

Examples of Duties

• Lead complex system implementations, upgrades, and modernization initiatives.
• Develop advanced automation, deployment pipelines, and repeatable build processes.
• Serve as escalation point for complex technical issues.
• Validate and optimize system builds for performance, security, and compliance.
• Coordinate with Systems Architects to ensure implementations align with enterprise architecture.
• Lead technical project teams through major deployments and transformations.
• Conduct deep testing, troubleshooting, and remediation during system upgrades.
• Mentor engineers across all levels, sharing expertise in design patterns and advanced build methods.
• Recommend enhancements to standards and practices based on implementation experience.
• May provide functional and technical supervision to staff as assigned.
• Performs related duties as assigned.

Employment Standards

The knowledge, skills, and abilities listed here may be acquired through various types of training, education, and experience. A typical way to acquire the required knowledge and abilities would be:

• Four years of experience that included analyzing, designing, testing, and implementing enterprise-wide software and hardware on a large scale (about 150 servers), including two years of direct experience with a large wide area network (about 5000 devices); or,

• Two years of experience performing duties equivalent to those of an EDP Office Automation Specialist I with Santa Barbara County; or,

• A combination of training, education, and experience that is equivalent to one of the employment standards listed above and that provides the required knowledge and abilities.

Additional Requirements: This role also requires the ability to participate in scheduled after hours work and standby support.

Supplemental Information

Selection Process

• Review Application to determine applicants that meet the employment standards.
• Supplemental Questionnaire Ranking: Applicants who meet the employment standard will have their responses to the supplemental questionnaires evaluated and scored. Candidates final score and rank on the eligibility list will be determined by the scored supplemental questions. This process may be eliminated if there are fewer than 11 qualified candidates.

Candidates must receive a percentage score of at least 70 on the Supplemental Questionnaire Ranking to be placed on an employment list. An adjustment may be made to raw scores based on factors listed in Civil Service Rule VI. Those candidates who are successful in the selection process will have their names placed on the employment list for a minimum of three months. At the time the employment list is established, all candidates will receive written notice of their score on the exam(s), rank on the employment list, and exact duration of the employment list.

Completion of a 12-month probationary period is required.

Conditional Job Offer: Once a conditional offer of employment has been made, candidate will be required to successfully complete a background check, which includes a conviction history check and Live Scan fingerprinting.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS:

The County of Santa Barbara is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to applicants. Qualified individuals with disabilities who need reasonable accommodation during the application or selection process should contact the recruiter listed on the job posting. We require verification of needed accommodation from a professional source, such a Medical Provider or a learning institution.

Disaster Service Worker: Pursuant to Governmental Code section 3100, all employees with the County of Santa Barbara are declared to be disaster service workers subject to such disaster service. Activities as may be assigned to them by their superiors or by law.

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Statement

The County of Santa Barbara provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants and prohibits discrimination, harassment, and retaliation of any type with regard to any characteristic or status protected by any federal law, state law, or Santa Barbara County ordinance. The County continues to be committed to a merit-based selection process and to eliminating barriers to attracting and retaining top qualified candidates. The County has a long-standing practice of providing a work environment that respects the dignity of individual employees and values their contributions to our organization.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Wednesday, October 7, 2026 at 4:59 p.m. PST, postmarks not accepted. You can view job postings and apply online 24 hours a day at www.sbcountyjobs.com.

Recruiters will correspond with applicants by email during each step of the recruitment process. Applicants are reminded to check spam filters continuously during the Selection Process steps to ensure they do not miss required deadlines.

For any questions, please contact Sabina Netto, ITD Human Resources Manager at snetto@countyofsb.org

Retirement Plans

• Generous County Defined Benefit Plan
• Eligible to participate in 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan
• Retirement Reciprocity with CalPERS, CalSTRS, and 1937 Act plans
• For more information on our retirement plans, please visit: https://www.sbcers.org/ and http://www.santabarbara457.com

Health Benefits

• Choice of dental, vision and medical plans. In addition to the Benefit Allowance noted above, the County contributes toward medical premiums and dental premiums
• On-Site Employee Health Clinics in Santa Barbara and Santa Maria which provide ongoing and episodic services to eligible employees and their eligible dependents
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offers free, confidential assistance with personal and workplace problems to employees and their immediate family members
• Healthcare Advocacy Program to help employees navigate the complexities of health plan benefits
• Available Health Care and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts, Health Savings Account (HSA), Supplemental Term or Whole Life Insurance, Personal Accident Insurance, Critical Illness Insurance, Accident Insurance and more!
• For more information on our health benefits, please visit: https://www.countyofsb.org/4012/Health-Benefits

