Server Architect / Administrator
Plexus International is a quality management system training provider representing various industries for training needs; including Aerospace, Environmental Management, Healthcare, Higher Education, and Laboratory Management. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, today Plexus trains professionals on six continents and in multiple languages through an extensive network of global partners. By providing effective training that can be applied and reiterated by the trainees, Plexus has created a self-sustaining system that serves as a foundation for the educational framework of entire industries.

The growing Canadian team works to support global initiatives through the development of web-based tools and technologies that facilitate the realization of training and examination opportunities, whether online, face-to-face, or as part of blended learning solutions.
We are currently looking for a Server Architect for our office in London, Ontario.
 
Role/Responsibilities:

• Manage a growing global network of mostly Linux-based servers and virtual machines, including application servers, database servers, and mail servers.
• Analyse current systems and advise management on strategic decisions to support and enhance current architecture to support future growth
• Upgrade and migrate existing architecture to support a more robust cloud computing model
• Install, configure, and deploy all new servers and virtual machines
• Develop scripts, procedures, methodologies, and tools to assist in server deployment, maintenance, and troubleshooting
• Research and apply industry-standard best practices to improve server security, performance and reliability
• Perform regular proactive server maintenance to ensure the latest updates and patches are applied in a coordinated fashion across the entire global server network
• Maintain contracts for domain names, SSL certificates, and other third-party/contracted services; ensure service contracts are renewed promptly and that necessary server updates take place before any related deadlines
• Ensure that mail servers are operating within normal parameters, that all industry standard best-practices are put in place to prevent exploits and spam, and that all mail is being delivered promptly
• Ensure backup and disaster recover procedures are properly documented and meet availability/SLA requirements, and implement improvements as needed
• Model and simulate disaster recovery scenarios and document results to validate sufficiency of implemented procedures
• Rapidly diagnose any problems that occur, implement immediate remediation countermeasures, and solve the problem
• Maintain proper documentation of all configurations/procedures, and a detailed log of all incidents that occur, including the nature of the problem and the action taken to resolve
• Advise and collaborate with software development teams to implement changes (both in the software and on the servers) that will further the aforementioned and other objectives
• Assist with support for other end-user and staff technical issues as needed

Skills/Qualifications/Requirements:

• Strong demonstrated expert-level familiarity with server and network architectural concepts and principles
• Strong demonstrated familiarity with cloud computing principles, client-server architectures, and service-oriented architecture
• Strong demonstrated mastery of Windows and Linux server configuration, management, and troubleshooting abilities
• Strong demonstrated mastery of server-based scripting and command-line debugging
• Strong demonstrated familiarity with virtual machine technology and tools, including VMware
• Strong demonstrated familiarity with the package configuration and compiling on various Linux distributions, with a particular emphasis on Ubuntu Linux Server
• Strong demonstrated familiarity with Apache Web Server 2.x and MySQL 5.x
• Strong demonstrated familiarity with the setup, configuration, and troubleshooting of network management tools and technologies, including routers, firewalls, VPNs (client-based and site-to-site), DNS (internal and external), etc.
• Strong demonstrated familiarity with remote access tools and technologies, including SSH, RDP, VNC, etc.
• Demonstrated familiarity High Availability principles, including specific tools and technologies to support redundancy, replication, and automatic failover
• Demonstrated familiarity with SSL and public/private key security schemes
• Familiarity and experience with established cloud service offerings and services, including Amazon AWS (EC2, S3, RDS, etc.), is an invaluable asset
• Exceptional analytical abilities and diagnosis skills to solve unique IT problems
• Exceptional communication, interpersonal, and “team-work” skills
• Self-motivated individual with excellent time management and organizational skills
• Fluent command of the English language both oral and written
• Willingness and ability to work outside of business hours as needed on a periodic basis to perform scheduled server maintenance
• Willingness and ability to be on-call (and work from home when called) outside of normal office hours in case of emergency

Email your Resume to Andrew Metcalfe at andrew@plexusintl.com and Jeremy Crosskill at jeremy@plexusintl.com


Keywords: Server Administrator, Systems Engineer - Cloud / Linux, System Administrator, Server Analyst, SQL Server DBA.