System Administrator I - OT Applications

Rückbauanlage Gundremmingen•Chicago, IL

About The Position

The System Application Administrator I supports the reliability, availability, security, and compliance of operational technology (OT) systems used across renewable energy operations. Working under direct supervision, the role performs defined monitoring, maintenance, documentation, access-support, endpoint, and infrastructure tasks using established procedures, and promptly escalates exceptions or higher-complexity issues to senior administrators. The position performs basic system administration, monitoring, endpoint maintenance, backup, log, patch-staging, and access tasks under supervision. It troubleshoots straightforward issues using documented procedures and works closely with senior staff and field operations, participating in training and shadowing to build technical knowledge. The role has no supervisory responsibilities. The position is primarily office-based and may require travel and visits to RWE Americas offices and field locations. Work may take place around server, rack, and endpoint equipment in accordance with established safety practices. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States; the company is unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment visas at this time.

Requirements

Associate’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering Technology, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
Minimum 1 year of relevant IT experience and minimum 2 years of relevant OT experience.
Foundational understanding of system administration, server monitoring, endpoint maintenance, backups, log review, patch preparation, and access provisioning.
Ability to follow documented procedures and checklists precisely in operational and compliance-sensitive environments.
Basic familiarity with Windows-based systems, virtualization concepts, Active Directory, endpoint tools, and asset or configuration management records.
Ability to troubleshoot straightforward user and system issues, capture accurate technical details, and escalate effectively.
Clear written and verbal communication, careful documentation practices, and willingness to learn from senior technical staff and field operations.
Ability to work safely around production infrastructure and travel to field or office locations as business needs require.
Must be legally authorized to work in the United States; employment visa sponsorship or takeover of sponsorship is not available.

Nice To Haves

Entry-level industry certification(s) relevant to systems administration, infrastructure, or cybersecurity.

Responsibilities

Monitor daily system health and uptime metrics across OT environments, recognize anomalies, document initial findings, and escalate according to defined procedures.
Perform entry-level hardware and endpoint support, including approved hard drive, memory, and peripheral replacements under direct supervision.
Execute established maintenance checklists for backups, log validation, scheduled jobs, and routine system health checks, and accurately record results.
Fulfill Tier 1 requests such as user provisioning support, password resets, account lockout resolution, and approved software installation on endpoint devices.
Update asset and configuration records with hardware changes, server names, configuration versions, locations, and warranty information.
Assist with basic virtual machine activities, including cloning approved templates and controlled VM shutdown or startup for maintenance and patching.
Validate and correct inventory information such as IP address assignments, hostnames, system locations, and equipment labels.
Assist senior administrators with field activities, including rack installation, cable management, component replacement, and controlled physical system reboots.
Support NERC CIP readiness by shadowing compliance walkthroughs, documenting physical and logical access points, and maintaining complete evidence records.
Prepare for system patching by staging approved updates and helping test deployment scripts in non-production or sandbox environments.
Follow established SOPs for backups, patch staging, access provisioning, log checks, and endpoint maintenance; stop and escalate when conditions fall outside approved procedures.
Participate in training and knowledge-sharing activities to build foundational knowledge of cybersecurity, disaster recovery, OT operations, and compliance reporting.