Lead Systems Administrator/Engineer

The Lead Systems Administrator/Engineer, working independently, will direct staff in the execution of manual activities and/or automated activities to ensure FINRA data centers meet defined quality standards.

Essential Job Functions:

• Review and analyze complex process and system specifications to ensure delivery requirements are met.
• Serve as a subject matter expert for one or more areas (subsystems) for a larger system or multiple areas (subsystems) for smaller systems.
• Designs, implements, customizes, maintains and administers complex operating systems and system software products.
• Recommends and leads implementation of enhancements and updates/patches to operating systems, system software products and hardware.
• Ensure the Company’s Reliability, Availability and Serviceability (RAS) metrics are sustained.
• Evaluate industry trends, standards and new technologies to proactively recommend and implement changes to improve metrics and extend service capabilities. Develop and present related documentation, presentations, and discussion.
• Implements and updates monitoring tools.
• Monitors operating system performance to achieve optimum performance levels.
• Recommends new monitoring approaches and tools.
• Document test strategies, as well as, create/revise and execute test scripts. Helps others with the creation/revision of their scripts.
• Test and analyze equipment and infrastructure setup.
• Oversees implementation of security guidelines in order to prevent unauthorized access to servers and report any violations.
• Perform field level hardware repairs and upgrades.
• Lead collaboration with other team members and other teams to ensure technology solution and staff are in line with customer expectations and overall technology vision and goals.
• Document and communicate test results in a timely manner including metric reporting.
• Champion the collaborative resolution of defects. Work across the organization to develop solutions that meet joint requirements.
• Direct internal process improvement initiatives. Provide feedback on processes by offering suggestions.
• Mentor junior staff.
• Participate in external process improvement committees as a Systems Engineering/Operations representative.
• Provide backup coverage for more senior management.
• Assist with adherence to technology policies and comply with all security controls.
• Ensure all work products meets /exceeds FINRA standards.
• Participate in periodic Disaster Recovery (DR), Business Continuity Planning (BCP) and Sarbanes Oxley (SOX) testing and reporting.
• Manage vendor relationships and related budget.

Education/Experience Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems or related discipline with at least seven (7) years of related experience, or equivalent training and/or work experience; Master’s degree and past Financial Services industry experience preferred.
• Past senior level systems administrator experience in a production data center environment.
• Knowledge of industry leading monitoring and diagnostic tools
• Knowledge of at least one operating system and at least one contemporary scripting language.
• Knowledge of communication and network technologies.
• Exposure to common operational practices like metrics reporting, change management, incident management, problem management and communication ITIL & ISO:9000 framework experience/certification preferred.
• Excellent written and verbal technical communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to develop effective working relationships that improved the quality of work products.
• Should be well organized, thorough, and able to handle competing priorities.
• Ability to maintain focus and develop proficiency in new skills rapidly.
• Ability to work in a fast paced environment.
• Excellent planning skills.
• Willingness to accept new challenges and grasp new or changing concepts, technologies and procedures.

Work Conditions:

• Work is normally performed in an office environment or in a datacenter.
• Occasional lifting may be required.
• Occasional travel and extended hours may be required.
• On-call duties (on a rotational basis) may be required.

For work that is performed in CA, CO, HI, MN, VT, IL, Jersey City, NJ, New York City, NY, MA, WA, MD, Washington, DC, NJ State and NY State, please refer to the chart below for the salary range for the corresponding location. In addition to location, actual compensation is based on various factors, including but not limited to, the candidate’s skill set, level of experience, education, and internal peer compensation comparisons.

CA: Minimum Salary $128,000, Maximum Salary $242,600

CO/HI/MN/VT*: Minimum Salary $111,400, Maximum Salary $202,100

IL*: Minimum Salary $122,800, Maximum Salary $222,400
Jersey City, NJ/NYC, NY: Minimum Salary $133,700, Maximum Salary $242,600

MA/WA: Minimum Salary $111,400, Maximum Salary $232,500

MD/Washington, DC: Minimum Salary $128,000, Maximum Salary $232,500

NJ State: Minimum Salary $122,800, Maximum $242,600

NY State: Minimum Salary $111,400, Maximum Salary $242,600

*Including positions performed outside the state but reporting to an office or manager in that state.

