System Administrator

We are EA

And we make games – how cool is that? In fact, we entertain millions of people across the globe 24/7 with the most amazing and immersive interactive software in the industry. But making games and delivering a flawless player experience is hard work. That’s why we employ the most creative, resourceful and passionate people in the industry.

The Challenge Ahead:  

The Mission Control Center (MCC) resides within the EA Digital Platforms Technical Operations team which is responsible for the infrastructure that our games run on. The MCC is the central point of contact for the Digital Platform team and plays a key role in driving online ‘always on’ services keeping a watchful eye over all monitored endpoints to ensure a continuous 24X7X365 uptime for our stakeholders. We’re looking for a Systems Administrator to join the team.

What a MCC Systems Administrator does at EA:

The Systems Administrator is responsible for being the first point of contact for systems related issues.  The Systems Administrator will triage issues, provide an initial pass at a resolve and assist our internal Tier 3 engineers ensuring that our escalation process and procedures are followed. The Systems Administrator will also be responsible for creation and addition of documentation to our knowledge base and run books for all elements that are monitored by our MCC. The Systems Administrator will additionally assist in tracking and providing data for internal group reports that detail the success and utilization of our Mission Control Center, disaster recovery policies and emergency/incident management drills.  The ideal candidate understands the rigorous demands a 24x7x365 real-time online operational environment requires.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provides day to day oversight of MCC incidents to include monitoring/tracking tier 1 and 2 systems related incidents.
• Assists in building of EAs technical knowledge base, run books and escalation policies for day to day issue resolution for systems and site management.
• Provides technical expertise in identifying, evaluating and developing systems and procedures that are cost effective and meet user requirements.
• Analyzes data to assist in providing results of emergency management and disaster recovery drills as defined by agreed incident escalation and disaster recovery policies.
• Partners with other Technical Operations teams on a consistent basis in order to reduce systems downtime.
• Escalates emergencies as needed to lead and/or management personnel.
• Escalates trouble incidents/ticket as needed to lead and/or management personnel.
• Ensures MCC notification and escalation procedures are accurately followed.
• Experience with system installation, automation, configuration, and management.
• Designs and develops scripting and other automation tasks.
• Partners with development, QA, DBAs and other administrators to develop and implement improved deployment practices.
• Troubleshoots application, network, and server level problems for internal systems.
• Maintains Backup systems and perform regular system backups and test restore.
• Reviews log files and other server monitoring data for problems and perform proactive maintenance.
• Participates in 24x7 support and maintenance activities.

The next great EA MCC Systems Administrator also needs:

• Minimum BS degree in Computer Science, Engineering or related field
• Experience with AWS public cloud deployments, understanding of existing AWS technology offerings, and experience with integrated public cloud services is required.
• Advanced level of experience with virtualization technologies such as Xen, KVM and/or VMW
• 1-3+ years’ experience with Systems Operations/Engineering organizational responsibilities which include ownership and management of incident escalation, resolution tracking and resolution reporting
• Strong understanding of application transport and network infrastructure protocols (., TCP/IP, DNS, and DHCP)

• Experience or dealings with Network Operations Center best practices
• Understanding of company resources such as; databases, software applications, and organizational structure
• Strong crisis management skills
• Proficient understanding of code versioning tools, such as Git
• Must demonstrate solid quantitative, analytical and conceptual thinking skills
• Ability to define problems, document and establish facts to draw valid conclusions
• Red Hat/CentOS Linux administration experience
• Experience with OS security fundamentals for publicly accessible Linux servers
• Experience with common Linux and/or Unix Systems administration tools
• This position will require shift work to include nights, weekends and holidays

      …and, in general, the potential to sweep us off our feet!

What’s in it for you? Glad you asked!

We love to brag about our great perks like comprehensive health and benefit packages, tuition reimbursement, 401k with company match and, of course, free video games. And since we realize it takes world-class people to make world-class games, we offer competitive compensation packages and a culture that thrives off of creativity and individuality. At EA, we live the “work hard/play hard” credo every day.

Don’t Just Play It – Create It!