Senior Linux Systems Administrator
Position Summary:
The Senior Linux Systems Administrator is responsible for the architecture, administration, automation, security, and lifecycle management of enterprise Linux platforms supporting critical healthcare, research, academic, and business applications. This role provides senior-level technical leadership for Linux infrastructure, ensuring high availability, operational excellence, cybersecurity compliance, and disaster recovery preparedness across on-premises, hybrid cloud, and healthcare application environments.
The position requires extensive experience working collaboratively with infrastructure engineering, cybersecurity, cloud operations, storage, networking, DevOps, application teams, vendors, and organizational leadership to deliver reliable and scalable services.
The Senior Linux Systems Administrator serves as a technical expert and trusted advisor, leading complex projects, driving modernization initiatives, developing automation strategies, and supporting enterprise backup, recovery, and cyber-resiliency programs.
This position is eligible for remote work within Iowa and will require a work arrangement form to be completed upon the start of your employment. Per policy, work arrangements will be reviewed annually, and must comply with the remote work program and related policies and employee travel policy when working at a remote location.
Position Responsibilities:
Linux Platform Administration & Engineering
Design, deploy, administer, and support enterprise Linux platforms, including Ubuntu, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), , and other enterprise distributions.
Manage Linux operating system lifecycle activities including installation, patching, upgrades, performance tuning, security hardening, and retirement.
Administer enterprise services including authentication, identity integration, DNS, NTP, certificates, file systems, storage, and networking.
Implement and support Linux High Availability (HA) and clustering technologies to ensure critical application availability.
Troubleshoot complex operating system, application, storage, and infrastructure issues across multi-tier environments.
Support mission-critical healthcare applications including Epic and other clinical, research, and academic systems.
Manage enterprise storage integration, including SAN, NAS, software-defined storage, and cloud-based storage services.
Utilize Logical Volume Manager (LVM), file systems, and performance analysis tools to optimize platform performance and scalability.
Automation, DevOps & Infrastructure Modernization
Develop and maintain automation solutions using Ansible, Python, Bash, PowerShell, or other scripting languages.
Implement Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) and configuration management best practices.
Partner with DevOps and application teams to streamline deployments, configuration management, and operational processes.
Support containerized workloads using Docker, Podman, Kubernetes, OpenShift, AKS, or similar orchestration platforms.
Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend solutions that improve reliability, scalability, security, and operational efficiency.
Lead modernization initiatives involving cloud adoption, platform migrations, automation, and service transformations.
Security, Compliance & Cyber Resilience
Implement and maintain Linux security hardening standards aligned with healthcare, regulatory, and cybersecurity requirements.
Collaborate with Information Security teams on vulnerability remediation, incident response, threat mitigation, and compliance initiatives.
Support privileged access management, auditing, endpoint protection, logging, and security monitoring solutions.
Participate in cybersecurity preparedness and resilience planning activities.
Maintain documentation and operational standards supporting regulatory and audit requirements.
Backup, Recovery & Disaster Recovery
Design, implement, monitor, and maintain enterprise backup, recovery, and cyber-recovery solutions for Windows, Linux and related infrastructure platforms.
Collaborate with backup, storage, and security teams to ensure recoverability of critical healthcare and business systems.
Participate in disaster recovery planning, testing, and operational readiness exercises.
Validate backup integrity through regular recovery testing and documentation of recovery procedures.
Support data protection technologies including immutable storage, cyber vaults, air-gapped solutions, replication, and ransomware recovery capabilities.
Assist in defining and executing enterprise data retention and recovery strategies.
Collaboration & Leadership
Lead technical projects and work efforts involving multiple infrastructure and application teams.
Serve as an escalation point for complex technical issues and operational incidents.
Develop and maintain technical documentation, standards, procedures, architecture diagrams, and knowledge articles.
Mentor junior administrators and engineers while promoting operational excellence and knowledge sharing.
Partner with vendors and technology providers to evaluate solutions and resolve technical challenges.
Contribute to strategic planning and long-term infrastructure roadmaps.
Operational Support
Participate in scheduled maintenance activities and change management processes.
Monitor platform performance, capacity, availability, and operational health.
Participate in 24x7 on-call support rotations for critical infrastructure services.
Ensure adherence to service level objectives and operational best practices.
Additional Information:
Pay Grade: 5B https://hr.uiowa.edu/pay/pay-plans/professional-and-scientific-pay-structure
The University of Iowa offers a generous benefits package, including 24 days of paid vacation per year to start and paid sick leave. Complete information regarding the full benefits package may be viewed at https://hr.uiowa.edu/benefits.
Percent of Time: 100%
Staff Type: Professional & Scientific
Type of Position: Regular
Education Requirements:
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, or related field; or an equivalent combination of education and experience in a related field.
Experience Requirements:
5-7 years of progressively responsible experience administering enterprise Linux systems.
Demonstrated expertise with Linux operating system administration, troubleshooting, performance analysis, and automation.
Experience supporting mission-critical production environments requiring high availability and operational reliability.
Strong experience with shell scripting and automation tools.
Experience with enterprise storage technologies, including SAN and NAS environments.
Demonstrated experience with backup/recovery tool(s), and knowledge of disaster recovery and business continuity procedures.
Desired Qualifications:
Experience supporting healthcare, academic medical centers, research computing, or highly regulated environments.
Experience with Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Ubuntu, and enterprise Linux lifecycle management.
Experience with Ansible Automation Platform and Infrastructure-as-Code methodologies.
Experience with container platforms including Docker, Kubernetes, OpenShift, or AKS.
Experience supporting hybrid cloud environments including Microsoft Azure and AWS.
Experience with enterprise monitoring platforms such as Zabbix, Nagios, Splunk, or similar solutions.
Experience working with enterprise backup and cyber recovery solutions including Cohesity, Dell PowerProtect Data Manager (PPDM), Dell Data Domain, Avamar, IBM Storage Protect, or equivalent technologies.
Knowledge of immutable backup architectures, cybersecurity recovery controls, and ransomware recovery strategies.
Experience supporting enterprise storage solutions including Dell PowerScale (Isilon), PowerStore, PowerMax, NetApp, or equivalent platforms.
Familiarity with Epic infrastructure requirements and healthcare application platforms.
Linux certifications such as RHCSA, RHCE, RHCA, LFCS, LFCE, or equivalent.
Experience leading infrastructure modernization, cloud migration, or large-scale platform transformation initiatives.
To be considered, applicants must upload a resume (under submission relevant materials) that clearly addresses how they meet the listed required and desired qualifications of this position. A cover letter is desired as part of the application process. Job openings are posted for a minimum of 7 calendar days. This job may be removed from posting and filled any time after the minimum posting period has ended.
Successful candidates will be required to self-disclose any conviction history and will be subject to a criminal background check and credential/education verification.
This position is not eligible for University sponsorship for employment authorization.
For additional questions contact Stefan Foster at Stefan-foster@uiowa.edu
Equal opportunity employer
The University of Iowa is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment free from discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth and related conditions), disability, genetic information, status as a U.S. veteran, service in the U.S. military, sexual orientation, or associational preferences.
Persons with disabilities who need assistance or accommodations with the application or interview process may contact University Human Resources/Faculty and Staff Disability Services, (319) 335-2660 or fsds@uiowa.edu. For jobs in UI Health care, please contact UI Health care Leave & Disability Administration at 319-356-7543.
