{"id":119409,"url":"https://alion.io/job/worcester-polytechnic-institute-director-systems-engineering","title":"Director, Systems Engineering","company":{"id":45438,"name":"Worcester Polytechnic Institute","domain":"wpi.edu","url":"https://alion.io/company/worcester-polytechnic-institute","size_band":"1001-5000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Workday","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":80,"open_postings":14,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.786,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":44,"computed_at":"2026-10-17T05:46:00Z"}},"role":"Leadership","role_family":"Leadership","seniority":"head","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"hybrid","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Worcester, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":109000,"max":135000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":135000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":7,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"AWS","optional":false},{"name":"Azure","optional":false},{"name":"Linux","optional":false},{"name":"Red Hat","optional":false},{"name":"Service Desk","optional":false},{"name":"SLI/SLO/SLA","optional":false},{"name":"Windows","optional":false},{"name":"Windows Server","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-08-19T00:00:00Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-08-19","last_verified_at":"2026-10-17T20:52:56Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":60,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":60},"description":"JOB TITLE\nDirector, Systems EngineeringLOCATION\nWorcesterDEPARTMENT NAME\nInfrastructure Services and ArchitectureDIVISION NAME\nWorcester Polytechnic Institute - WPIJOB DESCRIPTION SUMMARY\nReporting to the Assistant Chief Technology Officer, Infrastructure Services and Architecture, the Director of Systems Engineering will oversee the operation, administration, and engineering of the university's systems environment, including servers, storage, cloud computing, and virtualization, along with infrastructure DevOps, application system and security support, and Campus Safety Services. Information technology plays a vital and ever-expanding role in the institutional mission.The institution's information technology environment is highly distributed and diverse, and the Director of Systems Engineering must be an adept and informed leader who can offer strategic vision, comprehensive planning, and direct technical involvement alongside the engineers who report to the role. This senior leadership role is responsible for ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the systems that support the university's educational and operational objectives, and for the reliability of the physical access control, video surveillance, emergency radio, and emergency phone systems that support campus safety.\nJOB DESCRIPTION\nStrategic Leadership and Team Development\nDevelop and implement a comprehensive systems strategy aligned with the university's goals and objectives.\nProvide strategic direction for systems operations and administration, storage, cloud computing and virtualization, application system and security support, and Campus Safety Services.\nCollaborate with the Assistant CTO and other senior leaders to prioritize systems initiatives and align them with institutional priorities.\nDevelop staff, set clear performance expectations, and manage workload and operational tasks across the systems team.\nWork with other groups within IT and other business units as needed to develop solutions for unique system requirements, including technical and regulatory requirements.\nSystems, Storage, Virtualization, and Cloud Engineering\nWorking directly with the Systems Engineers who report to this role, direct the design, implementation, and management of the university's physical and virtual server infrastructure, enterprise storage and backup platforms, and AWS and Azure cloud environments.\nParticipate actively in solution design, technical review, and implementation planning alongside the engineering team.\nEnsure efficient utilization of resources through effective virtualization, capacity planning, and lifecycle management.\nLead the evaluation, selection, and adoption of new platform technologies to enhance systems capabilities.\nEnsure new implementations are documented, supportable, and aligned with institutional standards and architecture.\nSystems Operations and Administration\nOversee the team that performs the day-to-day operation and administration of the university's systems environment, ensuring the stability, availability, and performance of all system components.\nEnsure all key services, systems, and components are under appropriate monitoring and alerting.\nEnsure operating system patching, firmware maintenance, and lifecycle activities are performed on a defined and predictable cadence.\nEnsure that all documentation and databases are up to date and accurate, including asset inventory and configuration records.\nServe as the senior escalation point for the team during major incidents, directing the response, restoring service, and driving root cause analysis and preventive action to completion.\nEnsure all systems incidents and service requests are fully resolved within the applicable SLA and maintain open lines of communication with other ITS teams, including the Service Desk.\nDevOps, Automation, and Process Improvement\nManage the DevOps resource supporting the infrastructure organization, receiving strategic DevOps and automation requirements from the Assistant CTO and directing the work accordingly.\nIdentify commonly performed actions, repeated requests, and recurring requirements across every area reporting to this role, including systems operations, storage, virtualization, cloud, application system support, and Campus Safety Services.\nDefine, document, and standardize the processes behind that work so it can be measured and performed consistently by both full-time employees and the managed service provider.\nIdentify and prioritize the automation opportunities with the greatest return on team efficiency, and direct their design, build, and adoption.\nMeasure the effect of automation and process improvement on toil, cycle time, and error rates, and adjust priorities based on results.\nPromote the adoption of automation and consistent operating practice across the teams reporting to this role.\nApplication System and Security Support\nOwn the systems and middleware layer beneath the university's enterprise and departmental applications, including database platforms, web services, and load balancing.\nEnsure that these platforms are appropriately sized, patched, monitored, hardened, and recoverable.\nPartner with application owners and the Office of Information Security to remediate vulnerabilities and apply security controls at the system and middleware layer.\nCoordinate maintenance windows and upgrade planning with application stakeholders to minimize disruption to academic and administrative operations.\nCampus Safety Services\nOversee the technology, operation, and support of campus safety systems, including physical card access, video surveillance, emergency radios, and the emergency phone system.