IT Infrastructure Specialist, ACES Technology Services

IT Infrastructure Specialist or Senior IT Infrastructure Specialist, ACES Technology Services

College of ACES, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign

WE TRANSFORM LIVES.
Everything we do is designed to improve the quality of
life of the people in the state of Illinois, across the nation, and around the
world. We discover, develop, translate, and disseminate knowledge to address
societal concerns and train the next generation of experts and leaders in a way
that empowers them to expand the boundaries of science to higher levels of
understanding and influence.
Be a part of
our story.

Job Summary
Provides the daily, operational support for infrastructure used by ACES Technology Services service offerings. Works closely across the organization with application, service and system administrators to ensure supported infrastructure meets current and planned service needs and adheres to ACES Technology Services processes. Responsible for support of unit or college-level infrastructure, including management of system and server infrastructure, both on-premises and through cloud providers.
Specialist Duties & Responsibilities

Manage day-to-day IT infrastructure operations

• Support all components of IT infrastructure: cloud technology (e.g., VMWare, AWS), physical/virtual servers (e.g., Linux, Windows Server), storage/network attached storage (NAS) (e.g., Compellent, Windows DFS), and security (e.g., firewall configurations, campus security compliance).
• Monitor application and system performance, tracks metrics, collects and analyzes logs (e.g., Intermapper, Nagios).
• Resolve escalated infrastructure problems identified by IT Professionals via ticketing system.
• Independently analyze and isolate application issues and perform problem resolution.
• Communicate with vendors or other third parties using predefined methods for ticket submission, support, and enhancement requests.
• Adhere to interoperability standards and best practices as adopted by the organization.
• Maintain detailed documentation of cloud technology, server, storage, and security best practices including regular reports on outstanding known errors and workarounds.
• Provide technical support including installation, patching, upgrading, monitoring, knowledge documentation, and troubleshooting.
• Work some evening/weekend hours and respond to on-call emergency requests.

Improve and enhance IT infrastructure and ACES Technology Services operations

• Identify opportunities to automate workloads to improve performance, reduce costs, reduce maintenance, and help improve self-service capabilities.
• Develop resolutions that consider cloud capacity and limitations, operating time, and form of desired result.
• Plan for disaster recovery and business continuity as deemed appropriate to the visibility, importance, and risk factors of the IT service.
• Research, coordinate, and apply information systems solutions, decision-making, and capacity planning to align with current and future technology.
• Participate in IT service requirements gathering and analysis.
• Participate in IT service projects of defined scope with shifting priorities and schedules.
• Participate in continuing education and training and complete certifications, as appropriate.
• Generate analysis documents of technical issues.
• Understand the applicable processes and procedures of the organization and make recommendations in the continuous improvement of those processes and procedures, providing for management analysis and recommendations on improvements.

Ensure excellent Customer Service throughout ACES Technology Services

• Act as an advocate for ACES Technology Services' customers in service planning and deployment across the organization.
• Communicate regularly with stakeholders.
• Coordinate with IT professionals at all levels to assist in service administration and implementation.
• Provide end-user instruction and knowledgebase articles.
• Resolve customer satisfaction issues.

Senior Specialist Duties & Responsibilities

Systems Operations

• Support all components of IT infrastructure: virtualization and cloud technology (e.g. VMware, AWS), physical/virtual servers (e.g. Linux, Windows Server), storage/network attached storage (SAN or NAS) (e.g. Dell PowerStore, Linux NFS, Windows DFS), backups (e.g. VEEAM), and security (e.g. firewall configurations, system access, campus security compliance).
• Design scalable system services and infrastructure using multiple interacting systems and services for multiple constituencies within ACES and across campus.
• Monitor application and system performance, tracks metrics, collects and analyzes logs (e.g. Nagios, Zabbix, Splunk).
• Provision resources and systems for ATS team and ACES customers.
• Automate system provisioning and management tasks and perform necessary system scripting (e.g. Ansible, Saltstack, Puppet).

Procedures and Planning

• Apply change management principles to plan, coordinate, and communicate infrastructure maintenance and implementation efforts.
• Mentor staff on infrastructure support processes.
• Plan, develop, and implement new services/systems or significant enhancements to existing systems. - Perform audits and analysis of systems, services, and infrastructure. Develop system backup plans.
• Research new technologies and assist in infrastructure strategic planning.
• Audit and plan for security hardening of systems and infrastructure.

Stakeholder Engagement and Service Coordination

• Coordinate with IT professionals at all levels to assist in service administration and implementation.
• Manage or participate in collaborations/partnerships across the college or campus.
• Act as an advocate for ACES Technology Services' customers in service planning and deployment across the organization.
• Provide timely and actionable information and recommendations to assist leadership in making strategic decisions.

Specialist Minimum Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent

• Four (4) years of work experience in IT-related functions such as hardware/software support, programming, network design, network engineering, IT systems integration, or closely related field. College coursework which includes Information Technology (IT), IT Management, Programming, IT systems, or a closely related discipline may be substituted as follows: 30 semester hours equals one (1) year, Associate's Degree (60 semester hours) equals eighteen (18) months, 90 semester hours equals two (2) years, Bachelor's Degree (120 semester hours) equals three (3) years.

• Demonstrated experience managing Linux servers or Windows servers.
• Demonstrated experience managing a server backup service.

