Computer Network Manager

Lowell Public School District•Lowell, MA

About The Position

The Computer Network Manager, also referred to as the Systems Administrator & Cybersecurity Specialist or Network Manager & Cybersecurity Specialist, is an enterprise-level role responsible for designing, securing, and maintaining Lowell Public Schools’ core network infrastructure, directory services, and cybersecurity posture. The role ensures the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of district data, voice, and video networks across school and administrative sites in a high-compliance K–12 environment. The position leads threat prevention and incident response, network architecture planning, enterprise identity support, and proactive security hardening to protect sensitive student and staff information. It manages high-availability firewall and VPN infrastructure; supports and secures Active Directory and identity synchronization; develops cybersecurity strategy; and oversees vulnerability management, patching, data privacy, web filtering, disaster recovery, backups, and system resiliency. The role also collaborates with the district data department, the Director of Technology, and ITCS.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Assurance, Cybersecurity, Information Technology, or a related field; equivalent professional experience will be strongly considered.
Minimum 5–8 years of progressive experience in enterprise network engineering, cybersecurity administration, and directory services management.
Deep technical proficiency with Microsoft Active Directory, Group Policy design, identity synchronization, and directory security hardening.
Advanced knowledge of BGP and OSPF routing protocols, VLAN segmentation, enterprise wireless architecture, and next-generation firewalls.
Hands-on experience with SIEM platforms, EDR solutions, vulnerability management scanners, patch management frameworks, and identity/access management and MFA.
Deep understanding of secure data integration, email administration, and packet analysis.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
Ability to manage high-pressure security incidents calmly and systematically.
Excellent technical documentation and communication abilities.

Nice To Haves

Experience in K–12 public education or municipal government environments.
Industry-recognized certifications such as CISSP, CISM, CompTIA Security+, CCNA, CCNP, or equivalent.

Responsibilities

Manage high-availability core firewalls and VPN tunnels.
Provide advanced support, maintenance, and security hardening for Microsoft Active Directory and associated identity synchronization services such as Azure AD/Entra ID.
Collaborate with the Manager of ITCS on organizational unit structures, Group Policy Objects, schema updates, and authentication pipelines.
Enforce directory-level security controls, role-based access controls, and multi-factor authentication across user and administrative accounts.
Develop, implement, and update the district cybersecurity strategy and incident response plan.
Deploy and manage endpoint detection and response, intrusion detection/prevention systems, multi-factor authentication, and enterprise spam/phishing filters.
Conduct vulnerability scans, penetration testing, and risk assessments; identify and remediate security gaps across servers, network hardware, directory services, and cloud environments.
Lead incident triage and forensic investigations following security breaches or suspicious activity.
Collaborate with the district data department to secure data pipelines and student information system integrations, and protect data in transit and at rest.
Manage enterprise email distribution lists and mailgroups, including role-based access, security group memberships, and compliance with communication policies.
Establish and execute regular, automated operating-system patching schedules for servers and core infrastructure.
Monitor, test, and deploy security patches and firmware updates for servers, firewalls, network switches, and core infrastructure while minimizing disruption to instructional time.
Ensure network, directory, and data architectures comply with applicable federal, state, and local requirements, including CIPA, FERPA, COPPA, and state student data privacy laws.
Collaborate with the Director of Technology to assess third-party software and cloud vendors for technical security and data encryption before data privacy agreements are executed.
Oversee web-filtering infrastructure to provide legally compliant filtered internet access for students and staff.
Establish secure remote-management protocols and role-based access controls for technical staff in collaboration with ITCS.
Architect, test, and maintain enterprise disaster recovery and business continuity plans, including immutable local and off-site/cloud backups.
Monitor network and server uptime, performance metrics, and log files using SIEM tools.