Candidates can expect salary offers that range from the minimum to the mid-point of the salary range. FINRA provides full pay ranges so that the candidate can consider their growth potential while at FINRA.

#LI-Hybrid

To be considered for this position, please submit an application. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.

The information provided above has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work of the position. It is not a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required.

Please note: If the “Apply Now” button on a job board posting does not take you directly to the FINRA Careers site, enter www.finra.org/careers into your browser to reach our site directly.

FINRA strives to make our career site accessible to all users. If you need a disability-related accommodation for completing the application process, please contact FINRA's Employee Relations team at 240.386.4865 or by email at EmployeeRelations@finra.org. Please note that this process is exclusively for inquiries regarding application accommodations. 

Employees may be eligible for a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Non-exempt employees are also eligible for overtime pay in accordance with federal, state, or local law. As part of its dedication to employee wellness, FINRA provides comprehensive health, dental and vision insurance. Additional insurance includes basic life, accidental death and dismemberment, supplemental life, spouse/domestic partner and dependent life, and spouse/domestic partner and dependent accidental death and dismemberment, short- and long-term disability, long-term care, business travel accident, disability and legal. FINRA offers immediate participation and vesting in a 401(k) plan with company match and eligibility for participation in an additional FINRA-funded retirement contribution, tuition reimbursement, commuter benefits, and other benefits that support employee wellness, such as adoption assistance, backup family care, surrogacy benefits, employee assistance, and wellness programs.

Time Off and Paid Leave*

FINRA encourages its employees to focus on their health and wellness in many ways, including through a generous time-off program of 15 days of paid time off, 5 personal days and 9 sick days, unless otherwise required by law (all pro-rated in the first year). Additionally, we are proud to support our communities by providing two volunteer service days (based on full-time schedule). Other paid leave includes military leave, jury duty leave, bereavement leave, voting and election official leave for federal, state or local primary and general elections, care of a family member leave (available after 90 days of employment); and childbirth and parental leave (available after 90 days of employment). Full-time employees receive nine paid holidays.

*Based on full-time schedule

Important Information

FINRA’s Code of Conduct imposes restrictions on employees’ investments and requires financial disclosures that are uniquely related to our role as a securities regulator. FINRA employees are required to disclose to FINRA all brokerage accounts that they maintain, and those in which they control trading or have a financial interest (including any trust account of which they are a trustee or beneficiary and all accounts of a spouse, domestic partner or minor child who lives with the employee) and to authorize their broker-dealers to provide FINRA with duplicate statements for all of those accounts. All of those accounts are subject to the Code’s investment and securities account restrictions, and new employees must comply with those investment restrictions—including disposing of any security issued by a company on FINRA’s Prohibited Company List or obtaining a written waiver from their Executive Vice President—by the date they begin employment with FINRA. Employees may only maintain securities accounts that must be disclosed to FINRA at one or more securities firms that provide an electronic feed (e-feed) of data to FINRA, and must move securities accounts from other securities firms to a firm that provides an e-feed within three months of beginning employment.

You can read more about these restrictions here.

As standard practice, employees must also execute FINRA’s Employee Confidentiality and Invention Assignment Agreement without qualification or modification and comply with the company’s policy on nepotism.

Search Firm Representatives

Please be advised that FINRA is not seeking assistance or accepting unsolicited resumes from search firms for this employment opportunity. Regardless of past practice, a valid written agreement and task order must be in place before any resumes are submitted to FINRA. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at FINRA without a valid written agreement and task order in place will be deemed the sole property of FINRA and no fee will be paid in the event that person is hired by FINRA.

FINRA strives to make our career site accessible to all users. If you need a disability-related accommodation for completing the application process, please contact FINRA's Employee Relations team at 240.386.4865 or by email at EmployeeRelations@finra.org. Please note that this process is exclusively for inquiries regarding application accommodations.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, citizenship status, color, disability, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, veteran status or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local laws.

FINRA abides by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-741.5(a). This regulation prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals on the basis of disability and requires affirmative action by covered prime contractors and subcontractors to employ and advance in employment qualified individuals with disabilities.

FINRA abides by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-300.5(a). This regulation prohibits discrimination against qualified protected veterans and requires affirmative action by covered prime contractors and subcontractors to employ and advance in employment qualified protected veterans.

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