How to hire a senior system administrator

How to hire a senior system administrator, step by step

Here's a step-by-step senior system administrator hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a senior system administrator job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new senior system administrator
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a senior system administrator do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your senior system administrator job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a senior system administrator for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A senior system administrator's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, senior system administrators from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of senior system administrator salaries for various roles:

   Type of Senior System Administrator	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior System Administrator	Computer networks are critical parts of almost every organization. Network and computer systems administrators are responsible for the day-to-day operation of these networks.	$36-60
   LAN Administrator	LAN administrators are responsible for maintaining the local area network of an organization. These administrators manage the server that connects an organization's network to computers and equipment that need them... Show more	$20-41
   Linux Administrator	A Linux administrator is responsible for monitoring the efficiency of Linux operating systems to support business operations and high-quality deliverables. Linux administrators handle the resolution of Linux network issues, maintaining its stability and ensuring its safety and security from unauthorized access and malware threats... Show more	$29-48

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Linux
   • Windows Server
   • Troubleshoot
   • System Administration
   • PowerShell
   • SAN
   • Azure
   • DOD
   • OS
   • DNS
   • Desktop
   • SCCM
   • Unix
   • Tcp Ip

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage and optimize the design and delivery of project associate with AIX arena.
   • Manage all installs and setup of new servers, and server upgrades to server 2008 R2.
   • Implement IIS servers for both the internal and external web servers and managing security on all web servers.
   • Design, implement, and manage a network and domain extension in a remote location via a secure VPN link.
   • Manage Cisco network equipment including firewalls and switches.
   • Administer and manage daily backups via Symantec NetBackup.

   More senior system administrator duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the senior system administrator job description is a good way to get more applicants. A senior system administrator salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a senior system administrator in Oklahoma may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level senior system administrator. Additionally, a senior system administrator with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average senior system administrator salary

   $98,146yearly

   $47.19 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior system administrator salary

   $75,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 21, 2025

   Average senior system administrator salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$132,157	$64
   2	Washington	$117,788	$57
   3	New York	$107,163	$52
   4	Massachusetts	$104,618	$50
   5	District of Columbia	$102,980	$50
   6	New Jersey	$102,644	$49
   7	Maryland	$101,609	$49
   8	Virginia	$97,389	$47
   9	North Carolina	$95,079	$46
   10	Pennsylvania	$94,373	$45
   11	Arizona	$90,580	$44
   12	Michigan	$90,147	$43
   13	Illinois	$88,518	$43
   14	Texas	$88,112	$42
   15	Georgia	$86,751	$42
   16	Missouri	$86,182	$41
   17	Ohio	$83,979	$40
   18	Florida	$83,737	$40
   19	Indiana	$82,493	$40
   20	South Carolina	$81,443	$39

   Average senior system administrator salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Cambridge Associates	$143,529	$69.00
   2	Apple	$141,691	$68.12	120
   3	Pure Storage	$140,758	$67.67	7
   4	NVIDIA	$135,691	$65.24	52
   5	F5	$135,212	$65.01
   6	PayPal	$134,646	$64.73
   7	Proofpoint	$134,083	$64.46	1
   8	ICE Mortgage Technology	$133,230	$64.05
   9	Vista Equity Partners	$133,199	$64.04	1
   10	Starbucks	$132,279	$63.60
   11	8x8	$132,018	$63.47	2
   12	Activision Blizzard	$131,948	$63.44	1
   13	Yahoo	$131,592	$63.27
   14	Xilinx	$131,347	$63.15
   15	Avid	$131,297	$63.12	20
   16	Zynga	$130,421	$62.70
   17	Xandr	$130,111	$62.55
   18	Amazon	$129,659	$62.34	464
   19	American Tower	$129,441	$62.23
   20	Ticketmaster	$128,861	$61.95

4. Writing a senior system administrator job description

   A job description for a senior system administrator role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a senior system administrator job description:

   Senior system administrator job description example

   The Senior Systems Administrator is responsible for the overseeing and managing all verification and testing activities, ensuring progress according to time plan, consistency in test scope and approach. He/she will manage multiple testing of different projects and different 3rd party function/interface providers and establish guidelines on testing documentation, scope planning, issue documentation and classification and ensure consistent execution. This position will be responsible for the creation of overall test plans, resource requirements and time plans for all Aftersales verification topics including cooperation with project managers within the department as well as the test team in Munich. He/she will consistently measure progress, define improvement opportunities and implement where appropriate and possible. This position will report on verification progress, issues identified and provide assessment of criticality to project managers and provide an overall evaluation of software quality of tested applications and report, discuss and follow up identified issues with Munich; escalate critical issues to Operations Manager for expedited solution. He/she will advise and train system analysts on testing methods, new features in ISPI applications, new test tools.
   
   The Senior Systems Administrator will plan and document testing scenarios, test cases for the application and system tests of ISPI Next applications within the ISPI Next application environment, including interface tests to internal and external interface partners, for both positive and negative test scenarios. They will also verify new functionalities work as required within the US dealer environment and analyze and document defects in HP ALM and manage issues throughout the bugfix process, involving local business units, local IT and business units and IT in Munich. He/she will prepare release and support documentation and assist project managers in creation of training documentation.
   
   The Senior Systems Administrator will analyze new user requirements and convert into detailed system specification. He/she will be responsible for reviewing external/outside system proposals for new requirements and ensure business requirements are fulfilled, document assessments and propose improvements and will prepare and update information flow / network charts. This position will review dealer operations setup with regards to ISPI system landscape and document assessment and will act as local support to investigate critical system issues and assist local and central IT organization in rectification. He/she will oversee installation and configuration of ISPI system environment as outlined in ISPI handbook at retailers and internal locations.
   
   Join the team at BMW of North America and enjoy a high-performance employment package which includes:
   Company sponsored Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance.
   
   Employee car program.
   
   401(k) Savings Plan.
   
   Retirement Income Account. Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Business - or equivalent work experience 5-10 years' experience in wholesale/retail in an OEM- preferably in an Aftersales or Information Technology area with specific areas including service processes, good knowledge of retail processes (esp. Aftersales and Service) 3-5 years' experience leading teams and managing external vendors Solid technical, management, and instructional skills. Expert knowledge of HP ALM, Confluence, JIRA Expert knowledge of APIs (XML, REST, JSON) Advanced knowledge of IT network administration Advanced knowledge of database schemas and systems (Oracle, SQL, Postgres) Advanced knowledge of programming frameworks and languages (Java, .NET, C#, C++)
   BMW NA is an EEO employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find senior system administrators for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any senior system administrators they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level senior system administrators with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your senior system administrator job on Zippia to find and recruit senior system administrator candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting senior system administrators requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   If your interviews with senior system administrator applicants aren't enough to make a decision, you should also consider including a test project. These are often the best, most straightforward, and least bias-prone ways of determining who will likely succeed in the role. If you don't know how to design an appropriate test, you can ask someone else on the team to create it or take a look at these websites to get a few ideas:

   • TestDome
   • CodeSignal
   • Testlify
   • BarRaiser
   • Coderbyte

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new senior system administrator

   Once you've found the senior system administrator candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new senior system administrator. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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