Departmental Overview This position is a member of the systems administration team which is responsible for the development, deployment, and support of IT infrastructure at the Berkeley Seismology Lab (BSL). This position additionally extends technical support to the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department (EPS) by serving as the local EPS tech support representative. Used by a diverse community of staff, faculty, students, researchers, and administrators, the local environment is comprised of Linux servers, data storage, tape backups, printers/copiers, conference/classroom AV equipment, kiosks, and laptops. They Systems Administrator provides ongoing hardware and administrative IT support, as well as ad hoc tech consulting to the user community within these two departments. This position also acts as a local IT security and networking point of contact for the UC Berkeley IT group who manage the greater campus IT ecosystem.
This is a joint recruitment effort between the Berkeley Seismology Lab (BSL) and the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences (EPS) to fill position openings in both departments. The selected hire will work full-time hours, with 50% of their time dedicated to BSL and 50% dedicated to EPS. They will support the operational needs of both units and will have separate reporting lines within each department. While the departments are housed in the same building, they are located on separate floors.
Application Review Date The First Review Date for this job is: June 15, 2026 - Open Until Filled
Responsibilities - Provides front-line tech support and consulting for a diverse community of staff, faculty, students, researchers, and administrators, across multiple departments and research units. Determines actions required by user requests, escalating when appropriate. Maintains shared equipment such as printers/copiers, conference/classroom AV equipment, and kiosks.
- Maintains Linux servers, storage sub-systems, and equipment infrastructure. Inventories hardware, responds to hardware failures, works with vendor support, and manages hardware support contracts.
- Administers IT systems and services, including user accounts, space allocation, mailing lists, and tape backups. Monitors resource use, reports on growth patterns, and recommends expansions when appropriate.
- Recommends and purchases computer hardware, such as laptops, and accessories for users. Maintains an inventory of supplies, such as tapes, cables, ink/toner, and spare parts.
- Acts as local network and security point of contact for campus IT. Responds to security incidents. Coaches users on best security practices. Introduces new users to available resources and assists with networking needs and access.
- Other duties as assigned.
Required Qualifications - Bachelor's degree in related area and / or equivalent experience / training.
- Ability to communicate technical information in a clear and concise manner to a variety of roles, including staff, faculty, students, researchers, and administrators. Ability to interface with users in a calm, friendly manner.
- Self-motivated. Ability to work independently and as part of a team. Ability to problem-solve and learn effectively, especially when ad hoc needs arise.
- Ability to recommend and apply technologies, systems, and services to meet end user requests.
- Experience with Linux system operations, configuration, and management.
- Experience writing and editing scripts of moderate complexity used to perform system maintenance and administration.
- Understanding of system performance monitoring and actions that can be taken to improve or correct performance.
- Understanding of how system management actions affect users and dependent / related functions.
- Knowledge of computer security best practices and policies.
Preferred Qualifications - Knowledge of computer peripherals, such as AV equipment, plotters, and scanners.
- Knowledge of facilities management, such as power and cooling.
Salary & Benefits For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University, please visit the University of California's Compensation & Benefits website.
Under California law, the University of California, Berkeley is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role and should not offer a salary outside of the range posted in this job announcement. This range takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, analysis of internal equity, and other business and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be offered a salary at or near the top of the range for a position. Salary offers are determined based on final candidate qualifications and experience.
The budgeted salary or hourly range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position is $43.66 to $57.34 hourly; the full pay range for this title (SYS ADM 2 TX) is $43.66 to $65.73 hourly. This position is FLSA Non-exempt, paid biweekly and eligible for full benefits.
Other Information This is a joint recruitment effort between the Berkeley Seismology Lab (BSL) and the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences (EPS) to fill position openings in both departments. The selected hire will work full-time hours, with 50% of their time dedicated to BSL and 50% dedicated to EPS. They will support the operational needs of both units and will have separate reporting lines within each department. While the departments are housed in the same building, they are located on separate floors.
This position is governed by the terms and conditions in the agreement for the Technical Unit (TX) between the University of California and the University Professional and Technical Employees (UPTE). The current bargaining agreement manual can be found at: http://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/labor/bargaining-units/tx/index.html
Conviction History Background This is a designated position requiring fingerprinting and a background check due to the nature of the job responsibilities. Berkeley does hire people with conviction histories and reviews information received in the context of the job responsibilities. The University reserves the right to make employment contingent upon successful completion of the background check.
Misconduct Disclosure As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.
Misconduct means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC's policies addressing some forms of misconduct:
UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
UC Anti-Discrimination Policy
Abusive Conduct in the Workplace
