Team Lead, System Administrator
full-time
About the Role
The Team Lead, Systems Administration is a senior individual contributor who also leads the IT infrastructure team tactically.
This role is responsible for both the hands-on delivery of complex systems work and the orchestration of team priorities, standards, and output quality.
The ideal candidate combines deep technical expertise in networking, cloud infrastructure, security, and automation with the leadership capability to coach a team, enforce SOPs, and drive measurable operational excellence, including leveraging AI tools to optimise how the team works.
This role sits at the Team Lead level in Moniepoint's Talent Architecture. Success is defined not only by personal technical output, but by the team's consistent performance and delivery against infrastructure-wide targets.
Scope & Decision Horizon:
Leads the IT infrastructure team tactically. Success is the orchestration of people and priorities to ensure the team's immediate output aligns with the broader roadmap.
Principal Duties and Responsibilities
Team Leadership & Operations:
Lead, coordinate, and coach a team of Systems Administrators, ensuring consistent output quality and adherence to SOPs.
Manage team workload, prioritise tasks across competing demands, and ensure SLA compliance across all infrastructure functions.
Conduct regular 1:1s, deliver direct and specific performance feedback, and actively develop team members' technical skills.
Design and enforce team workflows and escalation paths, ensuring quality is consistent regardless of who executes the task.
Own team-level metrics: system uptime (99.9%+), ticket SLAs, incident response times, and end-user satisfaction.
Identify gaps in team capability or process and proactively close them through training, tooling, or workflow redesign.
Infrastructure Management:
Design, implement, and maintain a robust IT infrastructure, including servers and virtualisation platforms (Proxmox).
Administer and optimise Windows Server, Linux systems, and hybrid cloud infrastructures.
Maintain comprehensive system documentation, network diagrams, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
Plan and execute system upgrades with minimal downtime; optimise for performance, reliability, and cost efficiency.
Cloud & Network Infrastructure:
Design, deploy, and manage cloud network environments across GCP, OCI, and Azure, Outpost, including VPCs, subnets, peering, firewall rules, and private connectivity.
Administer and optimise BGP routing policies, virtual routers (vRTF), and F5 load balancers across the enterprise network and cloud environments.
Configure, manage, and troubleshoot enterprise networking infrastructure (routers, switches, firewalls, wireless access points).
Implement and maintain network security protocols, VLANs, VPNs, and network segmentation across on-premise and cloud environments.
Manage DNS, DHCP, Directory as a Service, and other core network services.
Monitor network performance, analyse bandwidth utilisation, and implement QoS policies.
AI Tools & Workflow Automation:
Manage, maintain, and evaluate AI tools used across the IT and infrastructure function, ensuring reliability, access control, and appropriate use.
Build and maintain automation workflows using n8n and similar platforms to optimise repetitive operational processes.
Design and implement AI-assisted workflows for network deployment, incident triage, and infrastructure monitoring.
Coach team members on responsible AI integration, when to use AI tools, how to validate outputs, and where human review is required.
Identify opportunities to reduce manual toil through intelligent automation and continuously improve the team's automation capabilities.
Telephony & Unified Communications:
Administer and maintain the xCALLY PBX platform, including call routing, IVR configuration, queue management, and agent provisioning.
Troubleshoot telephony incidents end-to-end: SIP trunks, PBX dial plans, voice quality, and carrier integration.
Coordinate with ISPs and telecom carriers to ensure uptime and quality of voice services across all sites.
Automation & Scripting:
Develop and maintain automation scripts (Python, PowerShell, Bash) to eliminate repetitive tasks and improve operational efficiency.
Utilise Infrastructure as Code tools (Terraform, Ansible) for consistent and scalable infrastructure deployment.
Build and maintain monitoring and alerting solutions using Prometheus, Grafana, and Nagios.
Document automation and tooling clearly enough for an Associate-level team member to execute independently.
Security & Compliance:
Implement and enforce IT security policies, access controls, and data protection measures across on-premise and cloud environments.
Manage endpoint security solutions, patch management, and privileged access management.
Manage user authentication systems, including SSO, MFA, and identity governance.
Lead incident response: manage security events, conduct Root Cause Analyses (RCA), and implement permanent fixes.
User Endpoint & Technical Support:
Oversee onboarding and offboarding procedures, ensuring seamless first-day experiences and complete account lifecycle management.
Administer Google Workspace, including user provisioning, group management, Drive policies, and app integrations.
Manage MDM solutions for corporate devices across Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android.
Provide or oversee expert-level L2/L3 support, ensuring timely resolution and minimal user disruption.
Manage IT asset inventory, lifecycle, and procurement coordination.
Requirements
Education & Experience:
Bachelor's Degree or Diploma in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field.
5+ years of proven experience in systems administration, infrastructure, or network engineering roles.
At least 2 years of formal or informal team leadership, including coaching, delegation, and performance feedback.
Relevant industry certifications (CompTIA, Cisco, Microsoft, GCP/Azure/OCI cloud, Linux) are highly desirable, but not compulsory.
Technical Skills:
Advanced proficiency in Active Directory / Directory as a Service (e.g., JumpCloud); Linux/Unix administration (RHEL, CentOS, Ubuntu, Debian).
Cloud networking expertise across GCP, OCI, and Azure: VPCs, subnets, load balancers, private service connect, VPN gateways, and cloud firewall management.
Deep understanding of TCP/IP, BGP routing protocols, switching, VLANs, and enterprise network architecture across data centre and WAN environments.
Hands-on experience with virtual routers (vRTF), F5 load balancers, and enterprise networking equipment (Cisco, Ubiquiti).
Virtualisation experience with Proxmox; data centre operations including rack and stack, power, cooling, and structured cabling.
Experience administering xCALLY PBX or equivalent enterprise telephony/unified communications platforms.
Proficiency in scripting: Python, PowerShell, Bash; experience with Ansible and Terraform.
Hands-on experience with n8n or equivalent workflow automation platforms for building and managing operational automations.
Experience managing AI tools within an IT environment, including access control, integration, and responsible use governance.
Experience with monitoring tools (Grafana, Prometheus, Nagios, PRTG) and endpoint/MDM management platforms.
Proficiency in Google Workspace administration: user and group management, Drive, Gmail, Meet, and third-party app integrations.
Advanced infosec tooling experience (e.g., CrowdStrike); knowledge of Disaster Recovery protocols and DR drills.
Experience with Jira Service Management; understanding of SLIs, SLOs, and SLAs.
Leadership & Soft Skills:
Proven ability to lead a technical team: delegate effectively, deliver feedback, and develop others.
Exceptional analytical and systematic troubleshooting approach; moves fast without compromising rigour.
Strong documentation discipline produces SOPs and runbooks clear enough for junior team members to execute.
Candid communicator: surfaces risks early, documents dissent, and challenges direction constructively.
Customer-obsessed: identifies and permanently resolves recurring pain points, not just individual tickets.
Working Conditions:
This role may require occasional weekend or after-hours work to perform system maintenance, upgrades, and respond to critical incidents.
Physical requirements may include lifting equipment up to 50 lbs.
What we can offer you
Culture: We put our people first and prioritize the well-being of every team member. We've built a company where all opinions carry weight and where all voices are heard. We value and respect each other and always look out for one another. Above all, we are human.
Learning: We have a learning and development-focused environment with an emphasis on knowledge sharing, training, and regular internal technical talks.
Compensation: You'll receive an attractive salary, pension, and health insurance.