City : Hamilton

Category : Other

Industry : Education

Employer : McMaster University

Programmer and System Administrator, Faculty of Engineering
(JD01377)

Engineering a Brighter Future
https://www.eng.mcmaster.ca/about-us/strategic-plan/

Unit / Project Description

As Programmer and System Administrator, you will report to the Associate Director of I.T. Services for the Faculty of Engineering, and play a pivotal role in designing, implementing, and maintaining technology solutions to enable the teaching, learning, and research goals of the Faculty.

This role will be responsible for tehnology support related to various hardware and software used within the Faculty. In addition to day-to-day responsibilities, you will contribute to the technical support of the Faculty's key infrastructure and user support.

Job Summary

Responsible for designing, coding and supporting complex computer websites and applications in accordance with established policies and standards. Take ownership of technical issues by identifying underlying problems, analyzing potential solutions and implementing system resolutions, including workarounds. Implement and perform continuous improvement strategies in the areas of website and applications branding, user interface refinement, and development operations.

Purpose & Key Functions

• Develop software and applications to support technical infrastructure.
• Complete the technical design, detailed specifications, programming system components, and system and integration testing for new applications.
• Define, develop, and perform application testing procedures.
• Develop and modify interfaces for existing applications and systems while maintaining the integrity of data and processes.
• Write complex computer code using various computing and scripting languages.
• Review processing requirements and utilize complex data models and databases for effective and efficient organization of data.
• Create database environments.
• Develop applications for data mining and information dissemination.
• Provide website, server and workstation system administration.
• Provide advice to customers on alternative and recommended approaches to computing system solutions for meeting their business requirements.
• Review, develop and modify best practices and technical solutions.
• Provide escalated technical user support.
• Perform load and stress testing to anticipate the impact of application usage on the production service environment.
• Write a variety of documents, including, but not limited to, project plans, general correspondence and reports.
• Analyze, define, and document requirements for data, work-flow, logical processes, hardware and operating system environments, interfaces with other systems, internal and external checks and controls, and outputs.
• Develop documentation and tutorials such as end-user and technical documentation.
• Conduct literature and web searches for programming and system administration techniques.
• Identify, troubleshoot and resolve hardware, software, system, network and interface problems.
• Provide technical advice to clients and insight into technical design decisions for a variety of projects.
• Scrutinize code changes in order to debug, design, and document results.
• Develop project plan timelines and deliverables. Provide estimates of time and resources required to complete projects.
• Deliver system and application needs that match defined client specifications and follows internal design and external service quality standards.
• Complete various analyses and statistical calculations pertaining to system loads, network loads, and capacity forecasts.
• Design and manage data-protection and data-continuity procedures.
• Remain current with frequent changes to technology, programming languages, security policies and procedures.
• Implement and perform continuous improvement strategies in the areas of website and applications branding, user interface refinement, and development operations.

Supervision

• No formal supervision of others is required.
• Occasionally provides orientation and shows procedures to others.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field.
• Requires 4 years of relevant experience.

Assets

• Previous experience working in a university environment is considered a strong asset.

Additional Information

The successful candidate must have experience in the following areas:

• Demonstrated ability to provide server and desktop support for Windows, Macintosh, and Linux based operating systems.
• Expertise in VMware virtualization technologies (server and desktop - certifications in vSphere or Horizon are preferred).
• Proficiency in Python, PHP, MySQL, Apache, Drupal, and MS SQL.
• Proficiency in Cisco networking technologies.
• Proficiency in MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Adobe Acrobat.

The successful candidate will also have and/or demonstrate the following:

• Excellent organizational and time management skills.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Proven success at prioritizing and managing multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Ability to meet tight project deadlines and competing timelines.
• Flexibility and willingness to adapt quickly to changing priorities and tasks.
• High attention to detail while producing thorough and accurate work.
• Excellent problem solving and critical thinking skills.
• Ability to respond creatively to resolve issues and maintain workflow.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to build and maintain relationships at work.
• A high degree of professionalism, integrity, and ability to handle confidential information.
• Ability to take initiative and follow through, and willing to ask for help when needed.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaborate within a team environment.
• Some evening or weekend work may be required occasionally to perform updates to production servers and equipment.

Should the successful applicant be a Unifor Unit 1 bargaining unit member, who meets the eligibility conditions of Article 19.02 of the Unifor Unit 1 Collective Agreement, then the Limited Term Assignment will be defined as a Career Growth Opportunity in accordance with Article 19 of the Unifor Local 5555 Unit 1 Collective Agreement.