Infrastructure Specialist

Infrastructure Specialist

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Post Details

Full time
Open ended

The closing date for applications is midnight on Sunday 27 November 2022
Interviews are expected to take place on Friday 09 December 2022

There is an expectation that work will be undertaken in the UK. 

For the purposes of sponsorship, this is a role under SOC code 2135.

The University of Stirling recognises that a diverse workforce benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers and welcome applications from those who would contribute to further diversification of our staff and ensure that equality, diversity and inclusion is woven into the substance of the role. We strongly encourage applications from people from diverse backgrounds including gender, identity, race, age, class, and ethnicity. 

The Post

Systems and Support Services is responsible for delivering and supporting infrastructure solutions that enable the University to deliver excellent services to all its stakeholders.  The service is comprised of specialists with expertise in networks, servers, information provision and associated infrastructure, together with support and systems administration across IT clients, learning and study environments and library systems.

The Infrastructure Development team will design and develop emerging and existing core on premise and cloud IT infrastructure in support of research, learning and teaching, and university business. The team will build on recent work to produce highly available, resilient and intuitive systems incorporating:  security, communications, data storage and processing, wired and wireless networks, IT client management, and learning technologies. The team is critical to the success and implementation of the emerging Digital Strategy.

The team incorporates four specialisms covering:  networking, Microsoft systems, Unix systems and learning technologies. As part of a team of five servers and storage specialists with two team leaders (Microsoft and Unix) the post holder reports to the team leader for Microsoft systems.   

They work primarily on Microsoft based systems but are also expected to make a contribution to the work of the Unix section and work in partnership with Network Infrastructure colleagues. As well as development work on new systems and services and routine maintenance of existing ones, they assist Operational Support colleagues in providing second line technical support for the resolution of end-user requests and fault reports. The role involves liaison with the Business Applications and Integrations team and with the front-line Customer Services staff of Information Services. 

The post holder ideally possesses a degree, or equivalent education and experience, in computing or an IT-related subject. 

Description of Duties

• Monitor and maintain system security using products including Microsoft Defender and Sentinel;
• Configure and maintain the Office 365 suite including: Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive and Teams;
• Deploy, configure and maintain a wide range of Azure services including Azure AD, Defender and Sentinel;
• Deploy and administer virtual servers both in local Hyper-V virtualisation clusters and in Azure;
• Ensure that all systems are properly backed up and recoverable according to our SLAs;
• Ensure that all new firmware releases, patches and updates are installed promptly;
• Monitor and manage server resources using Systems Centre Operations Manager, Nagios, Azure Sentinel and vendor support mechanisms. Investigate and resolve, as necessary, any issues that are identified;
• Engage in continuing professional development and keep up to date on emerging technologies. Advise the team leader of solutions which contribute to the achievement of the University’s strategic objectives;
• Provide high quality, timeous and succinct advice to the Head of Infrastructure Development and Infrastructure Development Team Leaders;
• Build a strong professional partnership and work collaboratively with colleagues in Product Development, Operational Support and Customer Services teams for the smooth transition of system changes from development to support. Ensuring operational staff are fully equipped with the knowledge to provide 1st and 2nd line support and continuous operational development of implemented solutions;
• Provide sound technical advice to complex system problems, recommending courses of action to be taken and monitoring their execution;
• Respond to and resolve user requests and fault reports;
• Diagnose and fix systems faults – both software and hardware;
• Represent your immediate Team Leader as required at internal and external meetings;
• Administration of networked printers, queues and charging mechanisms;
• Develop and work with scripts to automate system administration as necessary;
• Provide service statistics on request;
• Document systems and procedures, identify improvements that could be made and propose solutions for these improvements which may involve technologies not previously used at the University.
• Commission server hardware including unboxing, inserting customer installable components, racking, updating firmware, configuration and OS or hypervisor installation;
• Liaise with the Network section regarding networking of servers and rack-level cabling;
• Connect servers to the SAN including cabling, SAN zoning and SAN switch configuration;
• Configure SAN storage arrays, using configuration utilities and tools;
• Decommission server hardware at end of life, including secure deletion of data from storage media;
• Moving and handling of heavy equipment e.g. racking servers and associated hardware such as UPS;
• Assist in the skills development of other team members;
• Provide cover as necessary for absences of other members of the team;
• Undertake additional duties appropriate to the role.

