Senior System Administrator I, Operational Technologies (OT)

Rückbauanlage Gundremmingen•Chicago, IL

18h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior System Administrator I ensures the reliability, availability, security, and compliance of operational technology systems used across renewable energy operations. Working with a high degree of autonomy, the role designs, deploys, secures, and optimizes critical OT infrastructure, leads complex incident resolution and lifecycle initiatives, and provides technical guidance to administrators while operating without formal people-management responsibilities.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience
Minimum 5 years of relevant IT experience and 5 years of relevant OT experience
Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Windows Server and Linux administration, virtualization, redundancy, backup and recovery, endpoint management, Active Directory, monitoring, and infrastructure lifecycle practices
Foundational or developing knowledge of Microsoft Azure and AWS concepts, including virtual machines, identity and access controls, networking, monitoring, backup, tagging, and policy-based governance, with the ability to support future cloud assessments and adoption
Ability to design and implement standardized, secure, supportable on-premises infrastructure while maintaining NERC CIP controls for access, configuration, patching, logging, evidence retention, incident response, and recovery; ability to apply the same compliance principles to future cloud designs
Ability to diagnose high-complexity incidents, lead root-cause analysis, and translate findings into durable technical improvements
Strong documentation, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills, including the ability to guide junior technical staff
Ability to travel to field or office locations and perform work around production infrastructure in accordance with established safety practices
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States.
RWE Americas is unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment visas at this time.

Nice To Haves

Mid-level and advanced industry certification(s) relevant to systems administration, virtualization, infrastructure, or cybersecurity preferred

Responsibilities

Serve as the technical lead for complex OT system administration issues, developing sustainable solutions that reduce recurring failures and infrastructure risk
Design, deploy, and manage advanced on-premises OT system environments supporting SCADA, control networks, and secure remote operations; contribute to future-state planning and readiness for potential Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS) adoption
Act as the Tier 3 escalation point for complex Microsoft Windows Server and Linux operating system, virtualization, endpoint management, storage, backup, and on-premises infrastructure incidents
Lead high-availability, redundancy, backup-verification, failover-testing, and disaster-recovery readiness activities for critical OT systems
Own configuration management for OT server platforms, enforcing version control, approved baselines, and complete system documentation across environments
Develop and apply system-hardening baselines based on approved NIST or CIS guidance, partnering with cybersecurity to remediate vulnerabilities and implement compensating controls
Lead Windows and Linux operating system migrations, hypervisor upgrades, endpoint-management changes, and on-premises infrastructure modernization activities; support assessments, pilots, and transition planning for future Azure or AWS capabilities
Manage lifecycle planning for Windows, Linux, and on-premises infrastructure platforms, identifying end-of-life risks, defining upgrade paths, and confirming vendor support coverage while considering future cloud integration requirements
Collaborate with SCADA, field engineering, cybersecurity, and operations teams to deploy services, validate interoperability, and address systemic infrastructure gaps
Coordinate root-cause analysis and post-incident reviews for critical outages or failures, then implement and track permanent corrective actions
Standardize imaging, deployment, monitoring, patching, access control, and configuration procedures across Windows and Linux OT environments while preserving NERC CIP evidence and change-control requirements; help define cloud-ready standards for potential future Azure and AWS use
Mentor technicians and junior administrators through technical knowledge sessions, troubleshooting guidance, and review of implementation plans and operational documentation