The Role
Leads infrastructure across three museum sites, administering Windows and Linux servers, Hyper-V virtualization, identity services, backups, networking, firewalls, wireless, monitoring, and security tooling. Owns disaster recovery, documentation, infrastructure projects, vendor relationships, server rooms, and on-call support. Mentors a junior administrator, builds institutional knowledge, leads cross-training, and ensures resilient operations while supporting museum applications, cloud migration, and technology initiatives.
Summary Generated by Built In
ABOUT THE ROLE
The Senior Systems & Networking Administrator is SAM’s infrastructure lead — designing, deploying, securing, and maintaining the museum’s servers, network, backups, and server rooms across all three sites (SAM Downtown, the Seattle Asian Art Museum at Volunteer Park, and the Olympic Sculpture Park). The environment supports approximately 400 staff and includes roughly 60 virtual servers on a six-node Hyper-V cluster, Windows and Linux systems, enterprise firewalls and switching, wireless across three public-facing sites, and the server-side infrastructure behind SAM’s ticketing, CRM, and collections platforms.
This is a backfill for a colleague retiring after more than twenty years in the role, serving as SAM’s sole systems administrator for most of that tenure. Much of the environment was personally architected by that colleague and is documented tersely or not at all. The person in this role should expect to take ownership of production infrastructure early, learn a complex environment quickly and largely independently, and — critically — rebuild the institutional knowledge that is departing with them so that SAM is never again dependent on a single person.
Two responsibilities distinguish this role from a standard senior administrator posting. First, it is the technical mentor to SAM’s Junior Systems & Networking Administrator, who is early in that role and actively growing into it; developing that colleague is a core, ongoing duty and not an occasional courtesy. Second, it is accountable for documentation and knowledge continuity as a deliverable in its own right, not as cleanup work that happens when there is time.
ABOUT SAM
As SAM heads into its second century, we are boldly reimagining what we can and should be. Our goal is to be a model for the future of museums - a bold, dynamic hub of creativity, belonging, and cultural leadership, shaping the future of art and community. Embracing new ways of engaging communities and seeking innovative partnerships - all while keeping art and community at the center of what we do. This ambitious effort represents a transformative shift and radically redefining how art museums operate. This is a pivotal moment for SAM, and we are seeking great talent to join us on our journey. Working at SAM is not just a job—it's a chance to be part of a vibrant, creative community.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Systems & Server Administration
- Administer and maintain on-premises servers (HPE hardware, Windows Server, Linux) supporting museum-wide applications and file services
- Administer the virtualization platform: approximately 60 virtual guests on a six-node Hyper-V cluster, including host maintenance, patching, capacity, and clustered storage
- Manage server-side infrastructure for Tessitura (ticketing/CRM) and support the Tessitura RAMP cloud migration
- Plan and execute server refresh and capacity projects, including the current server room UPS replacement
- Administer core identity and directory services (Active Directory, Microsoft 365/Entra ID) in coordination with the Director of Technology
- Own the backup and recovery stack end to end (on-premises backup plus cloud/offsite copies); test restores on a defined schedule and be able to meet documented recovery time objectives
Network & Security
- Design, configure, and maintain the museum’s network: enterprise firewalls and VPN, Juniper switching, and Mist wireless across all three sites, including public visitor WiFi
- Lead network infrastructure projects such as the multi-year switch replacement and internet redundancy (dual-ISP failover) initiatives
- Administer Cloudflare for WAF/DDoS/bot protection on public-facing web properties
- Monitor logs, alerts, and security tooling (SIEM, EDR/MDR); investigate and remediate incidents; support penetration testing and vulnerability remediation
- Maintain network documentation, diagrams, and access controls; enforce least-privilege and security best practices
- Manage certificate lifecycle, VLAN design, and segmented networks for vendors, events, and specialty gallery systems
Mentorship, Documentation & Knowledge Continuity
- Serve as the day-to-day technical mentor to the Junior Systems & Networking Administrator, who is newer to the role and still developing senior-level infrastructure skills
- This is an explicit, recurring responsibility with a meaningful share of the week attached to it
- Provide structured, hands-on skill development — shadowing, paired troubleshooting, and supervised ownership of real work — across virtualization, backup and recovery, firewall and switching administration, and alert triage
- Written handoff alone does not satisfy this duty
- Build and maintain the operational record the department currently lacks: runbooks and standard operating procedures, network and system diagrams, a credential inventory, an asset register, and a vendor contract and renewal calendar
- Ensure no critical recovery or maintenance task has only one capable owner; deliberately cross-train so that infrastructure knowledge is held by the department rather than by an individual
