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Job Description:

Company Information:

At Crystal Group, we do hard things – designing and building rugged tech and tech solutions that provide predictable performance in the world’s most unforgiving environments. As a 100% employee-owned company, here you take extreme ownership of your role and work and invest in your own success and that of your teammates. Together we use a zero limits approach to wow our customers.

Job Summary:

Crystal Group is seeking an experienced and motivated Network Administrator to ensure the stability, integrity, and efficient operation of our critical IT infrastructure, covering servers, operating systems, enterprise applications, and networks. This involves proactive system and network health monitoring, implementing robust security, performing maintenance, managing user access and network resources, and providing technical support for a secure, resilient, and high-performing IT environment. The Network Administrator will leverage best practices and tools to manage, troubleshoot, and optimize all IT resources, ensuring seamless functionality, connectivity, and data protection.

This inherently cross-functional role requires a comprehensive understanding of our IT ecosystem. Strong analytical abilities, proactive problem-solving, effectiveness in a fast-paced environment, and a willingness to continuously develop broad and deep system and network skills are essential.

This role will work with diverse IT technologies, contribute to key infrastructure projects, and support core system and network administration responsibilities in a supportive, growth-oriented team.

Essential Functions (Applicable to all levels, complexity increases with seniority)

+ IT Infrastructure Management: Design, implement, manage, and maintain company servers (physical/virtual, Windows/Linux) and network infrastructure (LAN, WAN, VPN, Wi-Fi, SD-WAN), ensuring high availability, performance, and reliability.

+ Security Management: Implement and manage system and network security (patching, hardening, access controls, vulnerability management, firewalls, IDS/IPS, NAC, VPNs) per best practices.

+ Proactive Monitoring & Optimization: Continuously monitor system and network health, performance, and capacity, proactively resolving issues to optimize performance and minimize downtime.

+ Maintenance & Upgrades: Perform regular system and network maintenance, including software/firmware updates, patches, and hardware/system upgrades.

+ Directory Services & Authentication: Manage Active Directory (Group Policy, DNS, DHCP, user/group accounts, authentication).

+ Storage Management: Manage enterprise storage (SAN, NAS, etc.) for data integrity, availability, and efficiency.

+ Application Support: Deploy, configure, and support core enterprise applications.

+ Routing & Switching: Configure and manage routers, switches, and related network equipment (routing protocols, VLANs, STP).

+ Wireless Networking: Design, implement, and manage secure wireless networks.

+ Network Access Control: Manage NAC solutions for authorized user/device network access.

+ Documentation: Develop and maintain comprehensive system and network configuration documents, diagrams, procedures, and DR plans.

+ Troubleshooting & Support: Diagnose and resolve complex server, OS, application, and network connectivity/performance issues, providing effective technical support.

+ Backup & Disaster Recovery: Implement, manage, and test backup/DR strategies for critical systems, data, and network configurations to ensure data integrity and infrastructure resilience.

+ Collaboration: Work with IT staff, departments, and vendors for system and network compatibility, integration, and project delivery.

+ Inventory Management: Manage server and network hardware/software inventory, licenses, support contracts, and circuits.

+ Independent Project Management: Independently manage and implement moderately complex IT infrastructure projects.

+ Advanced Troubleshooting: Resolve advanced/escalated IT infrastructure issues with minimal supervision.

+ Technology Evaluation & Automation: Evaluate and recommend new IT infrastructure technologies, tools, and design principles.

+ Process Improvement: Contribute significantly to IT infrastructure standards, policies, and procedures.

+ Mentorship: Mentor junior team members on IT infrastructure.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

+ Ability to physically lift and move computer equipment.

+ Self-motivated, able to manage multiple tasks, prioritize, and work independently.

+ Excellent communication (written/verbal) and interpersonal skills; can explain technical concepts clearly.

+ Strong analytical, problem-solving, and troubleshooting skills with attention to detail, especially in system and network diagnostics.

+ Experience with IT infrastructure monitoring and analysis tools (e.g., VEEAM One for virtualization, Sentinel One for security, Nagios/SolarWinds for general monitoring, Wireshark for network analysis).

+ Deep knowledge of system and network security principles, best practices, and tools (firewalls, IDS/IPS, VPNs, vulnerability scanners, EDR/XDR, SIEM).

+ Proficiency with virtualization (Hyper-V, VMware vSphere).

+ Deep experience with Windows Server administration (AD, Group Policy, DNS, DHCP).

+ Proficiency managing firewalls (SonicWall highly preferred), routers, switches, and wireless controllers.

+ Experience with Linux/UNIX server administration is a plus.

+ Solid understanding of TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, common routing protocols, and switching.

+ Proven hands-on experience in system and/or network administration, infrastructure support, or IT Help desk.

+ Adept knowledge in IT principles and practices.

+ Proficiency with scripting (PowerShell, Bash, Python, Perl) for automation.

+ Adaptability and willingness to master the full IT infrastructure stack.

Basic Qualification

+ Must be a US Person (US Citizen, person granted US Permanent Resident Card or any individual who is granted status as a "protected person”).

+ Associate's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Telecommunications, or related field; or 4 years of additional relevant experience.

+ Typically 6-9+ years of progressive experience in IT infrastructure administration (system and network).

+ Experience with routine system and network administration tasks and logging

Preferred Qualifications

+ Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Telecommunications, or related field. (Typically, 8+ years of relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a degree, subject to evaluation).

+ Certifications: CompTIA A+, Server+, Network+, Security+; MCSA/MCSE; SonicWall SNSA or equivalent.

+ Strong PowerShell scripting; Python/Perl for network automation is a plus.

+ Experience with enterprise backup solutions (Veeam, Commvault) and cloud platforms (Azure, AWS).

+ Experience with firewall administration (SonicWall highly preferred/required), VPNs, and security best practices.

+ Experience with collaboration tools (Teams, WebEx, Telepresence) and their network requirements.

+ Solid understanding of both networking (TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, VLANs, routing/switching) AND server OS (Windows, Linux) and virtualization (Hyper-V, VMware).

+ Basic Linux/UNIX skills.

+ Proficiency with Microsoft Office

+ Advanced IT certifications (e.g., MCSE, Azure certs, SonicWall SNSP, CASP+, CISSP, relevant expert-level vendor certs).

+ Experience leading IT infrastructure projects with significant system/network integration.

+ In-depth experience with advanced routing/switching, security, AND server/storage/virtualization technologies.

+ Expertise in automation/scripting (PowerShell DSC, Ansible, advanced Python/Perl).

EEO Statement

Crystal Group, Inc, maintains a program of equal employment opportunity designed to ensure that employment and advancement opportunities are made available to all employees and applicants on the basis of individual qualifications and without regard to race, religion, color, creed, national origin, disability, age, sex, genetic information, military status, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Offer Contingency

All job offers are contingent on the applicant successfully completing the background check, physical assessment and drug screen.

EEO IS THE LAW (https://www.eeoc.gov/know-your-rights-workplace-discrimination-illegal)

EEO IS THE LAW (Spanish)

Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision (https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/OFCCP/pdf/pay-transp\_%20English\_formattedESQA508c.pdf)

Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision (Spanish)