System Administrator

Description

Why Smiley

At Smiley Technologies, how we work matters as much as what we build. We’re a community-bank technology company grounded in clear ownership, thoughtful decisions, and a strong sense of responsibility to our customers and one another.

We’re known for a people-first culture where employees are trusted to think, contribute, and own meaningful work. You won’t be a number here. You’ll be part of a team that values transparency, respect, and accountability — and that isn’t afraid to work through hard problems together. Expectations are high, but support is real.

Smiley is a place where work is purposeful, collaboration matters, and growth is intentional and sustainable. We value direct, respectful feedback and encourage people to build strong careers while maintaining full lives outside of work.

We work hard, take pride in what we do, and genuinely enjoy the people we work with. If you’re looking for a role where your judgment matters and your contribution is valued, Smiley may be the right fit.

Summary

The IT Systems Administrator is responsible for owning and maintaining systems across a complex hybrid environment supporting internal infrastructure, customer environments, and platforms used by software development teams. This role combines hands-on operational support with full lifecycle ownership of system changes, including design, testing, deployment, and ongoing support.

The ideal candidate is a strong technical operator who takes accountability for system outcomes while working within a shared-responsibility model alongside Platform Engineering, Network Engineering, Cybersecurity, and Development teams. They are comfortable navigating varying ownership boundaries across environments and can effectively troubleshoot issues spanning multiple domains.

This role operates across two primary support models: contributing technical expertise during structured production incidents affecting core platforms and independently resolving complex Tier 2–3 issues within customer environments.

This is an on-site position in our Little Rock, AR office.

Role Context & Operating Model

• Support infrastructure across internal systems, customer environments, and platforms hosting company-developed applications
• Work closely with software development teams to ensure infrastructure meets application requirements
• Operate within a shared-responsibility model, collaborating with Platform Engineering (cloud/automation), Network Engineering, and Cybersecurity teams
• Adapt to varying ownership boundaries and architectural standards depending on the environment (internal vs client)
• Contribute to a structured incident management process for production systems, while also owning resolution of customer-facing escalations
  
  

Key Responsibilities

System Ownership & Lifecycle Management

• Own the lifecycle of assigned systems, including architectural changes, testing, deployment, and validation
• Ensure systems meet performance, availability, security, and supportability requirements
• Coordinate user acceptance testing (UAT) and validate system changes prior to production release
• Maintain accountability for systems post-deployment, including ongoing optimization and support
  
  

Operational Support & Incident Response

• Participate in a structured incident management process for production systems impacting core infrastructure and hosted platforms
• Provide system-level analysis, troubleshooting, and remediation during incidents as part of a coordinated response team
• Communicate findings and escalate appropriately within the incident management framework
• Participate in a team on-call rotation.
  
  

Customer & Tier 2–3 Support

• Provide advanced Tier 2–3 support for complex issues across customer and internal environments
• Take ownership of troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and resolution for escalated technical issues
• Support a variety of environments with differing architectures, standards, and operational expectations
  
  

Cross-Domain Troubleshooting & Collaboration

• Diagnose issues spanning systems, network, identity, and application layers
• Collaborate with Network, Platform Engineering, Cybersecurity, and Development teams to resolve cross-domain issues
• Identify root cause and ensure proper ownership alignment when issues extend beyond system boundaries
  
  

Monitoring, Maintenance & Continuous Improvement

• Monitor system performance, availability, and capacity; proactively identify risks and issues
• Participate in backup, disaster recovery, and data protection planning and execution
• Recommend and implement improvements to enhance reliability, security, and operational efficiency
• Maintain clear and accurate documentation of systems, configurations, and procedures
  
  

Requirements

• Associate degree in a technical field with 5+ years of relevant experience, or equivalent practical experience
• Demonstrated experience owning production systems and supporting infrastructure lifecycle management
• 5+ years of operating system administration in an enterprise environment
• 5+ years of VMware virtualization experience
• Experience supporting hybrid on-prem and cloud-integrated environments
  
  

Required Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

Core Technical Skills

• Operating Systems: Strong experience administering Windows Server (2016–2022), with working knowledge of Linux (Red Hat, Ubuntu, CentOS) and familiarity with enterprise platforms such as IBM i
• Virtualization: VMware vSphere, ESXi, vCenter (compute, storage, networking)
• Identity & Access Management: Active Directory, Entra ID (Azure AD), Group Policy, conditional access
• Device & Configuration Management: Intune, domain-joined and cloud-managed endpoints
• Backup & Disaster Recovery: Veeam, Barracuda, Unitrends or similar platforms
• DNS & Core Services: Hybrid DNS environments (on-prem and cloud-integrated)
• Patch Management: Enterprise patching strategies and tools (WSUS, SCCM, or equivalent)
• Authentication & Security Protocols: MFA (Duo/Microsoft), SAML, OAuth, OpenID
• Microsoft SQL Server / PostgreSQL (Infrastructure Support)
• Experience supporting Microsoft SQL / PostgreSQL Server from a systems or application perspective
• Configure and troubleshoot application connectivity to SQL Server
• Perform or support database backup and restore operations
• Monitor SQL Server health, availability, and basic performance indicators
• Collaborate with DBAs or application vendors for advanced database administration and optimization
• Focus is on infrastructure-level support rather than database design or query optimization
  
  

Operational & Analytical Skills

• Strong troubleshooting skills across systems, network dependencies, identity, and application layers
• Ability to isolate root cause in complex, interdependent environments
• Comfortable working within structured operational and incident management processes
• Ability to operate effectively across multiple environments with varying levels of ownership and standardization
  
  

Collaboration & Communication

• Ability to work effectively across multiple engineering teams with shared responsibilities
• Capable of translating technical issues into clear, actionable information for both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Maintains composure and effectiveness during high-pressure situations
  
  

Professional Attributes

• Strong sense of ownership and accountability for system outcomes
• Adaptable and able to navigate shifting priorities and ambiguous boundaries
• Detail-oriented with a focus on accuracy, documentation, and compliance
• Proactive mindset with a focus on continuous improvement
• Compliance & Regulatory Awareness
• Familiarity with regulatory and security frameworks such as GLBA, NIST, CIS, FFIEC, and PCI
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting infrastructure for custom-developed applications
• Experience in financial services or regulated environments
• Experience supporting multiple environments or external clients (MSP model)