These services are used by all staff and students at the University for administration, teaching and learning, and research; therefore, the team supports approximately 20,000 registered users.

Essential Criteria

• Proven experience of Microsoft systems administration, both on premises and in Azure;
• Scripting, especially with Microsoft PowerShell;
• Exposure to server virtualisation solutions such as Hyper-V and Azure;
• A good understanding of IP networking and proven experience of configuring the network connectivity of server and client systems;
• A high level of general IT skills and fluency in Microsoft Office applications;
• Have a sound understanding of ITIL best practices;
• Be a good communicator with proven diagnostic and problem-solving skills, a commitment to customer service, and capable of demonstrating a consistent and systematic approach to work.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience and understanding of the main internet protocols is expected in order to troubleshoot connectivity issues at a low level;
• Exposure to the configuration of network switches, both for Ethernet and storage area networks;
• Proven experience of storage connectivity using iSCSI or fibre channel storage area networks;
• Familiarity with information security best practice as defined in the ISO/IEC 27001 Information security management standards.

Behaviours and Competencies

The role holder will be required to evidence that they can meet the qualities associated with the following behavioural competencies, as detailed within the AUA Competency Framework.

Managing self and personal skills
Being aware of your own behaviour and mindful of how it impacts on others, enhancing personal skills to adapt professional practice accordingly.

Delivering excellent service
Providing the best quality service to external and internal clients. Building genuine and open long-term relationships in order to drive up service standards.

Finding solutions
Taking a holistic view and working enthusiastically to analyse problems and to develop workable solutions. Identifying opportunities for innovation.

Embracing change
Being open to and engaging with new ideas and ways of working. Adjusting to unfamiliar situations, shifting demands and changing roles.

Using resources effectively
Identifying and making the most productive use of resources including people, time, information, networks and budgets.

Engaging with the wider context
Enhancing your contribution to the organisation through an understanding of the bigger picture and showing commitment to organisational values.

Developing self and others
Showing commitment to own ongoing professional development. Supporting and encouraging others to develop their professional knowledge, skills and behaviours to enable them to reach their full potential.

Working together
Working collaboratively with others in order to achieve objectives. Recognising and valuing the different contributions people bring to this process.

Achieving Results
Consistently meeting agreed objectives and success criteria. Taking personal responsibility for getting things done.

About Us

Information Services delivers the library, IT, digital learning technology and other information needs and services to enable all students and staff of the University of Stirling to learn, research and work here. Our mission is to equip and empower our users and ourselves to function and achieve successful outcomes in the digital age. We strive to achieving excellent customer service and always aim to exceed our users’ expectations.

The University

The University of Stirling is committed to providing education with a purpose and carrying out research which has a positive impact on communities across the globe – addressing real issues, providing solutions and helping to shape society. Stirling is 4th in Scotland and 43rd in the UK for research impact, with 87% of its research having an outstanding or very considerable impact on society – and more than 80% rated either world leading or internationally excellent (Research Excellence Framework 2021). Interdisciplinary in its approach, Stirling’s research informs its teaching curriculum and facilitates opportunities for knowledge exchange and collaboration between staff, students, industry partners and the wider community.

The University of Stirling is ranked among the top 30 UK universities for student satisfaction (National Student Survey) and top 10 in the UK for postgraduate student experience (Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey), and has an overall five-star rating in the QS Stars University Ratings.

More than 17,000 students study with the University of Stirling globally, with over 120 nationalities represented on its scenic central Scotland campus alone. The campus – also home to 1,700 staff – has its own loch and castle, and a recent multi-million-pound redevelopment has delivered modern, flexible, and digitally connected study and social spaces at the heart of campus, including enhanced student support and retail and catering outlets.

The University has twice been recognised with a Queen’s Anniversary Prize – the first for its Institute for Social Marketing and Health (2014) and the second for its Institute of Aquaculture (2019). Stirling is Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence and its recently redeveloped world-class facilities provide the perfect training environment for the University’s sports scholars – many of whom compete at the highest level, including at the Olympics and Commonwealth Games – and for students, staff, and the wider community.

As a signatory to the £214 million Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Region Deal, the University is driving productivity and inclusive growth across the Forth Valley, and beyond. Through pioneering collaborative solutions to global challenges, researchers are putting innovation, skills, and partnership at the heart of a sustainable economic recovery.
www.stir.ac.uk @stiruni

Job number

SERV01598

Contract Type

Open Ended

Closing date

27-Nov-2022

Location:

Stirling Campus

Grade

Grade7 £35,333-£42,155 p.a.

