Reporting to the Team Lead, Digital Networks, the Senior Network Administrator provides advanced technical expertise in the implementation, maintenance, and optimization of the university's enterprise network environment. You will be responsible for ensuring secure, stable, and high-performing network operations through proactive monitoring, configuration management, and continuous improvement initiatives. Additionally, you will serve as a key technical resource for complex troubleshooting, operational projects, and lifecycle management of network infrastructure, including wired, wireless, and remote access environments, and ensure alignment with established network architecture and security standards. The position provides analysis and recommendations for the Team Lead to inform design and long-term planning. While architectural direction resides with the Team Lead, this role independently manages complex implementations and performance optimization within that framework.

Key responsibilities include:

• Coordinating day-to-day network operational activities to ensure incidents, requests, and maintenance tasks are prioritized and completed within service-level expectations;
• Implementing scalable, secure, and high availability network solutions in alignment with the architecture defined by the Team Lead;
• Diagnosing, troubleshooting, and resolving complex network issues and performance bottlenecks, collaborating with cross-functional IT teams as required;
• Assisting the Team Lead in planning and coordinating maintenance windows, network changes, and service communications;
• Planning and coordinating lifecycle management of network infrastructure components, including patching, firmware updates, upgrades, and hardware refresh cycles;
• Collaborating with cross-functional teams, including infrastructure admins, developers, and security professionals, to maintain and ensure seamless integration of network infrastructure with other IT systems and applications while ensuring compliance with institutional standards;
• Communicating planned work, changes, and service impacts in a clear and timely manner to affected stakeholders; and
• Providing mentorship and technical guidance to Network Administrators on operational practices and troubleshooting approaches.

Skills

You will have:

• Technical proficiency in networking protocols and services (TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, VLANs, VPNs, ACLs, etc.) and strong understanding of IT security principles and best practices, including patching, firewall policy management, and vulnerability mitigation;
• Proficiency in configuring, maintaining, and troubleshooting enterprise-grade network equipment (switches, routers, firewalls, wireless controllers);
• Proficiency with enterprise monitoring and management tools to assess and optimize performance, availability, and security;
• Excellent analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks effectively;
• The ability to analyze performance trends and operational metrics to recommend improvements, capacity adjustments, and configuration optimizations;
• Skills in scripting/automation (e.g., Python, Ansible, PowerShell);
• A strong understanding of change management, incident management, and lifecycle maintenance processes;
• Awareness of cloud networking and hybrid network integrations;
• A demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, work effectively both independently and collaboratively in a team environment, and maintain focus in a fast-paced operational context;
• Strong interpersonal skills (verbal and written) to interact with end-users, technical teams, and stakeholders at various levels, with the ability to explain technical information clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences;
• A commitment to service excellence, continuous learning, and staying current with emerging networking technologies and standards; and
• The ability to mentor junior technical staff and coordinate operational workflows.

Qualifications

• A minimum of a bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.
• A minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in network operations within a medium-to-large-scale enterprise environment.
• Demonstrated experience managing and troubleshooting network infrastructure components such as switches, routers, firewalls, load balancers, and VPN gateways.
• Hands-on experience with monitoring tools, capacity analysis, and performance optimization.
• Familiarity with scripting or automation tools (e.g., Python, Ansible).
• Experience analyzing logs and metrics to identify technical problems.
• Experience in a post-secondary or large-scale enterprise environment is considered an asset.
• An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.

Position Requirements

• This position is on campus only.
• The nature of the position requires the Senior Network Administrator to participate in the ITS on-call schedule for after-hours support.
• The position may be required to work outside of normal operational hours (e.g., evenings and weekends) to address urgent issues as they arise.

Benefits

When you become part of the MacEwan University team, you will enjoy a competitive salary. Our total compensation package includes:

• Competitive base pay
• Generous vacation time
• Secure pension plan
• Flexible benefits package
• Continuous learning culture
• Opportunities for career growth