- Maintain disaster recovery and business continuity documentation and validate it against actual recovery testing
- Serve as senior escalation for the help desk and junior systems staff, using escalations as teaching opportunities where practical
Project & Vendor Leadership
- Serve as point person on infrastructure capital projects (switch replacement, UPS replacement, internet redundancy, five-year hardware replacement plan): scoping, budgeting, and managing vendor relationships
- Partner with the Director of Technology on technology budget planning and purchasing recommendations for infrastructure
- Manage vendor and carrier relationships directly — quotes, support contracts, renewals, escalations, and invoice review — and track license and support expirations proactively
- Sequence maintenance and project work around the museum’s exhibition, event, and public-hours calendar in coordination with affected departments
Monitoring, Maintenance & On-Call Support
- Proactively monitor server, network, and backup health using existing alerting and monitoring tools; investigate anomalies before they become outages
- Maintain and manage physical server rooms (power, cooling, cabling, UPS) across all sites, including regular physical inspection
- Participate in the on-call rotation for after-hours infrastructure issues
- Coordinate with vendors and contractors (ISPs, hardware vendors, MSPs) on maintenance, repairs, and support tickets
Other Duties
- Account management across core systems (AD, Tessitura, Microsoft 365, SaaS applications)
- Support museum-wide technology initiatives and construction/renovation projects as needed
- Participate in intentional learning efforts, including events relating to understanding institutional racism, building cultural competency, and exhibiting a commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Accessibility, and Belonging
WE ARE LOOKING FOR
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience
- 5+ years of progressive experience in systems and network administration, including server administration (Windows Server, Linux) and enterprise networking
- Demonstrated experience administering server virtualization at production scale (Hyper-V, VMware, or comparable), including clustered hosts and shared storage
- Demonstrated experience administering firewalls and VPNs (enterprise platform; SAM’s estate is being consolidated — platform-transferable skill is more important than a specific vendor)
- Demonstrated experience with enterprise switching and wireless (Juniper/Mist or a comparable platform)
- Experience owning enterprise backup and disaster recovery — not only configuring backups but testing and performing restores against defined recovery objectives
- Experience with Microsoft 365 / Entra ID administration and hybrid identity
- Demonstrated ability to become productive quickly in an unfamiliar, lightly documented environment: to read an existing system, form an accurate picture of it, and take safe ownership without a lengthy ramp or a predecessor to consult
- Demonstrated experience mentoring or developing a more junior technical colleague — for example, structured onboarding, deliberate cross-training, or growing someone into greater ownership. Candidates should be prepared to speak to this specifically
- A track record of producing durable documentation — runbooks, diagrams, procedures — that other people actually used
- Strong troubleshooting and project management skills; able to lead infrastructure projects from scoping through completion
- Ability to communicate technical concepts clearly and respectfully to non-technical colleagues at all levels of the organization
- Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, and prioritize a varied workload with minimal supervision
- Ability to participate in an on-call rotation, including evenings and weekends as needed
- Ability to pass and maintain security background check clearance
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in a museum, library, archive, performing arts organization, or other nonprofit or cultural institution — or comparable experience working within constrained budgets, mission-driven priorities, and multi-stakeholder decision making
- Experience as the sole or primary administrator for an environment, with the accompanying breadth and ownership
- Experience supporting Tessitura or another PCI-scoped CRM/ticketing platform
- Experience supporting collections management or digital asset systems (TMS, eMuseum, or comparable)
- Industry certifications such as CompTIA Network+/Security+, Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator, Juniper JNCIA/JNCIS, or firewall vendor certifications
- Experience with Cloudflare or a similar CDN/WAF platform
- Experience with endpoint management platforms (Intune/Autopilot)
- Experience supporting an organization through a significant on-premises to cloud migration
FLSA Status: Full Time, Exempt
Reports To: Director of Technology
Work Location: Onsite, Seattle Downtown, Volunteer Park, and Olympic Sculpture Park
Work Schedule: This role is typically scheduled to work business hours Monday – Friday. Given the infrastructure nature of the role, evening and weekend work is required for maintenance windows, emergencies, and on-call rotation coverage, as directed by your supervisor. Maintenance windows are scheduled around the museum’s exhibition, event, and public-hours calendar, which means some work occurs early mornings, evenings, or on days the galleries are closed.
