Job Overview We are seeking motivated Linux/UNIX Systems Engineers with 2–4 years of hands-on experience supporting, administering... ...and non-production Linux environments. Automate routine administrative tasks using…
Engineering & IT · Chicago, IL
Systems Administrator jobs in Chicago, IL
Systems administrators keep an organization's servers, networks, and core services running — handling installs, patching, backups, permissions, and the problems that surface in between.
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$26–$67/hr
Typical pay range
$92k
Median, full-time
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Job Title: Senior Network Administrator Industry: Nonprofit Location (City, State): Chicago, IL Assignment Type: Long-Term Contract... ...footprint. The internal IT team supports business-critical systems across networki…
our strategic guidance to help healthcare providers achieve their clinical, operational and business strategies. As a Systems Administrator, you will be responsible for the overall maintenance, configuration, and reliabl…
your career. Visit or follow MMS on LinkedIn . Senior Pharmacovigilance System Architect We are recruiting for an experienced Pharmacovigilance System Architect (Argus Administrator SME) to join our US team. Roles & Resp…
those communities, federating a laboratory's existing on-premises system with burst capacity it did not have before, and getting a... ...into it. Requirements ~2 or more years of hands-on Linux administration. RHEL, Rock…
material support and expertise Position Summary The Salesforce Administrator is responsible for administering, configuring, and enhancing... ...requirements and deliver effective solutions. ~ Support system integrations…
$93k - $114k
government agencies across the U.S. Visit us at www.sdipresence.com and connect with us on X and LINKEDIN . Summary The Systems Administrator is responsible for the installation, configuration, and maintenance of the inf…
$100k - $125k
Senior Systems Engineer Compensation: $100k–$125k salary + 0.1%–0.2% equity + benefits BiomeSense is a pioneering life sciences startup harnessing the gut microbiome to revolutionize personalized medicine. With our break…
The role focuses on building, maintaining, and improving a large Linux environment supporting latency-sensitive trading and research systems, with responsibility across provisioning, monitoring, optimisation, and automat…
specializing in the utilities, government, and healthcare markets. We’re looking for friendly, professional, and motivated Sr. Systems Administrator to join our Information Technology team. If you’re looking for a compan…
$150k - $225k
We’re seeking a Linux Engineer with deep systems expertise and Python/scripting experience to join our growing global team. You will... ...Skills and Experience Hands-on Linux systems engineering, administration, and pro…
Senior Database Administrator II Employment Type: Full-Time, Mid Level Department: Information Technology Contact Government Services... ...2012 to SQL Server 2016. Providing all aspects of basic systems administration s…
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What systems administrators earn in Chicago
Hourly first — that's how the offer arrives
| Experience | Hourly | Annual, full-time |
|---|---|---|
| Entry level | $26–$38 | $54k–$78k |
| Mid level | $38–$51 | $78k–$106k |
| Senior | $50–$67 | $103k–$140k |
Adjusted for the Chicago market from national ranges.
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What employers ask for
The skills these listings keep naming
Windows Server and Active DirectoryLinux administrationNetworking (DNS, DHCP, VPN)Virtualization (VMware, Hyper-V)Backup and disaster recoveryScripting (PowerShell, Bash)Microsoft 365 / Azure ADPatch and endpoint managementDocumentation
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Interview questions worth rehearsing
With the thing the interviewer is actually listening for
Users report they cannot access a shared drive. How do you troubleshoot?
Work in layers: scope (one user or many), network, permissions, and the server itself. Narrating a clear elimination process is the whole answer.
Walk me through your backup and restore strategy.
Cover the 3-2-1 principle, retention, and — most importantly — actually testing restores. 'Backups exist' means nothing until a restore succeeds.
How do you roll out patches without breaking things?
Talk about test groups, maintenance windows, rollback plans, and prioritizing by severity. Balance security urgency against stability.
Tell me about a major outage you handled.
Structure it: detection, communication, fix, and what you changed afterward. Mentioning how you kept users informed matters as much as the fix.
How do you manage user onboarding and offboarding securely?
Describe standardized checklists or automation, least-privilege access, and prompt deprovisioning. Orphaned accounts are the risk they are probing.
What do you automate in your day-to-day work?
Give real script examples — account creation, monitoring checks, cleanup jobs. Automation instinct is what separates admins who scale.
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Resume tips that move the needle
For systems administrators specifically — generic advice costs you here
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State the environment size you supported: users, servers, sites — it frames everything else on the page.
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List the platforms precisely (Windows Server versions, Linux distros, VMware, M365) since job postings screen on exact matches.
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Quantify reliability: uptime maintained, ticket backlog reduced, restore times improved.
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Show scripting and automation work explicitly; it is the main lever for moving up from this role.
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Include certifications that are current (Microsoft, CompTIA, Linux) and drop expired ones.
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Where this role goes
Typical progression
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IT Support Specialist
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Systems Administrator
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Senior Systems Administrator
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IT Infrastructure Manager
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