Sr Systems Administrator

General Summary
The Sr Systems Administrator is part of a dynamic team supporting a fast-paced production environment and enabling LAIKA’s artists to leverage a wide array of technology to create animated feature films. As a technical leader of the Technology Support Engineering team, this position works collaboratively with Technical and Production teams to develop, support, and improve technologies used across the studio. 

Job Functions 

• Provide exceptional support for desktop and mobile devices, peripherals, and applications.  
• Act as a point of escalation and provide executive support when needed. 
• Lead problem-solving efforts in coordination with users, technical staff, and outside vendors. 
• Provide technical leadership in researching and integrating new technologies at the studio. 
• Work with Technical Development teams to document, test, and deploy new applications. 
• Prioritize support issues, re-routing and escalating as needed. 
• Foster ongoing dialog with departments on their use of technology. 
• Monitor system configurations, performance, and resource utilization. 
• Develop automation tools to improve efficiency and increase reliability. 
• Train, mentor, and guide the work of junior systems administration staff.
   

Qualifications 

• 5+ years’ experience supporting desktops in a mixed OS environment. 
• A solid understanding of Unix, networking, and hardware fundamentals. 
• Experience with automation, imaging, and configuration management tools such as Salt, Ansible, Puppet, Foreman, Packer, etc. 
• Experience working with virtualization technologies.
• Experience working with Active Directory or LDAP.
• Knowledge of visual effects concepts and applications.
• Experience with ticketing systems such as JSM or YouTrack.
• Experience with scripting languages such as Shell, Ruby, Python, etc.
• Experience with device management tools such as Intune and JAMF.
• Knowledge of Azure AD, Office 365, and Exchange
• Well-organized with well-developed planning, problem-solving, documentation, and analytical skills.
• Ability to manage projects through their completion with careful attention to detail.
• Ability to work both collaboratively and independently.
• Ability to work in confined spaces such as data centers and closets.
• Thrive in a deadline-driven environment and remain calm under pressure.
   

Physical Demands and Work Environment
The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

• Physical demands: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to walk; stand; sit; use hands to operate standard office equipment; reach with hands and arms; balance; stoop; talk or hear both in person and by telephone. The employee must lift and/or move up to 45 pounds. Vision abilities include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus. 
• Work environment: While performing the duties of this job, the employee works under typical office conditions and is exposed to variable indoor temperatures. The noise level is usually quiet or moderate. 
   

Location 
On-site in Hillsboro, OR  

 
Salary 
Salary is commensurate with skills and experience. 

 
Disclaimer 
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel so classified.