WORK CONDITIONS
- Work areas are primarily inside, in a climate-controlled environment with moderate background noise. A significant portion of this role’s work occurs in server rooms, wiring closets, and other back-of-house environments where IT and networking equipment is installed, including areas that are not climate-controlled.
- Approximately 65% of time is spent stationary while working at a desk or in server rooms. Balance of time (approximately 35%) is spent moving among sites, wiring closets, and equipment areas. Regular travel among SAM’s three sites is expected.
- Clear and effective verbal and written communication in English with staff, vendors, and colleagues is necessary.
- Ability to effectively use a computer screen and interpret printed materials, schematics, and other appropriate documentation.
- Ability to effectively and regularly operate a computer, keyboard, telephone, and other office productivity machinery, and to inspect, prepare and use paperwork, files, equipment, and supplies.
- Ability to transport up to thirty-five (35) pounds of server, network, and UPS equipment, and to work safely on ladders and in confined equipment spaces.
BENEFITS
Benefits include a fully employer paid HMP medical plan or an employee contribution PPO plan, dental, vision, and basic life insurance/LTD/AD&D, Flexible Spending Account, Short Term Disability, Supplemental Dental Insurance and participation in SAM’s 403b retirement plan.
Following 1 year of service and 1,000 hours worked, SAM makes a discretionary 3% employer contribution regardless of participation and provides an employer match program. Historically, this contribution has been made annually.
Additional benefits include paid time off for vacation, PSST, bereavement leave, and jury duty, 11 scheduled holidays, 1 paid floating holiday, a subsidized unlimited Orca card, onsite fitness facility, and an EAP. FT Staff also receive a Patron level membership to SAM, a Tier III membership to the American Alliance of Museums and discounts to museum shop and programming.
ACCOMODATION
The Seattle Art Museum will consider reasonable accommodations for all employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions/duties of this position. If you need an accommodation during the application or interview process, please contact [email protected]. For candidates, we ask that, if possible, you wait until you're invited to a screen, online technical assessment or interview before requesting an accommodation.
SAM is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and we are committed to fostering a respectful, inclusive, and welcoming workplace for all employees and volunteers. Guided by our mission to connect art to life and engage diverse communities, we strive to create a sense of belonging for all of the communities we serve. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, military status, or any other protected characteristic
Not sure you check every box? Research shows that candidates from underrepresented backgrounds often only apply if they meet 100% of the criteria. If you believe you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply!Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field, or equivalent education and experience
- 5 or more years of progressive systems and network administration experience
- Server administration experience with Windows Server, Linux, and enterprise networking
- Production-scale server virtualization experience with Hyper-V, VMware, or comparable platforms, including clustered hosts and shared storage
- Experience administering enterprise firewalls and VPNs
- Experience administering enterprise switching and wireless networks
- Experience owning enterprise backup and disaster recovery, including restore testing against recovery objectives
- Microsoft 365, Entra ID, and hybrid identity administration experience
- Ability to become productive quickly in an unfamiliar, lightly documented environment
- Experience mentoring or developing a more junior technical colleague
- Track record of producing durable runbooks, diagrams, and procedures
- Strong troubleshooting and project management skills
- Ability to lead infrastructure projects from scoping through completion
- Ability to communicate technical concepts clearly to nontechnical colleagues
- Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, and prioritize varied work
- Ability to participate in evening and weekend on-call rotations
- Ability to pass and maintain a security background check clearance
- Experience in a museum, library, archive, performing arts organization, nonprofit, or cultural institution
- Experience as the sole or primary administrator for an environment
- Experience supporting Tessitura or another PCI-scoped CRM or ticketing platform
- Experience supporting collections management or digital asset systems such as TMS or eMuseum
- CompTIA Network+, CompTIA Security+, Microsoft Azure Administrator, Juniper JNCIA or JNCIS, or firewall vendor certification
- Cloudflare or comparable CDN/WAF platform experience
- Endpoint management experience with Intune or Autopilot
- Experience supporting a significant on-premises to cloud migration
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The Company
What We Do
For over 90 years, the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) has been a leading visual arts institution in the Pacific Northwest. Through its three locations — the Seattle Art Museum in downtown Seattle, the Seattle Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park, and the Olympic Sculpture Park on the downtown waterfront — SAM connects art to life through special exhibitions, educational programs, and installations drawn from its collection of approximately 25,000 objects from more than 140 cultures. SAM Social Media Policy: bit.ly/SAMSocialMediaPolicy.
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