System & Network Administrator

Swarthmore College is a highly selective liberal arts college located in the suburbs of Philadelphia, whose mission combines academic rigor with social responsibility.

Swarthmore has a strong institutional commitment to inclusive excellence and nondiscrimination in its educational program and employment practices and encourages candidates who will further advance the goal of fostering a diverse and inclusive community.

As one of the nation’s finest institutions of higher learning, Swarthmore College is global in outlook and draws students from around the nation and world.

The 425 acre campus is a designated arboretum, complete with gardens, rolling lawns, a creek, wooded hills, and hiking trails in the Crum Woods.

Who We Are :

The Computer Science (CS) Department is a large department on campus with 18 Instructional staff (Tenure Track Faculty, Visiting Faculty, and Lab Instructors) and three support staff, including the vacant position we are hiring.

We have approximately 80-90 majors per year and support over 400 student seats per semester. The CS computing environment consists of five separate labs, a secure server room, and the CS subnetwork (connected to the campus network).

The CS subnet includes 4-6 network switches, 20+ servers, and over 150 workstations.

The opportunity :

The System and Network Administrator will be the primary contact for technical support; equipment maintenance, planning, and purchasing;

security updates, and training for faculty and students on the use of the CS network.

Essential Responsibilities

• Provide technical assistance for the faculty and student users of the system
• Serve as lab manager to maintain the department’s network, servers, workstations, and peripheral equipment.
• Actively monitor the health and security of the department’s network, computers, and system services.
• Plan for the future of the department’s computing environment by exploring, designing, purchasing, and implementing technology solutions.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Supervise 2-4 student system administrators.

Who you are :

• Adapts to new work situations, people, ideas, and technologies. Is comfortable with a quickly-evolving work environment.
• Communicates well with others and works effectively as a team member.
• Builds successful and ongoing relationships with faculty, staff, students, and personnel in other departments.
• Must be trustworthy to handle confidential user information (email, user passwords). Follows the system administrator’s code of ethics.

What you bring :

• A bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related field (M.S. Preferred).
• Three to five years of UNIX / Linux system and network administration experience (Debian / Ubuntu Linux preferred).
• Has the ability to learn new technologies independently and apply them to the CS computing environment.
• Knowledgeable of most aspects of Linux system administration, including the installation and configuration of servers (email, web, DNS, NFS), Linux package management and software installation, security concepts, and monitoring services.
• Knowledgeable of fundamental networking / distributed computing concepts such as NFS, DNS, DHCP, firewalls, network switch installation and configuration, remote shell access.
• Has the ability to write scripts in at least one computer language (perl, python, bash).

Required Qualifications

• A degree in computer science or a related field (M.S. Preferred).
• Three to five years of UNIX / Linux system and network administration experience (Debian / Ubuntu Linux preferred).
• Significant programming background (1-2 years) in any applicable language.
• Demonstrates and maintains technical knowledge of UNIX / Linux systems and network administration.

What You Will Get :

You’ll work at one of the world's most renowned liberal arts Colleges, with incredible benefits, a stunning 420-acre campus, and a collaborative work environment.

Join a team of passionate, creative people who work hard and have fun supporting the College students, faculty, and staff.

We want to hear from you if you are excited about this role! For full consideration, submit applications with pay expectations, including a resume and cover letter, by July 8, 2024.

PA Criminal Required

Swarthmore College requires a PA Criminal background check for all staff positions prior to the start of employment.

Education Verification Required by Position

An education verification is required for this position because a college degree is a required qualification for this position.

Review the 2024 Benefits Flyer. We offer benefit plans starting at zero cost! Upon benefit eligibility, the College contributes 10% of an employee’s salary to their retirement account.

Employees are 100% vested in their accounts on the date participation begins.

Swarthmore Benefits Guidebook

Retirement Plans

Tuition Grant Program

Tuition Reimbursement Program

Paid Time Off (Staff)

Holiday Schedule