Faculty/Service

Information Services

Post Details

Full time
Open ended

The closing date for applications is midnight on Sunday 27 November 2022
Interviews are expected to take place on Friday 09 December 2022

There is an expectation that work will be undertaken in the UK. 

For the purposes of sponsorship, this is a role under SOC code 2135.

The University of Stirling recognises that a diverse workforce benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers and welcome applications from those who would contribute to further diversification of our staff and ensure that equality, diversity and inclusion is woven into the substance of the role. We strongly encourage applications from people from diverse backgrounds including gender, identity, race, age, class, and ethnicity. 

The Post

Systems and Support Services is responsible for delivering and supporting infrastructure solutions that enable the University to deliver excellent services to all its stakeholders.  The service is comprised of specialists with expertise in networks, servers, information provision and associated infrastructure, together with support and systems administration across IT clients, learning and study environments and library systems.

The Infrastructure Development team will design and develop emerging and existing core on premise and cloud IT infrastructure in support of research, learning and teaching, and university business. The team will build on recent work to produce highly available, resilient and intuitive systems incorporating:  security, communications, data storage and processing, wired and wireless networks, IT client management, and learning technologies. The team is critical to the success and implementation of the emerging Digital Strategy.

The team incorporates four specialisms covering:  networking, Microsoft systems, Unix systems and learning technologies. As part of a team of five servers and storage specialists with two team leaders (Microsoft and Unix) the post holder reports to the team leader for Microsoft systems.   

They work primarily on Microsoft based systems but are also expected to make a contribution to the work of the Unix section and work in partnership with Network Infrastructure colleagues. As well as development work on new systems and services and routine maintenance of existing ones, they assist Operational Support colleagues in providing second line technical support for the resolution of end-user requests and fault reports. The role involves liaison with the Business Applications and Integrations team and with the front-line Customer Services staff of Information Services. 

The post holder ideally possesses a degree, or equivalent education and experience, in computing or an IT-related subject. 

Description of Duties

• Monitor and maintain system security using products including Microsoft Defender and Sentinel;
• Configure and maintain the Office 365 suite including: Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive and Teams;
• Deploy, configure and maintain a wide range of Azure services including Azure AD, Defender and Sentinel;
• Deploy and administer virtual servers both in local Hyper-V virtualisation clusters and in Azure;
• Ensure that all systems are properly backed up and recoverable according to our SLAs;
• Ensure that all new firmware releases, patches and updates are installed promptly;
• Monitor and manage server resources using Systems Centre Operations Manager, Nagios, Azure Sentinel and vendor support mechanisms. Investigate and resolve, as necessary, any issues that are identified;
• Engage in continuing professional development and keep up to date on emerging technologies. Advise the team leader of solutions which contribute to the achievement of the University’s strategic objectives;
• Provide high quality, timeous and succinct advice to the Head of Infrastructure Development and Infrastructure Development Team Leaders;
• Build a strong professional partnership and work collaboratively with colleagues in Product Development, Operational Support and Customer Services teams for the smooth transition of system changes from development to support. Ensuring operational staff are fully equipped with the knowledge to provide 1st and 2nd line support and continuous operational development of implemented solutions;
• Provide sound technical advice to complex system problems, recommending courses of action to be taken and monitoring their execution;
• Respond to and resolve user requests and fault reports;
• Diagnose and fix systems faults – both software and hardware;
• Represent your immediate Team Leader as required at internal and external meetings;
• Administration of networked printers, queues and charging mechanisms;
• Develop and work with scripts to automate system administration as necessary;
• Provide service statistics on request;
• Document systems and procedures, identify improvements that could be made and propose solutions for these improvements which may involve technologies not previously used at the University.
• Commission server hardware including unboxing, inserting customer installable components, racking, updating firmware, configuration and OS or hypervisor installation;
• Liaise with the Network section regarding networking of servers and rack-level cabling;
• Connect servers to the SAN including cabling, SAN zoning and SAN switch configuration;
• Configure SAN storage arrays, using configuration utilities and tools;
• Decommission server hardware at end of life, including secure deletion of data from storage media;
• Moving and handling of heavy equipment e.g. racking servers and associated hardware such as UPS;
• Assist in the skills development of other team members;
• Provide cover as necessary for absences of other members of the team;
• Undertake additional duties appropriate to the role.

