Systems Engineer Information Services (IS) Reporting to: Infrastructure Support Group Leader Salary: 28,695-37,394 per annum (pro rata) depending on skills and experience. Salary progression beyond this scale is subject to performance Job Family and level: APM Level 4 Contract Status: Permanent Hours of Work: Full time Location: Kings Meadow Campus You are a technical specialist in one or more of the following; Active Directory Service maintenance, Identity and Access Management, SharePoint, OpenText MBPM, NetIQ, Citrix Xenapp and MS Windows infrastructures including MS Exchange and Filestore. You possess a comprehensive understanding of managing server operating systems, e.g. Windows Server 2003/2008/2012 and associated hardware and also of username and directory administration. You will provide expert advice and problem resolution and play a key role as a subject matter expert contributing towards the design, development and management of core University IT services. The University The University of Nottingham (UoN) is ranked in the UK s top 10 and the world s top 75 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong (SJTU) and the QS World University Rankings, placing it in the top 1% of all universities worldwide. UoN has award-winning campuses in the UK, China and Malaysia and is committed to providing a truly inspiring and international education. Described by The Sunday Times University Guide 2011 as the embodiment of the modern international university the University of Nottingham is uniquely enterprising and renowned for its production of world-leading research. Information Services Many of our services are typical of any business and offer similar challenges: Managed desktops and laptops, data storage, email, printing, web content management for the internet and intranet, data and voice networking, multimedia design and production, and the major applications underpinning finance, HR/payroll, marketing, facilities management, conferencing and a range of commercial enterprises, including incubator premises for new business ventures. Other challenges are specific to higher education and to our University in particular. Nottingham has huge ambition to transform the experience it provides to students to place them at the heart of its global, digital community. This will involve fundamental change to the business processes which underpin the student journey through the institution, major organisational change across professional services teams, and the implementation of a comprehensive, integrated suite of supporting IT systems. We in Information Services will play a pivotal role in this exciting and challenging change programme known as Transform. We also run specialist systems to underpin the life cycle of each research project as it moves from grant application through to publication and dissemination. Our researchers need information to help them target the next exciting and lucrative research opportunity. They need to be able to demonstrate the impact their research is having in the world.
As our mission says, by bold innovation and excellence in all that we do, we make both knowledge and discoveries matter. This depends on getting the right information to the right people within our community. Here, the creation, sharing, analysis and dissemination of information are defining activities. It s what we exist to do. Both students and researchers are demanding, innovative users of technology and we aim to provide them an information environment in which they can be boundlessly creative and highly productive. We have campuses in Nottingham, China and Malaysia, and aim to support mobility, ease of communication and team work across this hugely diverse and geographically spread community. In response to these specific challenges, we provide particular and differentiating services. These include a Virtual Learning Environment and other innovative technologies for learning, High Performance Computing services and a large range of specialist software. Our researchers produce vast amounts of data and need tools to manage, mine and generate information from it. Many of them collaborate with industrial partners and researchers in other institutions across disciplinary and organisational boundaries. Our students have grown up with internet technologies and expect to be constantly connected using their mobile devices. A technologyrich experience is what they expect from University life. We provide equipment in teaching rooms, PC suites, language laboratories, wireless everywhere, and internet services in the halls of residence. Our global nature also means that video conferencing is particularly important. Context Following the appointment of a new CIO, Information Services is undergoing a significant restructuring and reinvigoration. The aim is to build an organisation which can be the reliable, trusted, innovative and agile IT partner that the University needs to deliver its ambitious 2020 Strategy across the UK, China and Malaysia campuses. Part of the change is to develop project delivery capability, an architecture capability and a service delivery capability that work together to deliver the right solutions at the right time and cost and ensure that the solutions are properly and predictably understood, used, managed and supported and replaced. The Service Engineer forms part of a small team of technical specialists, reporting to the Infrastructure Support Group Leader within the IT Service Delivery (Global) area. The Infrastructure Support team is part of IT Operations. It is responsible for the system administration of all platforms within the data centre, Windows Enterprise Servers, scalable virtual server platforms, directory and identity management systems, email, calendaring and team collaboration platforms. It also supports the platforms which provide the management environment for end user computing devices and other distributed equipment (e.g. desktops, laptops, smartphones and tablets, printers, image projectors, interactive whiteboards, lecture capture facilities and digital signage systems). It supports the unified communications technologies such as web conferencing, instant messaging, text messaging and video streaming. Where elements of these services are outsourced (e.g. to Office 365), it manages the day to day relationship with the supplier. Your role The Systems Engineer sits within IT Operations and will play a key role as a technical specialist contributing towards the design, development, support and management of IT services provided throughout the University (i.e. for internal users - staff, students, associates and externally). You are a subject matter expert in one or more of the following; Active Directory Service maintenance, Identity and Access Management, SharePoint, OpenText MBPM, NetIQ, Citrix Xenapp and MS Windows infrastructures including MS Exchange and Filestore. The role-holder will possess a comprehensive understanding and have relevant experience of managing server operating systems, e.g. Windows Server 2003/2008/2012 and associated hardware and also of username and directory administration. University of Nottingham 2 25 October 2015
