Junior System Engineer Jobs in Wisconsin (NOW HIRING)

Acuity is seeking a System Engineer II to be responsible for designing, configuring, and maintaining Acuity’s IT systems to ensure performance, security, scalability, and availability. Building on foundational experience, this role takes ownership of system deployments, integrations, and optimizations while collaborating closely with senior engineers, and cross-functional teams. The System Engineer II actively monitors system health, troubleshoots complex issues, implements automation to improve efficiency, and ensures compliance with security and regulatory requirements. In addition, this role contributes to documentation, disaster recovery planning, and continuous improvement initiatives while mentoring junior engineers and providing technical leadership in daily operations.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

• General System Work
  • Collaborates with senior engineers to design and implement systems that meet performance, scalability, availability, and security requirements.
  • Participates in the integration of new systems and upgrades to existing infrastructure.
  • Ensures system designs meet key requirements for availability, performance, and maintainability.
  • Works closely with development, security, and operations teams to ensure systems are aligned with business objectives and meet technical requirements.
  • Participates in system design reviews, offering insights and recommendations based on technical expertise.
  • Performs regular system maintenance tasks such as patch management, updates, and system backups.
  • Ensures systems are properly maintained throughout their lifecycle, managing hardware replacement, software updates, and configuration changes.
  • Contributes to the planning and implementation of system upgrades, ensuring minimal downtime and disruption.
• System Monitoring and Optimization
  • Actively monitors system health, performance metrics, and system logs, ensuring the systems are operating as expected, identifying areas for improvement, and optimizing configurations to increase system efficiency.
  • Identifies areas for process improvement and suggests solutions to streamline operations and increase reliability.
  • Monitors resource usage of systems to ensure they are sized appropriately and change resource allocation when necessary.
  • Implements automation tools and scripts (e.g., Ansible, PowerShell) to improve system administration tasks and reduce manual intervention. 
• Problem Resolution
  • Troubleshoots complex system issues related to hardware, software, or networking, applying corrective measures to prevent recurrence.
  • Participates in incident response activities, including root cause analysis, resolution, and documentation of issues affecting system availability or performance.
  • Assists junior engineers in solving complex system issues, supporting their development and providing hands-on learning opportunities.
  • Escalates critical issues as appropriate while collaborating with senior engineers for resolution.
• Security Mindset
  • Implements security protocols such as firewalls, and user authentication to safeguard systems and data.
  • Works with security engineers to ensure systems are compliant with regulatory standards and internal security policies.
  • Applies security patches and updates system configurations to remediate vulnerabilities in accordance with the SLA.
  • Understands certificate and encryption cipher concepts to implement secure connections between systems.
  • Understanding of security concepts such as least privilege and network segmentation.
• Documentation Practices
  • Maintains detailed documentation of system configurations, changes, and incidents to ensure clarity for team members and future reference.
  • Creates and updates troubleshooting guides, operational procedures, and knowledge base articles to assist in daily operations and knowledge sharing.
• Disaster Recovery/Backups
  • Ensures that backup schedules are adhered to and that data is correctly stored and easily recoverable in the event of failure.
  • Assists in disaster recovery testing and planning to ensure business continuity.
• Collaboration/Communication
  • Works with other engineers, business analysts and stakeholders to ensure smooth system implementation and integration.
  • Provides support to other teams during system rollouts or configurations and assists in ensuring system compatibility across different platforms.
  • Reviews the work of junior engineers, offering feedback and suggestions to help them grow technically.
  • Participates in team calls and check-ins, heartbeats, and project kick-offs.
• Training and Career Growth
  • Mentors Systems Engineer I team members, providing guidance on system configuration, troubleshooting, and best practices.
  • Participates in training sessions, certification programs, and team meetings to grow technical expertise and stay updated on industry best practices.
  • Participates in continuous improvement initiatives, refining procedures and policies for system management and deployment.
  • Seeks feedback and learning opportunities from more experienced team members to improve technical proficiency.
• Miscellaneous
  • Demonstrate regular and predictable attendance.
  • Complete mandatory company training.
  • Perform other duties as assigned. 

EDUCATION:

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent of education and experience in computer science or related field.

EXPERIENCE:

A system engineer with 2-5 years of experience in system administration, engineering, or infrastructure support will generally demonstrate these skill sets.

OTHER QUALIFICATIONS:

• Technical Proficiency 
  • Advanced experience with a range of tools and technologies, including: 
    • Operating Systems: Windows Server and Linux
    • Virtualization & Remote Access: VMware, RDP, SSH
    • Containers: Docker, Podman, Kubernetes, OpenShift
    • Scripting: PowerShell, Python, Bash, Ansible
    • Monitoring Tools: SolarWinds, Prometheus
    • Version Control: Git
    • Job Schedulers: Cron, Zena
    • Security: Encryption, firewalls, ACLs, multi-factor authentication, vulnerability management
    • Networking: TCP/IP, DNS, VLANs, routing
    • Backup & Recovery: Enterprise backup and disaster recovery solutions
• Professional Attributes
  • Strong analytical thinker with the ability to break down moderately complex problems and identify practical solutions.
  • Clear written and verbal communication with the ability to present technical issues and solutions.
  • Strong communicator and collaborator, able to work with cross-functional teams including business units, development, operations, and security.
  • Capable of undertaking tasks with limited guidance from senior engineers.
  • Proficient in creating and maintaining documentation, test plans, and disaster recovery procedures.
  • Mentorship experience or desire to coach junior team members.
  • Proactive mindset with a focus on process optimization.
  • Available to work outside standard hours as needed for changes or upgrades.
  • On-call availability for critical system incidents as needed.
  • May need to live within a 2-hour radius of Acuity’s HQ (depending on job duties).

*Acuity does not sponsor applicants for U.S. work authorization.* 

This job is classified as exempt.

The salary range for this position is $87,000 - $125,000 annually. This salary range is an estimate, and the actual salary will vary based on applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities.

For this role, Acuity offers a comprehensive benefits package, including a generous 401(k) contribution, medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, paid time off, an Employee Assistance Program, and more. A full description of benefits and eligibility will be provided to candidates during the hiring process.

We are an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. Applicants and employees are considered for positions and are evaluated without regard to mental or physical disability, race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, genetic information, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, marital status or any other protected Federal, State/Province or Local status unrelated to the performance of the work involved.

Acuity will include at least one in-person interview during the hiring process for all positions.

If you have a disability and require reasonable accommodations to apply or during the interview process, including for in-person interviews, please contact our Talent Acquisition team at careers@acuity.com. Acuity is dedicated to offering reasonable accommodations during our recruitment process for qualified individuals.