IT Systems Administrator

Hobby Town Unlimited INC • Lincoln, NE

5d • Hybrid

About The Position

HobbyTown is seeking an IT Systems Administrator to keep its technology secure, reliable, and ready for growth. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, this hands-on role supports Microsoft 365, Microsoft Entra ID, and Azure for more than 40 corporate and remote employees, as well as the infrastructure and equipment needed to bring new retail stores online.

The administrator will troubleshoot systems, configure equipment for new stores, improve backups, review Azure costs, and plan server migrations. During the first three to six months, the employee will work alongside current IT staff to learn the environment and progressively assume responsibility for daily administration, infrastructure, and vendor coordination. The role also offers opportunities to recommend improvements and shape how IT supports the business.

This is a hybrid position supporting HobbyTown’s Lincoln, Nebraska, corporate office. Candidates must live within two hours of Lincoln and be able to report on-site as needed. The regular schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time. Occasional evening or overnight work is required for scheduled maintenance or critical outages, including situations requiring on-site hardware support. Specific on-call expectations and applicable compensation will be discussed during the hiring process.

Requirements

• At least two years of relevant experience in systems administration, IT support, infrastructure support, or a related field, or equivalent demonstrated skills developed through certifications, freelance work, independent projects, or a substantial homelab.
• Working knowledge of Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS, and DHCP.
• Experience administering Microsoft 365, including Exchange Online, Teams, and licensing.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Entra ID, Conditional Access, or hybrid Active Directory and Entra environments.
• Experience with multifactor authentication and secure remote access tools, such as Microsoft Entra MFA, Cisco Duo, or Cloudflare One.
• Basic Azure administration skills, including resource management, monitoring, and cost tracking.
• Experience with server virtualization platforms such as Hyper-V, Proxmox, or VMware, and an understanding of workload migration.
• Experience supporting backups, offsite copies, and recovery testing.
• Networking fundamentals, including VLANs, firewalls, VPNs, and Wi-Fi troubleshooting.
• Strong troubleshooting, documentation, organization, and follow-through.
• Ability to prioritize competing needs, recognize when to escalate, and communicate clearly with nontechnical users.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating with employees, leadership, and outside partners.
• Candidates must live within two hours of Lincoln and be able to report on-site as needed.
• A valid driver’s license and reliable transportation are required for assigned driving responsibilities.
• Essential duties may require moving equipment weighing up to 50 pounds, with or without reasonable accommodation.
• A college degree is not required.

Nice To Haves

• Azure networking, SQL services, or cloud cost optimization.
• Managed services, vendor coordination, or IT purchasing.
• Ubiquiti, Cisco, or Ruckus networking equipment.
• Linux administration and PowerShell scripting.
• Microsoft Intune or remote monitoring and management tools.
• Teams Phone administration.
• Retail technology, including point-of-sale systems, inventory systems, scanners, and printers.
• Relevant Microsoft administrator certifications or credentials such as Network+, Security+, or CCNA.

Responsibilities

• Administer Active Directory, Microsoft Entra ID, Group Policy, multifactor authentication, and Conditional Access.
• Manage Microsoft 365 services, including Exchange Online, Teams, Teams Phone, SharePoint, OneDrive, and licensing.
• Manage user accounts and access permissions, and set up or remove technology during employee onboarding, role changes, and offboarding.
• Support Windows workstations, remote endpoints, and on-premises servers.
• Coordinate system updates, patches, and configuration changes.
• Assess the VMware environment and lead planning, testing, and migration to an approved, cost-effective virtualization platform.
• Maintain local backups and offsite copies, perform restore testing, and document recovery procedures.
• Support firewalls, VPNs, VLANs, wireless networks, and security tools.
• Support PCI DSS compliance activities within the assigned scope, including documentation, remediation, and coordination with internal and external partners.
• Monitor system health, investigate issues, and escalate incidents when specialized support is needed.
• Monitor Azure-hosted applications and resources, troubleshoot infrastructure-level issues, and track usage and costs.
• Coordinate with software integration partners responsible for application support.
• Support testing, installation, updates, and deployment of Microsoft, proprietary, and third-party business systems.
• Communicate about planned changes, service interruptions, and issue resolution.
• Provide responsive technical support to corporate and remote employees, including on-site hardware support in Lincoln.
• Explain technical issues and solutions in language employees can understand.
• Order, configure, document, and coordinate deployment of computers, networking equipment, and related technology for new retail stores.
• Coordinate with store teams, internet service providers, vendors, and other partners to prepare store locations for opening and resolve setup issues.
• Support testing and deployment of retail networking technology and peripheral equipment.
• Progressively assume assigned responsibilities currently handled by outside IT providers.
• Evaluate vendors and service options, coordinate support, and track service commitments.
• Maintain documentation, runbooks, network information, and inventories of hardware, software, licenses, domains, contracts, and renewals.
• Partner with the COO on IT budgeting, expense tracking, and planning for expansion, renewals, replacements, and infrastructure improvements.
• Recommend practical improvements that balance reliability, security, employee experience, and cost.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed