Job Details for Information Technology Specialist (Systems Administration)
| Court Name/Organization | Texas Western District Court |
| Overview of the Position | The Office of Information Technology for the U.S. District Court, U.S. Probation Office, and U.S. Pretrial Services Office for the Western District of Texas is currently seeking a highly experienced Information Technology Specialist (Systems Administration) to act as the lead infrastructure engineer for the Court's network and technical services. This position reports to the Supervisory Information Technology Specialist (Systems Administration). The Information Technology Specialist is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the Windows server infrastructure, Linux server infrastructure, containerized microservices, and network infrastructure in a highly virtualized environment. The incumbent performs patching, hardening, and automated deployments for all services and acts as final escalation on all troubleshooting issues. In addition, they will complete lifecycle management, support, and integration for the same infrastructure. The incumbent can reside in any of the following divisional office locations: Austin, San Antonio or El Paso, Texas. Travel to the other divisional offices within the district is required as needed to support court operations. |
| Location | San Antonio, Austin, El Paso, TX |
| Opening and Closing Dates | 09/24/2025 - Open Until Filled |
| Appointment Type | Permanent |
| Classification Level/Grade | CL 28 |
| Salary | $70,894 - $118,451 |
| Link to Court Careers Information | https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/txwd |
| Announcement Number | USDC 25-24 |
| Link to Job Announcement | |
Position Description
- Core Infrastructure & Systems Administration
- Manage the full lifecycle of Windows Server systems and critical services in a mid-to large complex, multi-site environment.
- Manage and operate a complex virtualization platform, including server administration, resource management, and container integration.
- Provide system administration for Linux servers with a focus on Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
- Automate OS hardening and system patching to align with security standards, including CIS Benchmarks and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF).
- Demonstrate day-to-day adherence with change management practices; write Requests for Change, and seek approval as needed.
- Provide follow-up reports (technical findings, feedback, resolution steps taken) for Root Cause Analysis, technical engineering assessment, and process improvement initiatives.
- Support operations across multiple geographic locations and networks.
- Provide tier two and three-level technical support both in-person and remote environments
- Prepare and maintain documentation for applications and systems
- Modernization & Automation (DevOps)
- Administer and maintain container hosting environments, managing the deployment and operational health of containerized workloads.
- Modernize hybrid cloud operations by applying DevOps principles to automate end-to-end infrastructure and application deployment.
- Automate infrastructure provisioning and configuration using IaC tools to ensure consistent, repeatable, and scalable environments.
- Project & Solution Engineering
- Provide expert-level troubleshooting and support for all infrastructure systems and services.
- Design and architect scalable and redundant solutions by gathering requirements and applying industry best practices.
- Lead the full project lifecycle from inception to delivery, including the development of complex project plans, design documentation, and detailed timelines.
- Manage and prioritize multiple concurrent projects to ensure established deadlines and commitments are consistently met.
Qualifications
- Technologies
- Experience in designing, implementing, and supporting Microsoft Windows environments, including core services such as Active Directory, Group Policy, IIS, DFS, DHCP, and DNS.
- Experience deploying and managing Linux based infrastructure systems (Red Hat Enterprise Linux).
- Experience administering VMware Cloud Foundation infrastructure, with expertise in vSphere ESXi, vCenter Server, and vSAN. Skilled in installing, configuring, securing, and troubleshooting VMware environments (version 8.0 and above), with a strong ability to monitor, tune, and optimize performance.
- Experience installing, configuring, and managing enterprise SAN and NAS storage systems, leveraging protocols such as iSCSI, NFS, and Fibre Channel, with preferred expertise in Nimble and Pure Storage platforms.
- Strong working knowledge of database technologies and solutions, with preferred expertise in Microsoft SQL Server.
- Strong working knowledge in managing administrative tasks using common scripting or programming languages such as BASH, Python, PowerShell, or automation tools such as Ansible and Jenkins.
- Experience in architecting and deploying backup and disaster recovery solutions, with preferred experience using Veeam Backup & Restore.
- Experience in architecting and deploying advanced infrastructure solutions using industry best practices. Skilled in system configuration and storage performance monitoring to ensure service-level agreements and optimize operational efficiency.
- Hands-on experience managing Infoblox tools, including DNS, DHCP, and IP Address Management (IPAM).
- Experience with the Git version control systems (GitHub, GitLab or any other).
- Experience with Docker container platform (Docker, Podman, Rancher or any other).
- Familiarity with tools like OpenSCAP.
