Senior Systems Engineer

Senior Systems Engineer

Salary

$98,458.20 - $147,687.29 Annually

Location

Avondale, AZ

Job Type

Full Time

Department

Information Technology

Opening Date

11/02/2026

Closing Date

Continuous

FLSA

Exempt

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

Job Description

The City of Avondale has an opportunity for a Senior Systems Engineer to join the Information Technology Department

The first review of applications will begin on November 10, 2026, and weekly thereafter.

This recruitment will remain open until filled.

The Senior Systems Engineer is responsible for the planning, design, implementation, administration, and support of the City's server, storage, virtualization, cloud, and enterprise systems infrastructure. The position ensures the security, availability, performance, and reliability of assigned systems; performs advanced monitoring, maintenance, patching, backup, and recovery activities; and resolves complex technical issues in support of City operations and services.

Essential Functions

Strategy & Planning

• Collaborate with executive management and department leaders to assess near- and long-term server, storage, and computing capacity needs.
• Create and maintain technical documentation, including system configurations, server and application dependencies, standard operating procedures, diagrams, service records, and inventories of servers, assets, and licenses.
• Develop, implement, and maintain policies, procedures, and related training plans for systems administration, system usage, backup, and disaster recovery; provides technical guidance and mentorship to junior team members. Contribute to IT infrastructure and roadmap planning, including on-premises, hybrid, and cloud hosting strategies.

Acquisition & Deployment

• Design and deploy server, storage, and virtualization infrastructure, including physical servers, hypervisors, storage arrays, backup systems, UPS, and other data center hardware.
• Plan and execute migrations, upgrades, and retirements of operating systems, enterprise applications, and cloud services such as Microsoft 365 and Azure. Identifies and addresses legacy and unsupported servers, in accordance with City policy.
• Research, evaluate, and maintain current knowledge of emerging technologies, products, services, cybersecurity practices, and industry standards to support the City's IT systems, infrastructure, and operational needs.
• Interact and negotiate with external/third party providers to secure systems products and services.

Operational Management

• Configure and administer Windows and Linux servers, virtualization platforms (primarily VMware vSphere and VMware Cloud Foundation), and enterprise storage systems such as NetApp ONTAP to ensure their smooth and reliable operation for fulfilling business objectives and processes.
• Administer directory, identity, and certificate services, including Active Directory, Microsoft Entra ID, Group Policy, DNS, DHCP, and public key infrastructure (PKI) with automated certificate issuance and renewal. Manage email and collaboration platforms, including Microsoft Exchange Online and Microsoft 365.
• Monitor system performance, capacity, and health; troubleshoot problem areas as needed; automate routine administrative tasks using scripting tools such as PowerShell; and provide performance statistics and reports.
• Manage patching, updates, and vulnerability remediation for servers and enterprise systems. Participate in managing systems security controls, including access management, endpoint protection, and security audits, in coordination with network and cybersecurity personnel.
• Manage backup and recovery solutions, test restores, and support disaster recovery exercises in accordance with city policies.

On-Call Availability

• Provide 24x7x365 on-call support on a rotation basis with other team members.

To view the full job description and learn more about the responsibilities and qualifications, please click to view the Class Specification here.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Information Technology / Computer Science or a closely related field. An equivalent combination of education and job-related experience may be considered on a year-for-year basis.

Preferred: Microsoft role-based certification relevant to the position (for example, Azure Administrator Associate or Microsoft 365 Administrator Expert).

VMware Certified Professional (VCP) or NetApp Certified Data Administrator (NCDA).

A valid Arizona Operator's Driver's License is required.

Five (5) years of progressive experience configuring, installing, and managing server infrastructure, including Windows Operating Systems, Linux operating systems (Red Hat Enterprise Linux or Ubuntu preferred), and storage systems, and performing migrations, upgrades, or decommissioning of legacy and unsupported server platforms.

Proven experience administering Active Directory, Microsoft Entra ID, Group Policy, DNS, DHCP, and public key infrastructure (PKI) and certificate lifecycle management, including Active Directory Certificate Services and ACME-based automation; and administering Microsoft 365, including Exchange Online, SharePoint, and Teams.

Advanced, hands-on technical knowledge of virtualization platforms, preferably VMware vSphere and VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF); Microsoft Hyper-V experience is also preferred. Familiarity with containers and Kubernetes is preferred.

Proven experience with enterprise backup and recovery, disaster recovery planning, system capacity planning, security hardening, patch management, and systems management best practices, including formal change, incident, and problem management processes (such as ITIL); and knowledge of applicable data privacy and security practices and laws.

Advanced troubleshooting skills across server hardware, operating systems, virtualization, storage, and enterprise applications; working knowledge of scripting and automation, such as PowerShell; and working knowledge of networking fundamentals, including TCP/IP, VLANs, and firewalls, as they relate to server and application support.

Personal Attributes:

Strong interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills, including the ability to present technical information in user-friendly language and to explain technical issues in terms of operational and business impact.

Ability to research connectivity and interoperability issues and products as they relate to servers, storage, and desktop systems, in coordination with the networking team as required.

Highly self-motivated and directed, with keen attention to detail and proven analytical and problem-solving abilities.

Ability to work and prioritize tasks in a stressful and fast-paced environment. Demonstrated ability to lead or contribute to infrastructure projects from planning through implementation, including documenting work (such as tickets, change records, and standard operating procedures) so others can support or continue it, and to partner effectively with department staff, vendors, and other IT teams such as networking, security, and applications.

Important Application Information:

To ensure your application receives full consideration, please take a moment to review your application before submitting it and make sure all required information is complete and accurate. Please note that incomplete applications cannot be processed, and resumes cannot be accepted in place of a completed application, unless otherwise noted on the job bulletin. Be sure to include all relevant education, training, certifications, and work experience that you would like considered as part of your application.

The City of Avondale offers a comprehensive benefits package with outstanding health and wellness benefits, financial perks, work-life balance, and more. Explore our Benefits Guide for full details!

For additional information, visit our website.

01

Select from the options below your highest level of completed education.

• Not completed High School
• High school or GED
• Associates or Vocational Degree
• Bachelors Degree
• Masters Degree or higher

02

How many years of progressive experience do you have configuring, installing, and managing server infrastructure, including Windows Operating Systems, Linux operating systems (Red Hat Enterprise Linux or Ubuntu preferred), and storage systems, and performing migrations, upgrades, or decommissioning of legacy and unsupported server platforms.

• 0-11 Month
• 1 year
• 2 years
• 3 years
• 4 years
• 5 years
• 6 years
• 7 years
• 8 years
• 9 years
• 10 or more years

03

Do you have a valid Arizona Drivers License or the ability to obtain one at time of hire?

• Yes
• No

04

Please list any technical certifications that you currently hold (for example, Azure Administrator Associate, Microsoft 365 Administrator Expert, VMware Certified Professional (VCP), NetApp Certified Data Administrator (NCDA)). Please upload a copy of your certification(s).

Required Question

Employer City of Avondale

Address 11465 Civic Center Dr.

Human Resources Department

Avondale, Arizona, 85323

Phone 623-333-2200

Website http://www.avondaleaz.gov/careers