Senior Specialist Minimum Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Five (5) years of work experience in IT-related functions such as hardware/software support, programming, network design, network engineering, IT systems integration, or closely related field. College coursework which includes Information Technology (IT), IT Management, Programming, IT systems, or a closely related discipline may be substituted as follows: 30 semester hours equals one (1) year, Associate's Degree (60 semester hours) equals eighteen (18) months, 90 semester hours equals two (2) years, Bachelor's Degree (120 semester hours) equals three (3) years.
• Demonstrated experience managing Linux servers or Windows servers.
• Demonstrated experience managing a server backup service.
• Demonstrated experience with leading or participating in IT projects.
• Demonstrated experience with Linux research computation/cluster computing (e.g. SLURM, HTCondor).

Specialist Preferred Qualifications

• Experience managing Linux servers and Windows servers.
• Experience managing cloud infrastructure (e.g., VMware, AWS, Azure).
• Experience with application programming interfaces (APIs, e.g., REST, SOAP, etc.).
• Understanding of IT Service Management processes and principles (ITIL, ITSM, DevOPs).

Senior Specialist Preferred Qualifications

• Experience providing IT support in a higher education setting.
• Experience participating in campus-level IT initiatives or projects.
• Experience with authentication environments like Shibboleth, LDAP, and Active Directory.
• Experience managing web environments like Apache, Nginx, or MS ISS.
• Experience with backup software (MS SCDPM, Veeam, etc.).
• Experience with business continuity and disaster recovery planning and implementing IT security best practices.
• Experience with cloud technologies.
• Experience managing Linux and Windows servers.
• Understanding of IT Service Management processes and principles (ITIL, ITSM, DevOPs).

Specialist Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge and understanding of service life cycle management processes (e.g., change management, monitoring, testing, release management, security, capacity planning, business continuity, and disaster recovery).
• Commitment to follow accessibility and usability standards.
• Basic project management skills and knowledge.
• Creative problem-solving skills.
• Ability in effective communication and collaborating in a team environment.
• Commitment to customer service.
• Ability to use good judgment and work with limited supervision.
• Ability to effectively leverage online resources, user forums, knowledge bases, and phone support to maintain service continuity.
• Knowledge of programming in at least one scripting language.
• Ability to report in-person to campus location during a standard workday, hybrid work is a possibility.

Senior Specialist Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge and understanding of service lifecycle management processes (e.g., change management, monitoring, testing, release management, security, capacity planning, business continuity, and disaster recovery).
• Familiarity with regular expressions.
• Ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical users.
• Ability to manage priorities with good organizational skills.
• Ability to work productively in a collaborative team environment.
• Independent problem-solving skills and the ability to fully diagnose and troubleshoot technical issues.
• Ability to learn new tools and techniques to integrate new technology.
• Ability to understand and execute project methodologies, project tracking, communication, and documentation.
• Basic knowledge of application analysis and service evaluation.
• Commitment to following accessibility and usability standards.

Appointment Information

This is a 100% full-time Civil Service 5031 - Information Technology Technical Associate position, appointed on a 12-month basis. The expected start date is as soon as possible after. Salary range for the Specialist level position is $62,000 to $72,000 and salary range for Senior Specialist is $69,000 to $80,000.

Sponsorship for work
authorization is not available for this position.

Out-of-state candidates must establish Illinois
residency within 180 calendar days of the start date for this position.
Illinois residency requires proof of a valid Illinois Driver's License or state
of Illinois ID Card. Failure to produce the required documentation within 180
calendar days will result in immediate termination of employment.

For more information on Civil Service classifications, please visit the SUCSS web site at .

Application Procedures & Deadline Information

Applications must be received by 6:00 pm (Central Time) on March 3rd, 2026. Apply for this position using the Apply Now button at the top or bottom of this posting. In order to be considered as a transfer candidate, you must apply for this position. Applications not submitted through will not be considered. If required by the position, transcripts or other documentation of credentials are to be provided no later than the first day of employment. For further information about this specific position, please contact James Kim at [email protected] . For questions regarding the application process, please contact 217-333-2137.

At the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign - the state's flagship public university and one of the world's leading research institutions - every staff member helps shape what's next . Founded in 1867, Illinois is home to a vibrant community of 59,000 students from all 50 states and 129 countries, supported by 15 colleges and instructional units, more than 20 research institutes, and one of the most comprehensive student service ecosystems in the nation. Whether you're empowering first-generation students, fueling breakthrough innovation, or strengthening communities across Illinois and beyond, your work here has a far-reaching and deeply meaningful impact. The university offers a highly competitive benefits package designed to support your well-being, growth, and financial security. Join a top 10 public university that has launched over 330 startups and continues to redefine excellence - where the Illinois Value Proposition ensures that your contributions are recognized, your potential is nurtured, and your career can thrive.

Champaign-Urbana

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used in some portions of the candidate review process for this position; however, all employment decisions will be made by a person.

This position is intended to be eligible for benefits . This includes Health, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, a Retirement Plan, Paid time Off, and Tuition waivers for employees and dependents.

The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates. Please visit Required Employment Notices and Posters to view our non-discrimination statement and find additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures, and employment eligibility review through E-Verify .

Applicants with disabilities are encouraged to apply and may request a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (2008) to complete the application and/or interview process. Accommodations may also be requested on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, and related conditions, or religion. Requests may be submitted through the reasonable accommodation portal , or by contacting the Office for Access & Equity at 217-333-0885, option #1, or [email protected] .

Requisition ID : 1034401

Job Category : Technical

Apply at: