IT - SYSTEM ENGINEER
Columbia Association · Columbia, MD
$32.5–$48.5/hrfrom the description
Jun 30, 2026
Columbia, MD
Jul 20, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A systems engineering role focused on administering and maintaining complex server, cloud, and virtualization environments — primarily Windows, Azure, and VMware — for an association's internal IT division. Day-to-day work spans architecture planning, security and compliance activities, scripting, performance monitoring, and second/third-level helpdesk escalation support. Suits an experienced infrastructure generalist comfortable acting as a technical lead across both hands-on administration and enterprise architecture guidance.
Senior level · Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
“or” means any one of them counts — you don't need all of them.
We read this from the posting text with AI. Skim the description below before ruling yourself out.
How this req sits in the market our data
Roughly 230 people in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD area plausibly meet what this posting asks for (network and computer systems administrators). range 95–340
Applicant volume Moderate — A normal amount of company. The rare requirements below are what will separate a shortlisted application from the rest.
Most people in this occupation already list these. Still required — just not what gets you shortlisted.
What the occupation pays Median $125,654 (middle half $96,394–$162,956). This posting is about at that midpoint.
Estimated from BLS employment for this occupation and area, per-skill prevalence across our listing corpus, and published wage benchmarks — as of Jul 28, 2026. It is a model, not a headcount.
Why we read it this way (7)
The role title is 'Systems Engineer' but the day-to-day duties — administering Windows/Azure/VMware environments, patching, monitoring, backup, scripting, and 2nd/3rd-level helpdesk support — are primarily systems administration and operations rather than building new software, making 15-1244 the best fit. 15-1252 (Software Developers) is a plausible runner-up given the scripting and architecture framing.
No overall years-of-experience figure is stated in the posting; seniority is inferred from the breadth of responsibilities (architecture lead, SME, enterprise-wide scope, security compliance) and the expectation of operating as a solo technical security support person or team lead.
All certifications (MCSE, Azure Solutions Architect Expert, M365 Administrator Expert, M365 Fundamentals, VCP, Network+, Security+) are listed as 'preferred' — none are hard gates.
The degree requirement accepts 'equivalent combination of education and work experience,' so no minimum degree is flagged as required.
Scripting is listed as a hard requirement ('Solid scripting skills'); Python, Perl, and Ruby are named as examples of acceptable languages. Python is surfaced as the primary with Perl and Ruby as alternatives; the broader scripting requirement is captured separately as must-have.
Monitoring/vulnerability tools (Tenable One, Action1, ADAudit Plus) appear under the Knowledge/Skills section as experience items but are framed with 'experience with' rather than firm gate language — treated as preferred. Similarly, KnowBe4 is framed as 'experience in' a platform category.
Cisco Meraki, 8x8 VOIP, and NIST 800-53 security experience are explicitly called out as 'a plus' in the Technical Skills section.
Read the full posting
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