So, hopefully in the next few days — eXtension is going to be hiring a System Administrator as a SPA position (an Operation and Systems Analyst in the IT Career Banding system) at NC State University. The position is grant-funded so it is “time-limited” — meaning that there’s a possibility that the grant funding could go away in two years — and employees that are in time-limited positions aren’t eligible for severance pay or North Carolina Reduction-In-Force (“RIF”) status (we are pretty confident that the funding is going to extend well beyond 2007).
The job description:
65%
Maintain the Linux, Windows, and OSX, database, web, source code control, mail, authentication, and messaging servers within the eXtension initiative, both at NCSU and at partner sites, troubleshooting and resolving technical problems as they arise, and keeping all software versions up to date. Implement and install new servers and service software for eXtension projects.15%
Keep up with the latest security threats and vulnerabilities; communicate with eXtension staff on problems and issues that may affect eXtension services and those of extension partners through the country. Provide consulting and contact services to pull in other land-grant system administrators where needed.10%
Work with other eXtension staff and land-grant system administrators in building, debugging, and testing services and tools created for eXtension. Provide programming and scripting services to help integrate those services into the larger eXtension system.10%
Test and evaluate new server and service technologies in support of the database, web, source code control, mail, authentication, and messaging. Provide consulting for other system administrators in the land-grant system.
Basically, a lot of OS configuration, Apache installation, and installation of various web apps and then other things like mail, jabber, subversion, etc. The position should allow the person to participate in a few community projects that interest them, and there is a good hardware budget, and a good training/travel budget.
You’d have to ask former employees of mine, but I hope that I’m an OK fellow to work for. I’m a perfectionist at times, and more than a little anal about communication, checking logs, keeping configurations up-to-date, security, and trying to “do it right, rather than right now” and tend to expect the same, but I try to keep all in check and balanced with reality 🙂 Family comes first, and strong ethics and strong morals and wanting a fun workplace are real important to me, both in myself, and in the person that I’d hire. Having independent thinkers that aren’t afraid to question the status quo is important and encouraged too. Both Dr. Gamble (my boss) and I are oriented to open source/standards/and related things like creative commons philosophies, both using open software/information and creating it (although we are Macintosh desktop weenies).
This job is part of the Information Technology and Application Development team for the National eXtension Initiative. The goal of this initiative is to plan and implement a national web-based information and education network for current and new Extension clientele. By doing business in a new way, it will expand learning choices and methodologies in support of just-in-time learning by providing coordinated access to objective science-based information of land-grant universities. We strongly believe in the mission of the land grant university and cooperative extension.
The upside is the University working environment, the downside is that salaries are likely a little lower than industry average, and there’s basically little or no relocation assistance (there are discounts with a local realtor company). But if you or someone you know would be interested, have them drop me a line. Applicants will need to go through the official University application process once the position is posted. And I’ll update this post with a link to that once it’s up and posted at the NCSU jobs site