Operations Engineer - Infrastructure, College of Arts and Sciences

University of Washington•Seattle, WA

1d•$102,000 - $112,800•Hybrid

About The Position

The College of Arts & Sciences has an outstanding opportunity for an Operations Engineer - Infrastructure, College of Arts and Sciences to join their team. This role is responsible for the reliable operation, security, and continuous improvement of the server and cloud platforms that support academic, research, and administrative computing across the College. This role works in a hybrid technology environment spanning on-premises infrastructure, virtualized platforms, and cloud services. The position keeps complex systems running reliably while contributing to automation, modernization, lifecycle management, and improved operational practices in collaboration with application developers, infrastructure engineers, automation engineers, and security staff. This is a team-based position that provides opportunities for cross-training and skill development across related functional areas. The role includes supporting other engineers as needed and serving as backup to ensure reliable and continuous service delivery.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
Four (4) or more years of progressively responsible experience in systems administration, infrastructure operations, or cloud/platform engineering.
Experience supporting production computing environments that require high availability, security, and operational reliability.
Strong experience administering Linux-based systems such as RHEL, Rocky Linux, Ubuntu, or similar operating systems.
Experience with system patching, upgrades, backups, restores, disaster recovery procedures, and lifecycle management for operating systems and core services.
Experience with virtualized and/or cloud-based infrastructure, including platforms such as VMware, AWS, Azure, or comparable technologies.
Proficiency with scripting and automation using tools such as Python, Bash, or similar scripting languages.
Working knowledge of identity and access management systems such as Active Directory, LDAP, or cloud identity platforms.
Understanding of system security best practices, including configuration hardening, patch compliance, vulnerability remediation, and access controls.
Demonstrated experience working within established IT standards, policies, and security frameworks.
Demonstrated ability to work with minimal supervision, both independently and in a collaborative team environment, while meeting deadlines.
Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to work with clients and colleagues with varying levels of technical background.
Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, independent judgment, and creative problem-solving ability.

Nice To Haves

Experience with Windows Server administration in addition to Linux-based systems.
Experience with container technologies such as Docker, Kubernetes, or related deployment platforms.
Familiarity with infrastructure monitoring, alerting, logging, and observability tools and practices.
Experience working in higher education, research computing, or similarly complex institutional environments.
Operational experience supporting secure, reliable services used by academic, research, or administrative customers.

Responsibilities

Operate and maintain Linux server environments across on-premises, virtualized, and cloud platforms.
Serve as the primary operational owner for server platforms supporting CAS IT applications and services.
Monitor system health, performance, and capacity to ensure high availability and reliability.
Manage system-level identity, authentication, and access controls in coordination with campus identity services.
Respond to and troubleshoot operational issues, escalating and collaborating as needed.
Plan and execute operating system updates, security patches, and platform upgrades across development, test, and production environments.
Perform and validate system backups, restores, and disaster recovery procedures.
Participate in server lifecycle planning, including upgrades, migrations, and decommissioning.
Coordinate maintenance activities with application teams to minimize service impact.
Implement and maintain secure system configurations aligned with University and CAS IT standards.
Support vulnerability remediation, audit readiness, and compliance reporting.
Evaluate operational risks and recommend improvements to strengthen system security and resilience.
Ensure compliance with software licensing, data protection requirements, and institutional IT policies.
Maintain clear, accurate documentation for system configurations, procedures, and operational workflows.
Contribute to shared runbooks, standards, and knowledge bases.
Collaborate with infrastructure automation, monitoring, and application teams to improve reliability and efficiency.
Stay current with evolving technologies, tools, and operational best practices.