IT Systems Engineer​/Network Specialist

IT Systems Engineer / Network Specialist

Title: IT Systems Engineer / Network Specialist

Grade: 15

Department: Information Technology

Reports To: Director, Information Technology

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt

Union: Teamsters, Local #122

Date Approved By Department Director: February 3, 2026

Date Approved By Human Resources Department: February 4, 2026

The Cambridge Housing Authority (CHA), a leader in developing and maintaining affordable housing communities, is seeking a qualified and highly motivated candidate. By focusing on policy innovation and family economic opportunities, the CHA is committed to developing and managing safe, high quality, affordable housing for low‑income individuals and families. CHA provides long‑term rental housing and rental assistance to more than 5,500+ individuals and families through its Public Housing and Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Programs.

The primary purpose of this position is to design, implement, administer, and support the Cambridge Housing Authority’s technology ecosystem. This includes systems such as cloud, hybrid, network, and Software‑as‑a‑Service. This role ensures secure, compliant, reliable, and efficient technology operations across the organization, while simultaneously providing support to the users of those systems. It also contributes to the development of IT strategy, advances automation of technology processes, and ensures appropriate documentation and continuity of operations.

• Aid in the development of the agency’s IT strategic plan
• Design and implement robust, secure, and compliant technology systems
• Maintain and improve existing technology environments

• Participate in Support – as a small but agile IT team, all IT team members participate in Help Desk support activities. The team works together to provide the quickest and highest quality support possible.
• Deliver department automations – manage the end‑to‑end rollout of automation solutions across various IT systems. Examples include automating user enrollment tasks, software deployments, end‑user device configuration, and routine IT workflows.
• Design and implement a “cloud first” approach – lead the design and implementation of a cloud‑first initiative at CHA, converting on‑prem or hybrid workflows and systems to the cloud where possible, and integrating automation and AI solutions.
• Liaise with external vendors for integration and support – where necessary, utilize third‑party vendors to access, validate, and integrate technology solutions as required.
• Establish and maintain documentation standards – create and maintain comprehensive documentation of systems, networks, and services, ensuring reliable guidance in any worst‑case scenario.
• Interpersonal and Customer Service – articulate ideas and provide excellent customer service, communicating effectively with staff at all organizational levels.

Education and Experience: The ideal candidate will have hands‑on experience in technical roles, a background in system/network administration or engineering, and be well versed in Microsoft platforms. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university is preferred but not required. Technical certifications are preferred but not required. Prospective candidates may include a portfolio or examples of their work.

Required Technical

Skills:

• Advanced skills in the Microsoft ecosystem (Microsoft 365, Azure, on‑premise products, Active Directory, Entra, Exchange Online, Intune, Teams, SharePoint, Azure Vault, Windows OS, etc.)
• Knowledge of firewalls, switches, VPNs, VLANs, authentication, TCP/IP, DNS, and policy configuration; intermediate routing and switching knowledge is not required.
• IT security best‑practices such as zero trust and the principle of least privilege; able to perform system and user audit functions and use standard security tools.
• System administration experience in cloud‑native platforms like Microsoft Azure, AWS, or GCP.
• System administration experience of SaaS applications, including SSO integration, account syncing, permission configuration, and role‑based security.
• Ability to influence decisions to…