System Administrator

Job Description

POSITION: System Administrator

REPORTS TO: Director of Infrastructure Services

POSITION TYPE: 12-month

START DATE: Immediate

COMPENSATION: $60,818 - $72,981, Home Office Grade 5

EVERY OPPORTUNITY STARTS WITH A YES

Great schools begin with great people who believe every day is an opportunity to make a difference.  At YES Prep, you have an opportunity to join a family of diverse educators who are leveling the playing field by providing opportunities for a high-quality, college-forward curriculum while also ensuring our students feel supported through their academic journey and empowered to lead choice-filled lives. YES Prep is more than a family of public charter schools, it’s the future of public education—it’s an opportunity to say, “Yes, you can!”

Our campuses are advancing educational equity. Some quick stats about us:

• 18,000+ Students
• 2,100 Team Members
• 17 Secondary Campuses
• 6 Elementary Campuses
• 92% Students Who Qualify for Free/Reduced-Price Lunch
• 96% Hispanic & African-American Students
• 97% Students Who Are Accepted to a 4-Year University
• 88% First-Generation College Students
• Top 100 High Schools in the Nation, U.S. News & World Report

We serve the students of Houston, Texas, the 4th largest city across the United States. There are over 20 public-school districts and other great public charter school options, like KIPP Texas-Houston and IDEA Public Schools, within Houston’s city limits serving our increasing population. We are a rapidly growing organization, committed to creating life-changing opportunities for over 23,000 students by 2025.

THE OPPORTUNITY

YES Prep needs a dynamic System Administrator, with a diverse set of experiences to make our mission a reality. As a YES Prep employee, you will achieve jaw-dropping results, create pathways to opportunity for our students, build transformative relationships, and eliminate educational inequities to advance social justice.

To put it simply, you will be responsible for effective provisioning, installation/configuration, operation, and maintenance of systems hardware and software and related infrastructure. This individual participates in technical research and development to enable continuing innovation within the infrastructure.

THE ROLE

When you join the YES Prep team, some of the exciting work and responsibilities will include:

• Establishing system by planning and executing the selection, installation, configuration, and testing of PC and server hardware, software, LAN and WAN networks, and operating and system management systems; defining system and operational policies and procedures;
• Installing, configuring, and maintaining Microsoft Windows servers, including managing server roles, features, and security.
• Administering and supporting Active Directory, including user and group management, group policies, and domain services.
• Collaborating with cross-functional teams and Partners to plan and implement system upgrades, migrations, and new deployments.
• Securing system by developing system access, monitoring, control, and evaluation; establishing and testing disaster recovery policies and procedures; completing back-ups; maintaining documentation;
• Creating and maintaining documentation, including system configurations, procedures, and user guides.
• Upgrading system by conferring with vendors and services; developing, testing, evaluating, and installing enhancements and new software;
• Providing Tier III/other support per request from various constituencies.  Investigate and troubleshoot issues;
• Supporting Print device and Print Server installation
• Supporting Bell and PA systems
• Additional duties as assigned.

THE PERSON

We seek staff with diverse backgrounds, talents, interests, and ideas. Certain traits consistently shine through for our most successful employees: passion for the mission, drive for results, care for students, and resilience. Other traits needed and desired for this role are:

To put it simply, you will be responsible for maintaining and upgrading our company's IT infrastructure, ensuring the highest levels of availability, performance, and security. The ideal candidate should have experience in system administration, network administration, and troubleshooting. In this role, you will work closely with other IT professionals, such as developers, security experts, and database administrators, to ensure effective and efficient IT operations.

THE MUST HAVES

• System Administration, Developing Standards, LAN Knowledge, WAN Knowledge, Training, Multi-tasking, On-Call, Networking Knowledge, Network Hardware Configuration, Network Maintenance, Network Performance Tuning
• Administer and support Active Directory on prem and Azure, including user and group management, group policies, and domain services.
• Familiarity with Microsoft System Center Product Line – SCCM, SCSM, SCVMM, SCDPM, SCOM
• Ability to work outside of normal hours and on weekends

• Belief in and commitment to the mission and core value of YES Prep Public Schools
• Openness to giving and receiving frequent feedback
• Ability to maintain emotional control under stress
• Ability to work urgently in a fast-paced and results-oriented environment
• Creates and maintains positive working relationships on a team and/or in a highly collaborative environment
• A dedication to learn, grow, and develop as a professional

THE MUST HAVE BELIEFS 

• Belief in and commitment to the mission and core values of YES Prep Public Schools 
• Desire to disrupt systemic status quos in education 
• Willingness to go above and beyond to disrupt said status quos 
• Passion to develop resiliency through a relentless pursuit of jaw-dropping results 
• Conviction that high expectations + high accountability = high performance and high growth 

THE NICE TO HAVES

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year educational institution
• Four to six year’s system administration experience

• Prefer Microsoft Server 2008/2012/2019 and above experience.
• Prefer Microsoft Windows 7/8/10 experience

THE PERKS

• Compensation – This position is an exempt, salaried position; offers commensurate with experience.

• Health and Supplemental Insurance – A $0 monthly medical option that includes $600 towards a Health Savings Account, in addition to a variety of supplemental benefits including Dental, Vision, Disability, Life, etc. Employees must work 20+ hours a week to be eligible for a full spectrum of benefits, and 10 hours a week minimum for medical benefits.

• Retirement Plans – Participation in Teacher Retirement System of Texas and a 457b Retirement Plan.

• Paid Time Off – Employees working 20+ hours a week receive 15 days of Paid Time Off in addition to the system closures during the Academic Calendar.

• Paid Leave Programming – In the event you need to be out due to medical needs (including maternity and paternity leave), YES Prep offers paid leave, paid out at 100%, based on eligibility and tenure.

• Professional Development - YES Prep values longevity and performance over time. We invest in developing leaders through high-quality programs, effective coaching, and ongoing professional development.

• Award Winning Culture – The strong cultures of our campuses and Home Office are just one of many reasons we were named Houston’s Best Place to Work in 2018, 2019, and 2021. We won the 2012 Broad Prize for Excellence in Urban Education and were a 2016 finalist as well.

WE ARE DEEPLY COMMITTED TO EQUITY & DIVERSITY

YES Prep strives to recruit a diverse team of leaders. We believe there is a transformative academic and social benefit for students when their teachers and leaders reflect a diversity of backgrounds. Ninety-five percent (95%) of staff members agree that the organization provides a welcoming environment given their background and identity according to our latest system survey. 

YES Prep is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression, national origin, disability, age, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or parenthood.