Job Description:Title: Senior Systems Manager (On-Campus)
Unit: Non-Unit Professional (NUP)
Department: Information Technology
Reports to: Director of IT Infrastructure
Date: October 14, 2026
General Summary: The Senior Systems Manager is a highly technical member of the IT Infrastructure team, responsible for designing information systems that support the organization's operations. This role combines broad knowledge of the organization's technology platforms with an understanding of the business processes those platforms support.
Acting as a project coordinator and lead designer for complex, multi-system initiatives, the Senior Systems Manager is responsible for the design, documentation, and implementation guidance of multi-vendor technology platforms. Under the direction of the Director of IT Infrastructure, this role drives the adoption of new technologies and the integration and optimization of existing technology investments, playing a key part in the overall quality of IT services delivered to internal and external stakeholders.
This position is an in-person, on-campus position. Regular and reliable on-site presence is an essential requirement of the role.
Duties and Responsibilities:Optimization and Integration of Existing Systems- Ensures the organization maximizes return on technology investments by optimizing, reconfiguring, and maintaining existing systems with minimal disruption.
- Manage core infrastructure services, including Active Directory and related services, and virtualization.
- Manage and maintain VMware infrastructure including vCenter and ESXi.
- Manage identity and access management components, including Microsoft Identity Management (MIM).
- Administer web servers (IIS and Tomcat), load balancers/proxies, and secure file transfer solutions.
- Work with the network engineer to support network infrastructure, including wired and wireless systems, and switching across multiple sites and campuses.
- Coordinate with external vendors and consultants on system design and support.
- Analyze system performance data and recommend improvements.
- Automate manual processes to reduce operational workload.
- Diagnose performance bottlenecks across infrastructure layers and components.
Design and Development of New Technology Solutions- Plans and designs how new hardware, software, and middleware can solve business problems, and defines organizational standards for technology configurations.
- Partner with consultants and other departments to plan and implement critical, cross-system integrations.
- Collaborate with enterprise applications teams to plan and roll out major platform updates.
- Manage core enterprise platforms such as Windows and Linux systems, web servers, and identity management systems.
- Oversee the deployment and lifecycle management of digital security certificates.
- Develop configuration standards and support processes for new collaboration or productivity tools.
- Design migration paths from legacy platforms to modern replacements.
Knowledge Transfer & IT Staff Development- Designs new systems and processes while supporting knowledge transfer to other IT staff, including systems and service desk teams.
- Create operational documentation for new systems.
- Develop knowledgebase articles and reference materials for Service Desk staff.
- Document standard configurations for ongoing use.
Escalation Support & Customer Service- Provides direct, expert-level support to end users and promotes a strong service culture.
- Resolve escalated tickets from Service Desk staff related to systemic issues.
- Build effective partnerships across the organization through open communication and responsiveness.
- Maintain a welcoming, inclusive environment for people of all backgrounds and identities.
Requirements: - Associate's degree (or higher) in a related IT field, plus 5+ years of experience administering enterprise systems and infrastructure.
- Minimum of 5 years managing systems in a large IT environment, with progressively increasing responsibility.
- Strong ability to analyze complex technical issues, prioritize likely causes, and develop effective remediation plans.
- Strong customer service orientation and commitment to end-user stakeholder success.
- Excellent problem-solving abilities.
- Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively within a technical team.
- Hands-on experience with enterprise systems management/configuration management tools.
- Strong knowledge of enterprise server environments (Windows and Linux).
- Experience with virtualization platforms, enterprise server and storage area network (SAN) technologies.
- Experience with networking fundamentals: wired/wireless networks, switching, routing, firewalls, and related protocols (DNS, DHCP, TCP/IP, VLANs, SSL/TLS, encryption).
- Experience with enterprise firewall platforms and enterprise Linux distributions.
- Experience with integrated enterprise resource planning (ERP) or student information system platforms and related data integration tools.
- Experience implementing disaster recovery and backup solutions.
- Strong grasp of industry best practices for secure computing and data protection.
- Strong understanding of PKI/Certificate lifecycle management.
- Ability to explain complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
- Ability to work a flexible schedule, including occasional early mornings, evenings, and weekends.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in a related IT field.
- Industry-recognized technical certification(s).
- Prior experience in a higher education or similarly complex institutional setting.
- Experience with scripting or automation languages (e.g., PowerShell, Ansible, shell scripting).
- Experience with Ellucian applications such as Banner, DegreeWorks, Ethos, etc.
- Experience with relational database platforms such as Oracle and MSSQL.
- Experience with identity management systems such as Active Directory and Entra ID.
- Experience designing, implementing, and managing network infrastructure.
- Experience with Palo Alto Networks firewalls and A10 Thunder Load Balancer/Proxy.
Additional Information:Salary Range and Benefits: $110,000-$115,000; actual salary commensurate with academic background and experience. Employees of Middlesex Community College are considered employees of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and receive benefits, which include:
- High-quality and affordable health insurance through the Commonwealth's Group Insurance Commission (GIC)
- Competitive Dental and Vision Plans
- Flexible Spending Account and Dependent Care Assistance programs
- Low-cost basic and optional life insurance
- Retirement Savings: State Employees' Pension or Optional Retirement Program (ORP) and Deferred Compensation 457(b) plan or 403(b).
- 12 paid holidays per year and competitive Sick, Vacation, and Personal Time
- Tuition Benefits for employees and dependents at state colleges and universities
- Short-Term Disability and Extended Illness program participation options
- Professional Development and Continuing Education opportunities
- Cell Phone Bill Discounts with Verizon and T-Mobile Cell Phone Carriers
- Access to the Commonwealth's Mass4You, employee assistance program
- Free employee parking on Bedford and Lowell campuses
- Eligibility towards Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
Location: Lowell campus with occasional travel to Bedford as needed. This position is an in-person position and requires regular, on-site presence at the College. This position is not eligible for a regular remote or hybrid work arrangement.
Hours: 37.5 hours per week; schedule to be determined upon hire. The College offers flexible scheduling through its Flex Work Program, which allows eligible employees, with appropriate approval, to extend work hours on certain days to reduce or eliminate scheduled hours on another day.
Expected Start Date: November/December 2026
Application Deadline: November 4, 2026
Application Instructions:All applicants must apply online by submitting:
- Cover Letter
- Resume
- Names and contact information for three (3) professional references
