Principal Associate, Systems Engineering

Overview

The Pew Charitable Trusts uses data to make a difference. For more than 70 years, we have focused on serving the public, invigorating civic life, conducting nonpartisan research, advancing effective public policies and practices, and achieving tangible results. Through rigorous inquiry and knowledge sharing, we inform and engage public-spirited citizens and organizations, linking diverse interests to pursue common cause. We are a dedicated team of researchers, communicators, advocates, subject matter experts, and professionals working on some of today's big challenges – and we know we are more effective and creative collectively than we are individually. With Philadelphia as our home town and the majority of our staff located in Washington, DC, our U.S. and international staff find working at Pew personally and professionally rewarding.

Wise stewardship of resources allows Pew employees to pursue work that strategically furthers our mission in significant and measurable ways. We collaborate with a diverse range of philanthropic partners, public and private organizations, and concerned citizens who share our interest in fact-based solutions and goal-driven initiatives to improve society. Pew attracts top talent, people of integrity who are service-oriented and willing to take on challenging assignments. We provide competitive pay and benefits, a healthy work-life balance, and a respectful and inclusive workplace. Pew employees are proud of their colleagues, proud of where they work, and proud of the institution's reputation.

Information Technology
Information Technology (IT) at the Trusts reflects a proactive approach toward the use of new technologies to increase the organization's capacity for exceptionally high-quality strategic philanthropy. Executive staff at the Trusts recognizes the importance of technology, and support technology initiatives to advance the institution's goals to achieve and maintain a leadership position in the philanthropic community. As a result, the IT unit is in a mode of continuous improvement, applying leading-edge technologies.

The IT unit is comprised of highly competent, forward-thinking professionals who are responsible for the technology needs of all of Pew's staff and for Pew's subsidiaries in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. It is the responsibility of the unit to evaluate and acquire software and hardware, implement new systems and data repositories, support the various network environments, manage desktop computer hardware and software applications, and provides systems administrative support of various components within the IT enterprise.

Position Overview
The Principal Associate, Systems Engineering will build and administer all information technology related server infrastructure in a group which manages all hosted, and on-premises data center, server, network, telephony and storage platforms.

The position will:

• Act as project lead and/or someone who regularly interacts with the internal staff and external partners at times;
• Build new server infrastructure (data center, storage, VMware ESX and Windows servers) including design, planning, risk assessment, implementation and documentation by following procedures and best practices, and ensuring availability and maintenance of the disaster recovery stance;
• Maintain systems by managing technology and capability roadmaps; establish maintenance procedures, and work with other systems staff and operations team to perform regular maintenance;
• Perform infrastructure monitoring for servers, storage, and data center (including power management and environmental measurement systems);
• Respond to occasional escalated service desk tickets and production outages;

The Principal Associate, Systems Engineering will report to the Manager, Systems and Storage.

Responsibilities

• Implement, support, and maintain infrastructure services.
• Lead projects, including coordinating across the broader IT and vendor resources and stakeholders.
• Perform writing and presentation tasks, including assisting with user communication planning; writing compelling management recommendations, polished presentations, and quality technical documentation.
• Exercise broad latitude for independent judgement.
• Utilize excellent Windows desktop & server troubleshooting skills to serve as one of the highest levels of escalation for desktop and systems issues
• Implement and troubleshoot advanced Active Directory and Group Policy configurations
• Manage configurations and the deployment of systems in compliance with established business standards and industry best practice.
• Research and recommend technical solutions that will enhance performance, increase redundancy, and add flexibility to the existing infrastructure.
• Ensure system availability and monitoring of services. Provide metrics and performance reports with respect to each service.
• Participate in “best effort” response to infrequent off-hours production outages with rest of the engineering team.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required.
• A minimum of six years of relevant experience in a corporate environment.
• Demonstrated experience as a project lead, including coordinating across IT, vendor and stakeholders.
• Experience creating strong communication plans; creating compelling management recommendations, quality technical documentation; and polished presentations.
• A minimum of four years of relevant, deeply technical hands-on experience.
• In-depth experience with on premises infrastructure, specifically Microsoft technologies (Windows desktop and server, Active Directory, DNS, Group Policy etc.). Exposure to VMware, Citrix, PowerShell, is highly beneficial.
• Experience collecting and analyzing server, desktop and application logs, configuration files and performance metrics to identify potential issues and recommend appropriate corrective measures.
• Experience with cloud platforms such as Okta, Office 365, Azure, Amazon Web Services, etc.
• Experience with infrastructure and desktop management software, including Ivanti, monitoring suites such as SolarWinds and WhatsUp Gold, patching, and anti-malware applications.
• Possess a solid grasp of datacenter management principles (power, cooling, environmental and power monitoring; fault tolerance, rack layout and cable management, etc.).
• Exposure to enterprise storage technologies, particularly Nimble.
• Understanding of identity management, with exposure to single sign-on solutions preferred.
• Skilled at documenting designs and policies associated with system infrastructure, including implementing work routines and standards.
• Understanding of ports, protocols and network infrastructure (routers, switches, etc.), including firewall and wireless technologies, and how they interact with the server infrastructure.
• Strong desktop and server troubleshooting skills.
• Ability to coordinate multiple tasks simultaneously and be a strong project lead, both with the internal team, and with the broader Pew staff, and external vendors and partners.
• Able to set priorities, organize time and identify resources for projects.
• Strong interpersonal, written and verbal communications skills with the ability to present information in a compelling, polished and persuasive manner.

Travel
Occasional travel (one day per month on average) to Pew's Philadelphia office. Minimal additional travel required to attend trainings, seminars or conferences.

Total Rewards
We offer a competitive salary and complete benefit program, including: comprehensive, affordable health care through medical, dental and vision coverage; financial security with life and disability insurance; opportunities to save using health savings and flexible spending accounts; retirement benefits to help prepare for the future; and work/life benefits to maintain a good balance.

The Pew Charitable Trusts is an equal opportunity employer, committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. Pew considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to age, sex, ethnicity, religion, disability, marital status, sexual orientation or gender identity, military/veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

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PI119434140