These services are used by all staff and students at the University for administration, teaching and learning, and research; therefore, the team supports approximately 20,000 registered users.

Essential Criteria

• Proven experience of Microsoft systems administration, both on premises and in Azure;
• Scripting, especially with Microsoft PowerShell;
• Exposure to server virtualisation solutions such as Hyper-V and Azure;
• A good understanding of IP networking and proven experience of configuring the network connectivity of server and client systems;
• A high level of general IT skills and fluency in Microsoft Office applications;
• Have a sound understanding of ITIL best practices;
• Be a good communicator with proven diagnostic and problem-solving skills, a commitment to customer service, and capable of demonstrating a consistent and systematic approach to work.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience and understanding of the main internet protocols is expected in order to troubleshoot connectivity issues at a low level;
• Exposure to the configuration of network switches, both for Ethernet and storage area networks;
• Proven experience of storage connectivity using iSCSI or fibre channel storage area networks;
• Familiarity with information security best practice as defined in the ISO/IEC 27001 Information security management standards.

Behaviours and Competencies

The role holder will be required to evidence that they can meet the qualities associated with the following behavioural competencies, as detailed within the AUA Competency Framework.

Managing self and personal skills
Being aware of your own behaviour and mindful of how it impacts on others, enhancing personal skills to adapt professional practice accordingly.

Delivering excellent service
Providing the best quality service to external and internal clients. Building genuine and open long-term relationships in order to drive up service standards.

Finding solutions
Taking a holistic view and working enthusiastically to analyse problems and to develop workable solutions. Identifying opportunities for innovation.

Embracing change
Being open to and engaging with new ideas and ways of working. Adjusting to unfamiliar situations, shifting demands and changing roles.

Using resources effectively
Identifying and making the most productive use of resources including people, time, information, networks and budgets.

Engaging with the wider context
Enhancing your contribution to the organisation through an understanding of the bigger picture and showing commitment to organisational values.

Developing self and others
Showing commitment to own ongoing professional development. Supporting and encouraging others to develop their professional knowledge, skills and behaviours to enable them to reach their full potential.

Working together
Working collaboratively with others in order to achieve objectives. Recognising and valuing the different contributions people bring to this process.

Achieving Results
Consistently meeting agreed objectives and success criteria. Taking personal responsibility for getting things done.

About Us

Information Services delivers the library, IT, digital learning technology and other information needs and services to enable all students and staff of the University of Stirling to learn, research and work here. Our mission is to equip and empower our users and ourselves to function and achieve successful outcomes in the digital age. We strive to achieving excellent customer service and always aim to exceed our users’ expectations.

The University

The University of Stirling is committed to providing education with a purpose and carrying out research which has a positive impact on communities across the globe – addressing real issues, providing solutions and helping to shape society. Stirling is 4th in Scotland and 43rd in the UK for research impact, with 87% of its research having an outstanding or very considerable impact on society – and more than 80% rated either world leading or internationally excellent (Research Excellence Framework 2021). Interdisciplinary in its approach, Stirling’s research informs its teaching curriculum and facilitates opportunities for knowledge exchange and collaboration between staff, students, industry partners and the wider community.

The University of Stirling is ranked among the top 30 UK universities for student satisfaction (National Student Survey) and top 10 in the UK for postgraduate student experience (Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey), and has an overall five-star rating in the QS Stars University Ratings.

More than 17,000 students study with the University of Stirling globally, with over 120 nationalities represented on its scenic central Scotland campus alone. The campus – also home to 1,700 staff – has its own loch and castle, and a recent multi-million-pound redevelopment has delivered modern, flexible, and digitally connected study and social spaces at the heart of campus, including enhanced student support and retail and catering outlets.

The University has twice been recognised with a Queen’s Anniversary Prize – the first for its Institute for Social Marketing and Health (2014) and the second for its Institute of Aquaculture (2019). Stirling is Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence and its recently redeveloped world-class facilities provide the perfect training environment for the University’s sports scholars – many of whom compete at the highest level, including at the Olympics and Commonwealth Games – and for students, staff, and the wider community.

As a signatory to the £214 million Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Region Deal, the University is driving productivity and inclusive growth across the Forth Valley, and beyond. Through pioneering collaborative solutions to global challenges, researchers are putting innovation, skills, and partnership at the heart of a sustainable economic recovery.
www.stir.ac.uk @stiruni

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