IT Systems Administrator

Dollar Academy is an independent, coeducational school founded in 1818, with a roll of some 1,200 pupils, of whom around 100 are boarders accommodated in one boys’ and two girls’ boarding houses. Academic standards are high and the school has a reputation for excellence in all fields. The Academy is situated in about 50 acres of grounds, amidst delightful scenery, in the small town of Dollar at the foot of the Ochil Hills, twelve miles east of Stirling, and provides a most attractive working environment.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Systems Administrator to join the Academy’s IT Department. In a customer-focused team, the successful candidate will be responsible for supporting the Academy’s IT needs, working closely with the IT Infrastructure Manager under the direction of the Director of IT. Demonstrable problem-solving and prioritising abilities will be paramount. The successful candidate will undertake a varied and challenging role providing IT systems administration, troubleshooting/fault diagnosis, and assisting with the development of the Academy’s entire network.

The successful candidate will be keen to learn rapidly in order to provide full support to the IT team by gaining a sound understanding of all aspects of the school’s IT provision. We are looking for an enthusiast who is resourceful, patient in a crisis and willing to ‘go the extra mile’ in order to resolve problems. Whilst experience in an educational environment is not essential, the person appointed will be sensitive to the complex requirements of staff and pupils in a busy day and boarding school.

Essential Skills Required:

• Experience working in an IT Systems Administration role.
• Virtualisation (VMware vSphere 5.5, VMware Horizon View 5 and VMware vCenter Server 5.5).
• Virtual Desktop management and troubleshooting.
• Microsoft Windows Server 2012/2008.
• Active Directory and Group Policy architecture and troubleshooting.
• Microsoft Windows 7 Enterprise.
• Microsoft System Centre 2012R2 (Configuration Manager, Operations Manager).
• Microsoft IIS 7/6.
• Microsoft SQL Server 2012/2008.
• Microsoft Office 365.
• Networking architecture and troubleshooting.
• SAN Storage architecture and troubleshooting.
• Firewall (UTM) architecture and troubleshooting.
• Network Access Control management and troubleshooting.
• UPS architecture and troubleshooting.
• Backup and Disaster Recovery technologies.

Desirable Skills:

• HP Procurve managed switches, HP ProLiant servers, HP Procurve Integrated Wifi Controllers, HP StoreVirtual SANs.
• Fortinet Fortigate firewall (UTM).
• Bradford Network Sentry (NAC)
• Veeam Backup & Replication 9.
• Symantec Endpoint Protection.
• Powershell, scripting.
• Use of IT and industry standard service management practices (ITIL preferred).

As this is an extremely customer-focused role your customer and communication skills will be second to none, and you will be comfortable working under pressure.

Salary

The salary for this post will be in the region of £28,000 and is based on the Scottish Joint Council for Local Government Officers pay scales.

Hours

This is a full time, permanent post and normal working hours are Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 4.30pm. Occasional overtime may be required. Patterns of work will be affected by academic term dates, and many tasks are best undertaken when normal classes are not in operation.

Pension

Our support staff are automatically enrolled in the Local Government Superannuation Scheme, to which the Governors contribute the statutory level of Employer’s Contributions.

Holidays

Inclusive of Bank Holidays and other Public Holidays, the IT Systems Administrator will be entitled to 34 working days per calendar year, rising to 39 days after five years’ service, to be taken by arrangement with the Director of IT and subject to work commitments.

Sick Pay/Contractual Matters

A generous sick pay scale is available, and linked to length of service. Details of this, and all other contractual matters, are set out in the Contract of Employment for Support Staff, which will be issued to the successful candidate on appointment.

School Fees

Employees whose children attend the Academy are entitled to fee remission, and details will be made available to the successful candidate.

Disclosure Scotland

All appointments at Dollar Academy are subject to satisfactory clearance through the Disclosure Scotland Protection of Vulnerable Groups Scheme, and the successful candidate will be asked to make a formal application, the cost of which will be borne by the Academy.

Applications

Applicants should complete the Academy’s Support Staff Application Form (download from the Academy’s website) and provide a covering letter. A CV is optional. Applications may either be mailed to, The Bursar, Dollar Academy Trust, 23 West Burnside, Dollar, FK14 7DX or emailed to: bursar@dollaracademy.org.uk  

The closing date for applications is Friday 12th August 2016.

Dollar Academy - Scottish Charity Number SC009888