- Professional & Interpersonal Skills
- Self-starter with demonstrated analytical and problem-solving skills, professional demeanor, and ability to exercise sound judgment.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both oral and written, including skills in advising and training non-automation personnel in automation techniques and processes and communicating technical concepts and issues in non-technical terms.
- Provide exceptional customer service and troubleshooting issues both in-person and in a remote environment when users are teleworking.
- Excellent organizational skills, including managing multiple high-impact projects and priorities within strict deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
- Critical thinking, attention to detail, analytical skills, and the ability to independently research and make recommendations.
- Travel and Availability
- Experience ensuring the 24-7 availability of mission-critical systems.
- The incumbent must have the ability and availability to work nights and overnight as needed.
- Travel up to 5% may be required for on-site projects, training, or meetings.
- Physical Requirements
- The incumbent should be able to climb ladders, access equipment in tight spaces, and independently lift 25-30 pounds.
Preferred Qualifications
- A bachelor’s degree in information technology, or a closely related discipline or four years of additional relevant professional experience or at least six years of relevant professional experience.
- Preferred certifications: Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA), Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA), Network +, Security +, VMware Certified Professional (VCP).
- Preferred cloud certifications: Google Professional Cloud Architect, Amazon AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional, Microsoft Azure DevOps Engineer Expert.
- Familiarity with Hyper-Converged Infrastructure (HCI) solutions such as Dell VXRail.
- Experience installing, configuring, and managing Cisco Platforms.
- Experience with CI/CD principles, practices, and tools.
- Specific experience preferred in writing YAML for container deployments, tools to include Hashicorp vault and the Carvel suite.
- Experience with Infrastructure automation (Such as any of the following: Puppet, Chef, Ansible, Terraform).
- Experience with Kubernetes container orchestration platform (any GKE, EKS, RKE2, OpenShift).
- Experience with a commercial cloud (GCP, Azure, AWS).
Miscellaneous
- Core Infrastructure & Systems Administration
- Manage the full lifecycle of Windows Server systems and critical services in a mid-to large complex, multi-site environment.
- Manage and operate a complex virtualization platform, including server administration, resource management, and container integration.
- Provide system administration for Linux servers with a focus on Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
- Automate OS hardening and system patching to align with security standards, including CIS Benchmarks and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF).
- Demonstrate day-to-day adherence with change management practices; write Requests for Change, and seek approval as needed.
- Provide follow-up reports (technical findings, feedback, resolution steps taken) for Root Cause Analysis, technical engineering assessment, and process improvement initiatives.
- Support operations across multiple geographic locations and networks.
- Provide tier two and three-level technical support both in-person and remote environments
- Prepare and maintain documentation for applications and systems
- Modernization & Automation (DevOps)
- Administer and maintain container hosting environments, managing the deployment and operational health of containerized workloads.
- Modernize hybrid cloud operations by applying DevOps principles to automate end-to-end infrastructure and application deployment.
- Automate infrastructure provisioning and configuration using IaC tools to ensure consistent, repeatable, and scalable environments.
- Project & Solution Engineering
- Provide expert-level troubleshooting and support for all infrastructure systems and services.
- Design and architect scalable and redundant solutions by gathering requirements and applying industry best practices.
- Lead the full project lifecycle from inception to delivery, including the development of complex project plans, design documentation, and detailed timelines.
- Manage and prioritize multiple concurrent projects to ensure established deadlines and commitments are consistently met.
Application Info
Qualified candidates may apply by submitting a cover letter (include job title/number listed above) and detailed resume through the online application.
The U.S. Courts reserves the right to modify the conditions of this job announcement, or to withdraw the announcement, any of which may occur without prior written or other notice. More than one position may be filled from this posting. In the event that a position becomes vacant within the district in a similar classification, within a reasonable time of the original announcement, the Court Unit Executive may elect to select a candidate from the applicants who responded to the original announcement without posting the position. The Court is not authorized to reimburse travel expenses for interviews or relocation. This position is subject to mandatory electronic direct deposit of salary payments. All applicants must be a U.S. citizen or must be a lawful permanent resident (i.e., green card holder) and seeking U.S. citizenship. Applicants are advised that false statements or omission of information on any application materials may be grounds for non-selection, withdrawal of an offer of employment, or dismissal after being employed. Employees of the U.S. Courts serve under "Excepted Appointments" and are considered "at-will" employees (except for probation officers who may be removed for cause). All employees are required to adhere to the Code of Conduct for Judicial Employees (available for review upon request). Applicants scheduled to interview should advise the Human Resources staff if any accommodation is needed.
The federal Judiciary is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.