Paid Time Off

• Vacation Leave 12 to 25 days per year depending on length of public employment
• Sick Leave 12 days annually with unlimited accumulation, one year of which can be converted to service credit upon retirement
• Paid Holidays based on bargaining unit (view the compensation summary for this bargaining unit, link below)
• Alternative Transportation Benefit (TDM) up to 2 days of additional vacation for using alternative methods of commuting
• For more information on Paid Time Off please view the Compensation Summary for this bargaining unit (available below)

Miscellaneous Benefits

• County Paid Term Life Insurance
• County Paid Long Term Disability Insurance
• Childcare and Employee Discounts
• Relocation Assistance may apply
• Flexible work schedule may apply
• For more information on all of these benefits, please visit: https://www.countyofsb.org/4013/24636/WorkLife-Benefits

Compensation Summary

• To view the Compensation Summary specific to the bargaining unit for this position (link to full Memorandum of Understanding also available at bottom of the summary), please visit: https://www.countyofsb.org/3085/SEIU-Local-620
• This benefits list is for convenience only; please refer to the Memorandum of Understanding for complete details of terms and conditions. Amounts are generally prorated for part-time employment.

01

While this is a primarily remote role, I understand that County employees must primarily perform work in California and that when required to be in the office, employees are not provided lodging or travel expenses.

• I understand

02

This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must have permanent (not temporary) work authorization to work in the United States without the need for visa sponsorship by the start date of employment.

• I understand

03

This position requires the ability to participate in scheduled after hours work and be assigned to the standby after hours rotation (evenings and weekends) and on occasion, work after hours to address urgent issues.

• I understand

04

Your answer to the following question will be used to evaluate whether your experience meets the required minimum qualifications. An insufficient response may result in your application being disqualified. Describe your experience analyzing, designing, testing, and implementing enterprise-scale IT infrastructure in a large organizational environment. Include the approximate size and complexity of the environments you have supported (e.g., number of servers, endpoints, or users), the types of systems involved, and your specific role and responsibilities. If you are qualifying through an equivalent combination of education and training, describe your educational background and explain how it, combined with your work experience, provides the knowledge and abilities required for this role.

05

If you have completed a degree or advanced degree, please list the degree and major below. If you have not, please enter N/A.

06

Do you have experience working directly for a public/government sector agency (county, city, school district, etc.) in a technical role (not required to qualify)?

• Yes
• No

07

If you indicated that you do have experience working for a public/government sector agency (not required to qualify), please list the agency/agencies below (enter N/A if not applicable). These employers must also be listed on your application.

08

I understand the Civil Service Examination for this recruitment is a Supplemental Questionnaire Ranking. I understand my responses to the following supplemental questions will be used as a weighed, scored selection device that will determine my ranking on the employment list for this position. For information on protest procedures for the Supplemental Questionnaire Ranking, please see Civil Service Rules 612 and 613: https://www.countyofsb.org/1444/Civil-Service-Rules I understand the following is an examination that will be used to determine my rank on the Eligible List.

• I understand

09

For each of the following, please select the response that best aligns with the highest level of complexity that you have experience performing. Please note that responses will be validated during the interview process.

• I understand

10

Which of the following best describes your experience with Microsoft on-premises infrastructure solutions? Includes: Active Directory, Group Policy Management, MECM, Exchange SE, Distributed File System (DFS), SCOM, Remote Desktop Services, Windows Server 2022/2025, and Windows 11.

• I have designed, implemented, or led enterprise deployments of solutions in this category in a production environment, and have mentored or directed other engineers in their use.
• I have independently administered, configured, and troubleshot solutions in this category in a production environment without close supervision.
• I have performed hands-on work with solutions in this category in a production environment, primarily under supervision or in a limited scope role.
• My exposure to solutions in this category has been primarily through training, coursework, or lab/test environments.
• I have no experience with the solutions in this category.

11

Which of the following best describes your experience with Microsoft Azure cloud infrastructure engineering and governance? Includes: infrastructure as code (Azure Bicep/Terraform), CI/CD pipelines (Azure DevOps/GitHub Actions), VNet networking (peering, Private Link, Azure Firewall, ExpressRoute/VPN), Azure landing zones, Azure Monitor/Log Analytics/KQL, subscription and management group design, resource group strategy, tagging standards, and Azure Resource Graph/cost management.