The services and systems supported by this role are highly visible throughout the organisation with any loss in service having a major impact on the business of the University. The roleholder will provide expert advice and guidance in these areas and will dedicated to efficient and effective incident and problem resolution to ensure the provision of excellent service to customers within an ITIL aligned process framework. Principal Accountabilities: Platform Ownership 1. To be a Platform Owner and Subject Matter Expert for at least two of the following technology platforms: Identity and Access Management System, OpenText MBPM, NetIQ/Novell edirectory, Microsoft Active Directory, Microsoft Exchange, SharePoint, NetIQ/Novell Servers, Windows Filestore, Identity Gateway (Shibboleth), Citirx Xenapp, Windows Server: To be accountable for the availability and the quality of the platform services owned. To act as the primary point of contact for all escalations To lead on the production of annual plans pertaining to platform upgrades and capacity improvements. To act as the initial point of contact for all escalations pertaining to the platform service Provide operational input into strategic technology road maps Provide operational support for platform services owned (administration, maintenance, backup, repair) To own all problem tickets associated with the platform and ensure they are appropriately managed through to a satisfactory resolution Platform Support 2. To provide support (administer, maintain, backup, and repair) for the following Platform Services: The University s Identity and Access Management System, OpenText MBPM, NetIQ/Novell edirectory, Microsoft Active Directory, Microsoft Exchange, SharePoint, NetIQ/Novell Servers, Windows Filestore, Identity Gateway (Shibboleth), Citrix Xenapp, Windows Server Performance Monitoring 3. Actively monitor performance and usage of services: Perform a trouble-shooting function Undertake capacity trending analysis Produce documentation (and ensure this is kept up-to-date) and reporting of capacity details, support and maintenance procedures Problem & Incident Management 4. Liaise with the IT Service Desk, Service Quality and Campus IT Support teams regarding any issues identified: Other Attend and participate in Major Incident, Problem Review and Change Advisory Board meetings as required 5. Provide Subject Matter expertise into Projects - liaise, negotiate and coordinate packages of work which span the role-holder s specialist technical area of expertise University of Nottingham 3 25 October 2015
6. Assist other team/group members and provide technical support cover for other platform services when required 7. Ensure currency of knowledge and skills by tracking relevant developments through meetings and contact with hardware and software suppliers and peers within the industry and academia, to enable the university to benefit from cost effective innovative solutions consistent with IS strategy 8. Participation in the out of hours on-call service, to protect the University s computing services in the event of systems outages and incidents Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications & Experience Essential Desirable Qualifications / Education HND or equivalent in an IT-related subject or equivalent relevant experience ITIL Service Management certificate MCSA, MCSE, CNA, CNE CNE) Knowledge/ Skills/ Training Comprehensive understanding of Directory Services and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 operating systems Knowledge of supporting and administering Directory Services and associated systems and utilities Good understanding of server hardware and troubleshooting Knowledge of other desktop operating systems and hardware including Linux and Macintosh Knowledge of a range of server operating systems, including Microsoft Windows, Novell NetWare and Linux Understanding of LAN/WAN communications Excellent analytical and problem solving skills Any knowledge of Microsoft Exchange Server would be particularly welcome Good all round practical knowledge of server, desktop and laptop computing hardware Ability to work in a team, to deadlines and under pressure and also to work effectively with minimal support, for example, outside working hours Ability to communicate effectively within a large organisation and to build a network of contacts Knowledge of asset database and automated inventory solutions Knowledge of networking and communications technologies, such as LAN/WAN, DHCP and TCP/IP Knowledge of SharePoint Awareness of current IT legislation Knowledge of legal requirements and best practice in the fields of information security, data protection and the ability to apply them in practice. University of Nottingham 4 25 October 2015
Experience Experience of managing server operating systems, e.g. Windows Server 2003/2008/2012 and associated hardware Experience of username and directory administration Experience of working within a structured IT Service Delivery Framework Experience of delivering IT services in a complex and large-scale environment Experience of using Service Desk tools and applications within an ITIL environment Experience of managing server operating systems, e.g. Linux, Windows and associated hardware Some academic or large public sector organisation experience would be beneficial Practical experience of designing and implementing solutions for a large distributed organization Experience designing network operating systems, applications and directory services within an IT department Other Excellent communication, analysis and problem-solving skills Proven ability to prioritise and schedule workloads in the face of conflicting demands Awareness and understanding of the business objectives of a large International Higher Education institution The ability to rapidly assimilate and deploy detailed technical knowledge in specialist areas Willingness to travel from site to site within Nottingham and the UK. Confident presenter, with influencing and negotiation skills Willingness to travel to undertake international travel for short term overseas assignments University of Nottingham 5 25 October 2015