Lead Systems Engineer

Together we make breakthroughs possible.

At OCLC, we build technology with a purpose: to connect libraries and make knowledge accessible worldwide, because we believe that what is known must be shared. Our teams work with complex global datasets, AI and machine learning, hybrid cloud solutions, and other technologies that connect people and organizations to the information they need. We value the power of unique perspectives and experiences to unlock innovation. At OCLC, your ideas matter, whether you have two years of experience or 20. You’ll learn, create, and problem-solve with technologists, product developers, librarians, researchers, marketing pros, and support teams around the world.

Why join OCLC?

OCLC is consistently recognized as a best place to work by several independent programs. We recognize and reward people and results with a comprehensive Total Rewards package. This means competitive compensation that reflects your unique contributions—performance, experience, and skills—along with exceptional benefits, including best-in-class health coverage, retirement plans with generous company contributions, and a commitment to your overall well-being.

• We know the best ideas don’t always happen at a desk. Take a walking meeting around our 100-acre campus or enjoy lunch on the patio. We’re committed to your success—both personally and professionally. Hybrid work environment: For many roles, three days a week on-site, with occasional additional days based on business needs.

• Free use of our on-site fitness center, gym sports, group exercise classes, and game room

• Onsite catering and cafeteria subsidized by OCLC

• Health and wellness events

• Work environments with individual and team spaces and the latest technology tools

• Paid parental leave and adoption assistance

• Tuition reimbursement and Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility

• Company-subsidized pricing on local tickets and memberships

Join us in transforming how people everywhere access information and be part of a mission-driven team that makes a global impact.

The job details are as follows:

The Wise Lead System Engineer role exists to execute and coordinate technical projects which drive improved reliability, stability, and efficiency throughout the OCLC Wise platform, the server infrastructure, and related automation workflows.  “OCLC Wise” is an Integrated Library System (ILS) used by public libraries to meet the needs of library users and the library staff. The Lead System Engineer works closely with Software Engineers and other stakeholders to coordinate changes and improvements to platform operations and improves our capability to scale our processes and facilitate faster delivery and reliability.

Success in this role is marked by:

• Automation or elimination of repetitive system tasks.
• Introduction of tools and techniques for better platform management.
• Leadership and follow-thru in resolving customer issues.
• Documentation and knowledge transfer to other team members.
• Managing relationships with internal departments
• Project initiation, coordination, and execution.
• Excellent and pro-active communication with stakeholders.
• Ownership, self-motivation, organization, and attention to detail and deadlines.
• Be strong in context switching.
• The ability to learn technical landscapes quickly, whether new or old technology.
• The ability to manage multiple requests from multiple stakeholders and prioritize them to get work done in a timely fashion.
• Aggressive analysis of the causes of faults, failures, and inefficiencies.
• System administration.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and oversee the work of stakeholders and team members, coordinate with the EMEA DevOps team members.
• Propose and lead automaton improvement projects for the platform using tools such as Ansible, Rundeck, etc.
• Maintain and build Ansible playbooks to provision new environments and keep existing environments up to date.
• Lead and guide the preparation of environments for new customers.
• Oversee the workflows for platform patches and upgrades.
• Plan, schedule, and monitor various maintenance tasks.
• Analyze performance and reliability; propose and implement improvements.
• Build and improve monitoring solutions for the environments.
• Lead analysis and help with the resolution of production incidents.
• Coordinate and implement server-related changes required by customers.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science (or equivalent degree or equivalent work experience).
• 6 or more years of RedHat Linux server administration experience, including triaging errors from logging.
• 6 or more years of Extensive Ansible scripting and automation skills.
• 6 or more years of proficient working knowledge of scripting (Bash, Python).
• Good knowledge of the MySQL query language is a must; Postgres experience is a plus.
• Excellent communication skills with a variety of technical expertise.
• You’re a natural leader who brings structure, sets priorities, and aligns the team through clear planning and communication.
• Outstanding troubleshooting skills with an ability to analyze in a high-pressure situation.
• General programming logic/structure knowledge (Knowledge of Java is a plus).
• Demonstrates extensive Linux system administration and Linux command skills.
• Container infrastructure design and implementation.  Knowledge of Kubernetes, Helm, and Docker is a plus.
• Experience with Rundeck, Jenkins, SOLR and/or ETCD is a plus.
• Experience with networking / DNS / routing is a plus.
• Experience with standard change management practices (ITIL) is a plus.

The Wise Lead System Engineer functions as an embedded subject matter expert and technical project leader working from within the OCLC Wise development team. OCLC practices a hybrid work location model allowing at least 3 days a week in the office and 2 days remote.