• I have designed, implemented, or led enterprise deployments of solutions in this category in a production environment, and have mentored or directed other engineers in their use.
• I have independently administered, configured, and troubleshot solutions in this category in a production environment without close supervision.
• I have performed hands-on work with solutions in this category in a production environment, primarily under supervision or in a limited scope role
• My exposure to solutions in this category has been primarily through training, coursework, or lab/test environments.
• I have no experience with the solutions in this category.

12

Which of the following best describes your experience with Microsoft modern workplace solutions? Includes: Entra ID, Purview, Microsoft Teams, Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive, Intune, Defender and email security

• I have designed, implemented, or led enterprise deployments of solutions in this category in a production environment, and have mentored or directed other engineers in their use.
• I have independently administered, configured, and troubleshot solutions in this category in a production environment without close supervision.
• I have performed hands-on work with solutions in this category in a production environment, primarily under supervision or in a limited scope role.
• My exposure to solutions in this category has been primarily through training, coursework, or lab/test environments.
• I have no experience with the solutions in this category.

13

Which of the following best describes your experience with VMware vSphere/VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF), version 7.x or later, and its core virtualization technologies, including administering vCenter Server and ESX hosts; managing vSAN storage; using VCF Operations for monitoring, management, and lifecycle operations; configuring vSphere Distributed Switch networking with and without NSX; implementing vSphere High Availability (HA) and Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS); configuring vSphere Replication and VCF Protection and Recovery for disaster recovery; and using VCF Automation for cloud management and automation.

• I have designed, implemented, or led enterprise deployments of solutions in this category in a production environment, and have mentored or directed other engineers in their use.
• I have independently administered, configured, and troubleshot solutions in this category in a production environment without close supervision.
• I have performed hands-on work with solutions in this category in a production environment, primarily under supervision or in a limited scope role.
• My exposure to solutions in this category has been primarily through training, coursework, or lab/test environments.
• I have no experience with the solutions in this category.

14

Which of the following best describes your experience with enterprise storage and backup/recovery solutions? Includes: SAN/NAS (FC, iSCSI, NFS/SMB), cloud object/block storage, snapshots, replication and tiering, SLAs/OLAs, backup and restore runbooks, recovery testing, and RPO/RTO, MTTR, and restore success reporting.

• I have designed, implemented, or led enterprise deployments of solutions in this category in a production environment, and have mentored or directed other engineers in their use.
• I have independently administered, configured, and troubleshot solutions in this category in a production environment without close supervision.
• I have performed hands-on work with solutions in this category in a production environment, primarily under supervision or in a limited scope role.
• My exposure to solutions in this category has been primarily through training, coursework, or lab/test environments.
• I have no experience with the solutions in this category.

15

Which of the following best describes your experience with network services? Includes: DDI (DNS, DHCP, IPAM), Windows DNS, variable length subnetting, routing and switching basics, VLANs, firewall support, network monitoring/logging, connectivity troubleshooting, and documentation.

• I have designed, implemented, or led enterprise deployments of services in this category in a production environment, and have mentored or directed other engineers in their use.
• I have independently administered, configured, and troubleshot services in this category in a production environment without close supervision.
• I have performed hands-on work with services in this category in a production environment, primarily under supervision or in a limited scope role.
• My exposure to services in this category has been primarily through training, coursework, or lab/test environments
• I have no experience with the services in this category

16

Which of the following best describes your experience leading IT infrastructure deployment or migration projects in a large, complex, multi-departmental environment (such as a public-sector or highly governed organization)?

• I have served as project or technical lead for two or more complex, multi-departmental infrastructure deployments or migrations (e.g., data center migrations, cloud transitions, major platform upgrades), managing timelines, vendor coordination, and technical resources.
• I have led one complex, multi-departmental infrastructure deployment or migration as the primary technical lead, responsible for planning, execution, and stakeholder communication.
• I have served as a significant technical contributor to one or more complex, multi-departmental infrastructure projects, with partial responsibility for planning or execution.
• I have participated in complex, multi-departmental infrastructure projects in an implementation or support role, under the direction of a project lead.
• I have no experience in complex, multi-departmental infrastructure deployment or migration projects.

17

Which of the following best describes your experience developing technical documentation, standards, or architecture for enterprise IT systems?

• I have authored or been the primary contributor to enterprise-level technical standards, architecture documents, or SOPs that were formally adopted and used by an engineering team.
• I have written technical runbooks, procedures, or configuration documentation that was used in production by other staff.
• I have contributed to or updated existing technical documentation as part of my role.
• I have documented my own work informally but have not produced documentation used formally by others.
• I have no experience producing technical documentation

Required Question

Employer County of Santa Barbara

Address 1226 Anacapa Street

Santa Barbara, California, 93101

Website https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/sbcounty