SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR
updated 8/29/2007
Note: ALL applications require a completed questionnaire. We will not respond to incomplete applications..
JOB DESCRIPTION
Servers are our best friends! Gotta Love 'Em!
Servers are our worst enemies! @^#*@^#*@^#*&@ servers!
And so the eternal dance goes on, with our business throttling immense amounts of data and email through our data center with enormous efficiency ... except for those very rare times when it doesn't, and it feels like that scene from Lord of the Rings where we're in the castle looking over the ramparts at a sea of orcs, trolls and other torch carrying uglies and thinking "Hey, did anyone check to see if this here shack is like ... fireproof?"
Kurt, our director of engineering has been handling system administration dutiies (with some assistance), but our business keeps growing like Tribbles on crack ... and Kurt has waved the white flag, saying "Enough! We need a full timer on the case!"
This is where YOU come in!
TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
* 3 years system administration experience
with Linux and Solaris operating systems required
* Ability to read/write Bash scripts is required
* Some level of PHP knowledge is beneficial
* Minimum 2 years experience in installation, configuration and maintenance
of:
- Apache, OpenSSL, PHP, and various related libraries
- Load balanced server farms
- Network configurations including VLAN/VRRP/Spanning Tree setups
- Replicated MySQL databases
PERSONAL REQUIREMENTS
* Be cool and be nice - we do NOT want a solitary genius
in an ivory castle whom peple are afraid to talk to
* Have an attitude of helpfulness - defending the integrity and security
of the servers is paramount for sure, but we do NOT want a sys admin
whose first answer is always "We can't do that".
* Be a constant and creative force for improvement - we're looking for
someone who isn't afraid to fight for big improvements in the way we
do things. We don't need someone to coast along and maintain the status
quo forever. We want someone who is constantly saying "Hey, you know
what would be cool that we could do? "
RESPONSIBILITIES
* You're our point person when it comes to the data center
- you make all of the purchasing and architectural proposals and serve
as our primary source of recommendations regarding our server infrastructure.
* You are our last line defense when our data center is concerned - if
a servers goes down at any time we look to you for answers and strategy.
THE COMPANY
Started in 1999, SurfMerchants is a web development company that has thrived during the dot-bomb area by maintaining a fierce focus on sound business principles and patient, steady growth. We have been profitable every quarter of our existence and have no debt or venture capital on our backs, so we are "Masters of Our Own Domain !" ... so to speak.
We're very proud of our 96% employee retention rate and of the fact that we've never laid off an employee for financial reasons.
Our company is 29 people strong and growing rapidly. We are completely open source developers, highly motivated but very easy to get along with. We do not hire the uptight, the intolerant, or the non-funny because life is too short to spend with folks you can't stand !
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THE COMPENSATION
Salary Range :
*
$60,000-$80,000k ($56.5-$76.5k base plus anticipated
$3500 bonuses -$3500 is our conservative estimate - average bonus
last two years was $4000/year) is the range
*
401k retirement plan (vested on 45th day
of employment) - SurfMerchants automatically contributes 3.5% of your
annual salary - you are free to contribute amount at your discretion
(within plan limits).
Work Environment :
*
50% telecommute. Only 10-12 days a month
of office attendance required - remaining work days can be work-from-home)
*
Wednesday lunches are catered
* Expense budget for office desk/chair/monitor/keyboard/laptop bag of
your choice
* Company laptop provided
* You choose your own OS (Mac/PC/Linux), browser of choice, applications
of choice
* Company cell phone provided
* Unlimited availablity of highly caffeinated and variously caloric and
carbonated beverages
* Revoltingly unlimited amounts of chemically preserved snacky foodstuffs
guaranteed ro send you into glucose and/or sodium shock.
Benefits Package (All premiums are 100% covered by SurfMerchants, active on 45th day of employment)
* Full Health Care Coverage (Blue Cross/Blue Shield) -
individual or family coverage
*
Full Dental Care Coverage (Principal) - individual or family coverage
* Life Insurance
* Accidental Death and Disability
* Short Term Disability
* Long Term Disability
Thanks for your interest in SurfMerchants LLC ! Please feel free to email me with any questions about the position prior to investing your time in filling out this application.
And good luck on your job search - remember, there will always be a need for people with character, perseverance and talent!
Best wishes,
John Hsu
SurfMerchants LLC
P.S. To get an idea of what being a "SurfMerchant" is like, feel free to visit our award winning website, http://www.surfmerchants.com !
_______________________________
SurfMerchants LLC
177 Tremont Street
3rd Floor
Boston, Massachusetts 02111
E-mail: jobs@surfmerchants.com
Web: http://www.surfmerchants.com
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
To apply for this position, send an email to "jobs@surfmerchants.com" with the job title "SYSADMIN JOB OPENING " as the subject and include the following :
1) Due to the number of applicants, we are asking all applicants to fill out a brief questionnaire. This will help accelerate the evaluation process for all parties involved. Applications without a questionnaire will not be considered and will not receive a reply. Please place your answers to the questionnaire in the body of the email, not as a separate attachment.
2) Please also include a resume in the body of your email. If your resume is heavily formatted to the point that it would look like a train wreck in the body of an email, then feel free to include it as an attachment.
QUESTIONNAIRE
Please answer the following questions (as efficiently and succinctly as possible) to help us evaluate your suitability for this position. Please answer these questions in the body of your email and NOT as an attachment
a) Briefly outline your experience (in years and/or in level of accomplishment and responsibility) with the following skills:
- Bash scripts
- Some level of PHP knowledge is beneficial
- Minimum 2 years experience in installation, configuration and maintenance of:
- Apache, OpenSSL, PHP, and various related libraries
- Load balanced server farms
- Network configurations including VLAN/VRRP/Spanning Tree setups
- Replicated MySQL databases
- Linux and Solaris operating systems
b) What do you consider your strongest one or two personality traits that make you ideally suited for this position?
c) Brag about yourself! Tell us a story of something you've done as a System Admin that you are particularly proud of - it can be a creative solution to a difficult problem, an occasion where you put in an extraordinary effort to save the day, an incident where you prevented some bad guys from doing damage to your servers, etc ...
d)
Personal Story (optional)
Feel free to include any fun facts or stories about you that would
make you unforgettable to our search committee !