[Gllug] JOB: Unix System Admin

Dan Kolb dankolb at ox.compsoc.net
Thu Sep 6 13:14:24 UTC 2001


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Hi all,

Apologies if people don't like job postings (there's a delete key ;-). Please 
reply to pjotr at pckassa.com. The job's located just outside High Wycombe.

As a personal note, I've worked there last summer, and really enjoyed my 
time. It's a good place to work.

Dan

- ----------  Forwarded Message  ----------
Subject: You know anyone
Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2001 16:49:49 +0100 (BST)
From: <pjotr at pckassa.com>
To: dankolb at ox.compsoc.net


Hi Dan,

JOB DESCRIPTION UNIX SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR


=======================
* Company description *
=======================

Causeway Technologies Inc. is a fast growing company with a wide range
of products serving the international construction industry. The
company has a large research and development team based in the UK and
the USA. Most of the products are developed and run on Unix. The
development team uses a wide range of tools slowly converging towards
JAVA/EJB with Oracle as a back-end. Critical systems are hosted in
state-of-the-art facilities at Exodus Communications
(http://www.exodus.com/).

Causeway Technologies Inc. aims to apply 'best practises' at all
levels - which includes system administration. Some techniques are
already in place, like automated administration using CFengine for
source code servers (CVS), web servers, E-mail, stateful firewalling
etc. We aim to expand on those services implementing, for example,
centralised password management, server monitoring and centralised
development services.

In general open source tools are used and deployed at all levels of
the development/deployment cycle for reasons of accessibility and
auditability of source code.


===================
* Job description *
===================

We are looking for an active and motivated experienced Unix system
administrator, with a good understanding of network security and
scripting, who can help redesign and (re) implement Unix based
computer networks and systems at the High Wycombe
offices. Furthermore, with the growing customer base on Internet
systems we need ongoing installation and maintenance of Unix based
systems with required 99.5% uptime and appropriate security levels.

Your strengths should be in understanding Unix systems to a granular
level, a great understanding of Linux and software packages, and you
are expected to have a keen interest installing, maintaining and
improving Linux/Solaris systems. Your attitude towards system
administration has to be towards decreasing labour requirements,
decreasing dependencies, documenting procedures, and increasing
scalability.

You should be willing to take an unconventional and flexible view
regarding system administration. As the company is young and growing,
requirements may change over night.

You will be asked to join a systems support team, which consists of a
Windows administrator, an Oracle DBA and a technical support person.

You will be working closely with senior software developers with solid
reputations in both the industry Causeway Technologies Inc. operates
in and the Unix open source community.


===================
* Required skills *
===================

Strong inter-personal and communication skills; capable of writing
proposals or papers, acting as a vendor liaison, making presentations
to customer or client audiences or professional peers, and working
closely with upper management.

Ability to solve problems quickly and completely.

Ability to identify tasks which require automation and automate them.

A solid understanding of a UNIX-based operating system; understands
paging and swapping, inter-process communication, devices and what
device drivers do, file system concepts ("inode", "superblock"), can
use performance analysis to tune systems.

A solid understanding of TCP/IP and UDP networking/distributed
computing environment concepts; understands principles of routing,
client/server programming, the design of consistent network-wide file
system layouts, stateful firewalling etc.

Understand network encryption levels

Experience with host security (for example, passwords, uids/gids, file
permissions, file system integrity, use of security packages,
intrusion detection)

Ability to program in an administrative language (two out of Python,
Perl, Ruby and bash)

Good knowledge of a number of the following products: Apache, Tomcat,
Weblogic, Oracle, CVS, DNS, sendmail, postfix, netfilter stateful
firewall, CFengine, vi, LDAP, PAM, IPSec, openssh, MySQL, PostgreSQL.

Sound understanding of development stages: testing, staging and
production.


=======================
* Required background *
=======================

More than four years of professional experience in system
administration and/or software development Previous professional
systems administration experience Understanding of and experience in
the open source community A degree in computer science or a related
field.


=============
* Desirable *
=============

Extensive programming background in any applicable language.

Publications within the field of system administration.

Understanding of CISCO routers and Linux netfilter firewalling

Understanding of deployment issues around JAVA

Understanding of WWW caching, round-robin and clustering techniques

Experience co-ordinating multiple independent computer facilities (for
example, working for the central group at a large company or
university)

Experience with a site with 99.5% uptime requirement.

Experience developing/implementing a site disaster recovery plan.


================================
* Appropriate responsibilities *
================================

Receives general instructions for new responsibilities from supervisor

Administers a mid-sized site alone or assists in the administration of
a larger site

Initiates some new responsibilities and helps to plan for the future
of the site

Manages novice system administrators or operators

Evaluates and/or recommends purchases; has strong influence on
purchasing process

Designs/implements complex local and wide-area networks of machines.

Manages a large site or network.

Works under general direction from senior management.

Establishes/ recommends policies on system use and services.

Provides technical lead and/or supervises system administrators,
system programmers, or others of equivalent seniority.

Has purchasing authority and responsibility for purchase justification.

=========
* Notes *
=========

You will have to go through a full application process, which may
include technical and psychological tests. You can expect to be tested
for knowledge of security issues and scripting prowess.

We are looking for the best only. If you are younger and feel you are
up for the job: do apply.

Candidates who are willing to relocate and build a medium to long-term
relationship with the company will have a preference.


Pjotr Prins
Causeway Technologies (UK) Ltd.
Keystone House
Boundary Road, Loudwater
HP109PN, England
pjotr.prins at causeway-tech.com

- -------------------------------------------------------

- -- 
dankolb at ox.compsoc.net  
 
- --I reserve the right to be completely wrong about any comments or
  opinions expressed; don't trust everything you read above--  

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