Senior Systems Administrator – Hybrid - Permanent
Salary: Circa £50,000 per annum (negotiable based on experience) + comprehensive benefits package
Jisc grade:TCY3 (internal use only)
Job Type: Permanent
Hours: 35 hours per week
Reports into: Lead virtual infrastructure architect
Working style: Hybrid - A blend of working from home and your nominated hub office. We have hubs located in London, Bristol, Manchester and Oxford.
About Jisc
For 30 years Jisc has pioneered digital solutions for UK education and research, transforming how knowledge is created, shared and used.
We are uniquely positioned to protect, promote and lead the sector in digital and data transformation, making a difference to students, communities and society. Together, we are working to build a better digital future for education and research.
Raise your potential at Jisc through our culture of lifelong learning. At Jisc, we’re all about growth, so embrace new challenges, sharpen your skills and shape a career that excites you.
About the team
You’ll be joining the Architecture & Engineering function, taking responsibility for the critical infrastructure that underpins national services, from DNS and Network Time to threat engineering, SIEM, cloud/SaaS platforms and core datacentre environments.
The team is evolving rapidly. We’re modernising our on‑prem virtual infrastructure and exploring future hypervisor and virtualisation options beyond VMware vSphere. Alongside this, we’re driving large‑scale automation with Ansible, strengthening our predominantly Red Hat‑based Linux estate, and improving the high‑availability platforms that underpin our cybersecurity services.
The work also includes lifecycle improvements across storage, compute and datacentre environments, as well as adopting modern monitoring, logging and operational tooling to support a security‑focused, engineering‑led approach.
The role
As a Senior Systems Administrator, you will play a key role in ensuring the platforms that support Jisc’s cybersecurity services remain stable, resilient and high‑performing. You will work across Linux and enterprise platforms, contribute to automation and high‑availability initiatives, and support major engineering activity ranging from virtualisation strategy to the delivery of national‑scale cybersecurity services. The role provides the opportunity to influence technical direction and contribute to the ongoing evolution of our infrastructure.
Key Responsibilities
* Maintain and optimise the platforms and applications that support Jisc’s cybersecurity services
* Ensure services meet agreed SLAs and remain reliable, resilient and aligned to business and member needs
* Support change management and contribute to disaster recovery planning, testing and validation
* Maintain accurate system documentation and ensure compliance with organisational and regulatory standards
* Collaborate across teams to advise on new systems and services, support automation and high‑availability initiatives, and identify improvements or upgrades
What you’ll bring
* Ability to deploy, integrate and manage a mix of open‑source and proprietary systems
* Confidence with common web technologies (MySQL, PostgreSQL, PHP, Ruby, Java, Python)
* A track record of automating systems and processes
* Proficiency in at least one scripting language (e.g., Python)
* Strong planning, prioritisation and teamwork skills
On‑call and Security Clearance
On‑call operates on a rota shared across the team: Monday - Friday, 18:00 - 23:59, and weekends/bank holidays, 09:00–17:00. (This applies only after successful probation period)
This role may also be required to complete government security clearance to SC level.
Why work for us
At Jisc, every role is meaningful, and every individual is valued. We foster a culture of continuous learning and personal growth, offering opportunities to develop new skills and make a real impact in education and research. With strong focus on work‑life balance, we embrace flexible working that prioritises outcomes over hours, empowering you to create a rhythm that energises both your professional and personal life.
Jisc’s culture is powered by our four guiding principles: putting customers first, driving innovation, creating impact, and championing inclusive collaboration to deliver sustainable outcomes and shape a better future.
Benefits
* Flexible work pattern, which can adapt to suit your schedules and personal commitments
* 31 days annual leave (plus bank holidays) that includes three closure days over Christmas
* Buy up to an additional 5 days leave during the flexible benefits window
* A range of wellbeing lifestyle benefits including company paid health care cash plan, mental health first aiders and support
* A company culture of continuous learning with access to thousands of LinkedIn Learning courses, and lots of resources and opportunities to support your development
* Allocated allowance of up to £250 to equip your home office
* Financial well‑being support including access to preferential loan and savings plans, mortgage advice, will writing tools and support and resources to help you make the most of your money
* A wide range of discounts and cashback from retailers and big‑name high‑street stores
* Family friendly policies including enhanced parental, maternity and paternity and co‑parental leave as well as opportunity for career breaks
* Support your volunteering with up to 3 days volunteer leave
Equity, diversity and inclusion
Jisc believe our people make all the difference in cultivating an inclusive culture that welcomes ideas, encourages innovation, and values belonging.
We work hard to create an equitable experience for our candidates and workforce which embraces all aspects of their identity including race and ethnicity, religion and belief, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, trans identities, age, class, disability, neurodivergence, or veteran status.
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