Job Responsibilities
1. Monitor computer system status and performance of systems. Work
in a group of 7 engineers to support ~30 production systems that
need to be available 7x24. - 5 hrs/wk
2. Development and maintenance of routines that collect system
performance statistics and report statistics and error indicators
to the operations support group. - 16 hrs/wk
3. Research and correct problems as reported to the Help Desk by
users or on-site operators or as reported by error monitoring
routines running on the computer systems - 8 hrs/wk
4. Develop and test Disaster Recovery Procedures - 3 hrs/wk
5. Develop plans for moving applications from one computer system
to another or for moving from one type of computer system to
another platform - 4 hrs/wk
6. Become proficient in a different operating system - 4 hrs/wk
7. On call system support (evenings and weekends) - 2 wks/qtr
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Job Requirements
For Lead Systems Pgmr/Analyst, the education requirements are as
follows:
1. A BS or higher in Computer Science or a degree in science,
math, or technology.
2. Five years experience in managing the types of computer systems
we employ.
3. Ability to take on-call on a rotating basis. On-call is for a
week at a time.
4. Be able to pass pre-employment and random drug screening
Career path is from (systems) programmer, to senior systems
programmer, to either lead systems pgmr/anal or onto management path.
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Uppers
1. The satisfaction of keeping systems running and available to users.
2. Having the users feel that the systems are reliable.
3. Getting a nice comment from a user in thanks for solving a problem for
him/her.
3. The opportunity to learn how operating systems work.
4. The feeling of being a part of the business.
5. Getting annual raises that are just a step ahead of inflation.
6. An occasional bonus/reward for a job well done.
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Downers
1. Getting paged/called in the middle of the night for a problem
that could have waited until morning.
2. Being stuck with unreliable hardware/software.
3. Being micromanaged by a person who doesn't understand the
issues associated with a systems problem.
4. Having to justify changes to the operating environment where
the person (or group) giving the approval doesn't understand or
appreciate the importance of the changes.
5. Having a system fail during prime shift or in the middle of the
night.
6. Being limited and having to perform system maintenance on
weekends or at night.
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Lifestyle
Work Hours: flexible.. 8 hrs/day starting between 7am and 9am. Not too much
weekend work other than monthly system reboots. No paid overtime but some
managers reward with compensatory time off for time worked at night or over the
weekend.
Travel: Two to three business trips per year. Travel costs are on a
reimbursement basis. Receipts are required for lodging, rental car, parking,
gasoline, tolls, and any unusual purchases. Airline reservations are direct bill
to the company. Meals are reimbursed at $30/day. Travel using your own vehicle
is reimbursed at $.325/mile.
Social Events: Events are held anually to reward people who really make a
difference.. (and are high enough profile) Informal catered lunches at work are
conducted ~ twice per year... plus employee pot-luck lunches for special
occasions. No liquor allowed on company premises.
Diversity: Company is an EEO employer... encourages diversity..
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Compensation
Salary: $93+ K annually
Bonuses: no regular bonus program for technical staff
Vacation: PLB (which includes sick leave) starts at 2+ wks/year
after the first year... growing to 24 days at ~ 5 yrs (for highly
reimbursed staff).. growing to 30 days at ~10 yrs. Allowed to
carry 40 hrs from one year to the next an managers approval.
Stock: Employees able to invest in company stock at a discount.
Medical Benefits: Wellness based reimbursement system for medical
costs. Options include HMO, PPO, and EPO (exclusive provider)
plans. Separate dental, vision, disability and life insurance,
and legal support plans. Life insurance at 3x salary provided by
company. Life insurance available for spouse and children.
Retirement: There is a 401-K program matched by the company at up
to 3% of salary. Program provides a selection of differing types
of investment opportunities (income, growth & income,
international, etc). There is also a retirement plan paid by the
company.
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Advice to Jobseekers
Its a good growth field for people interested in technology. I
expect this field to continue to be valuable as more and more
aspects of the business are relying on computer systems.. systems
that support the business (high availability multi-user systems as
opposed to PCs)
It's a good field for people who are willing to invest their time
and effort to learn on their own and grow their skillsets to keep
ahead of the needs of the business.
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