\nEnsure the security, reliability, and availability of these physical security and life-safety systems.\nOversee deployment, upgrade, and lifecycle planning for campus safety technology, including coverage associated with building renovation and construction projects.\nCollaborate with Campus Police, Facilities, and external vendors and integrators to align technology capability with campus safety requirements.\nSecurity, Compliance, and Resilience\nEnsure all systems components meet institutional security and compliance requirements, and implement best practices for securing server, storage, virtualization, cloud, and campus safety infrastructure.\nEnsure system designs and procedures are aligned with, and capable of enforcing, university policies and best practices.\nEnsure backup, recovery, and business continuity capabilities are designed, documented, and regularly tested against defined recovery objectives.\nEnsure vulnerabilities are remediated within institutional service level targets and provide the Information Security operations team with the access and tooling required to identify, locate, and isolate systems involved in security incidents.\nSupport audit activity and the production of control evidence, and assist Information Security in drafting policies that overlap with the systems team.\nBudget, Vendor, and Resource Management\nDevelop and manage the operating and capital budget for the systems team and Campus Safety Services technology.\nEnsure efficient use of resources and identify opportunities for cost savings and license optimization.\nOversee vendor relationships and negotiate contracts for systems, storage, cloud, and campus safety related services and products, interacting directly with vendors, resellers, and integrators.\nPlan and forecast refresh and renewal cycles to support multi-year budget development.\nPerforms all other duties and responsibilities as assigned or directed by the supervisor.\nQualifications:\n4-year bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or Information Technology, or equivalent experience. A bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or a related field is preferred.\nMinimum of 7 years of experience, including direct leadership of a systems, infrastructure, or operations team.\nStrong leadership and team management skills, with the ability to develop and retain technical staff.\nExcellent strategic thinking and planning abilities.\nDeep understanding of server, storage, virtualization, and cloud computing technologies across both Windows and Linux environments.\nWorking knowledge of the middleware layer supporting enterprise applications, including database platforms, web services, and load balancing.\nAbility to direct DevOps and automation resources against strategic requirements set by the Assistant CTO.\nKnowledge of physical access control, video surveillance, and emergency communications systems.\nStrong problem-solving and decision-making capabilities, including the ability to serve as a senior escalation point during major incidents.\nExcellent communication and interpersonal skills.\nExperience developing and managing operating and capital budgets and negotiating with vendors.\n\nPreferred Certifications: Certifications are preferred, not required, and no candidate is expected to hold all of them. Credentials relevant to WPI's technology stack include:\nWindows Server: Microsoft Certified: Windows Server Administrator Associate (Exam AZ-802), or the predecessor Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate (Exams AZ-800 and AZ-801).\nCloud platforms: Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) or Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305); AWS Certified SysOps Administrator - Associate or AWS Certified Solutions Architect.\nRed Hat Enterprise Linux: Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA, EX200) or Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE); the Red Hat Certified Specialist in Deployment and Systems Management (EX403) additionally covers Red Hat Satellite.\nNutanix: Nutanix Certified Professional - Multicloud Infrastructure (NCP-MCI), or Nutanix Certified Master - Multicloud Infrastructure (NCM-MCI).\nNetApp: NetApp Certified Data Administrator, ONTAP (NCDA), or a NetApp Certified Implementation Engineer (NCIE) specialty such as Data Protection or SAN.\nRubrik: Rubrik Certified System Administrator (RCSA).\nSalary Grade 11: $109,000 - $135,000 per year (depending on experience)\nSalary is based on related experience, expertise, and internal equity; generally, new hires can expect pay between the minimum and midpoint of the range.\nCompensation at WPI\nFLSA STATUS\nUnited States of America (Exempt)WPI is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or disability. It seeks individuals from all backgrounds and experiences who will contribute to a culture of creativity, collaboration, inclusion, problem solving, innovation, high performance, and change making. It is committed to maintaining a campus environment free of harassment and discrimination.","description_format":"text","description_chars":10923,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":7,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Equity"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Industrial Engineering","Education","Higher Education"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-08-19T00:00:00Z"}],"visa":[{"country":"US","licensed_sponsor":true,"evidence":"H-1B filings in 12 months: 25 · green card filings: 1","filings_12m":25,"filings_prev_12m":20,"green_card_filings_12m":1,"median_offered_wage_usd":73077,"route":null,"cap_exempt":true,"checked_at":"2026-10-15T11:24:14+00:00","sources":["US Department of Labor: LCA disclosure data (H-1B, H-1B1, E-3)","US Department of Labor: PERM disclosure data (green cards)"],"filings_for_role_12m":0}],"liveness":{"score":26,"band":"fade","label":"Fading","p_open":1,"p_active":0.466,"p_room":0.55,"age_days":59,"expected_fill_days":44,"reasons":["conf:1","stale_co","win:tail"],"computed_at":"2026-10-17T05:46:00Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":135000,"is_top_pay":false},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/worcester-polytechnic-institute-director-systems-engineering","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/worcester-polytechnic-institute-director-systems-engineering.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-18T06:45:58Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":10037,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-19T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":45438},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=45438"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fworcester-polytechnic-institute-director-systems-engineering"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fworcester-polytechnic-institute-director-systems-engineering"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fworcester-polytechnic-institute-director-systems-engineering"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/worcester-polytechnic-institute-director-systems-engineering\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fworcester-polytechnic-institute-director-systems-engineering"}]}