Job profile

IT Desktop Computing Engineer and Administrator in Darmstadt (Germany)

The consultant shall have proven 5 years of experience as IT System Engineer and Administrator in a demanding and heterogeneous computing environment. The consultant is required to have as a minimum: • Novell Zenworks • MS Office, MS Visio, MS Project, financial and technical applications • Windows XP desktops • antivirus/firewall system like Symantec Endpoint Protection.

To join our DCS IT team working in Germany, we are looking for an IT Desktop Computing Engineer and Administrator. 

Place: Darmstadt – Germany.

Position:  IT Desktop Computing Engineer and Administrator.

Starting date: January 2010 for a duration of one year. Kindly indicate the earliest date of availability.

Contract type:  for one year with two options to extend the activities for a further period of two years for the first option and one year for the second option shall form part of the contract.

Working Language: English - French

Working Permit: Candidates from U.E, Switzerland or with a valid working permit ONLY.

Working Environment:

The corporate environment supports the generic office computing needs. The major elements of the environment are:· the user desktops/laptops and standard office applications (MS Windows XP SP2);· the data centre: (MS file & print servers, MS Windows application servers, Solaris/Linux servers);· the Email and GroupWare System (MS Exchange 2007);· the network infrastructure (LAN) including network security and Internet connectivity. The clients are MS-Windows XP SP3 desktop and notebook systems running MS-Office 2003 professional plus additional COTS applications.The clients are fully managed using Novell Zenworks.

There are about 130 networked printers and combined printer/copiers, mainly from HP.Central Novell Netware 6.5x servers provide file and print services to approx. 750 clients.The services are in the process to be migrated to MS Server 2008. A number Netware 6.5x and MS Windows 2000/2003 servers run applications like MS-SQL server supporting various database applications, a document management application (Hummingbird DM), etc.Some of the MS Windows servers are virtualised in a VMware environment.

They are using mostly hardware from Compaq/Hewlett Packard (HP), Intel based. The Email and GroupWare System is based on MS Exchange with multiple Mailbox servers in a clustered configuration. The system is hosting 1.3. TByte of online email. The following gateways are implemented: fax, Blackberry Enterprise, antivirus and web access. Spam filtering is implemented via a managed solution.A central, dedicated backup system based on snapshot technologies and tape libraries is in place.The IT network is a fully redundant switched one, with logically separated VLANs.The IT Infrastructure is at the moment undergoing major changes. It is planned to migrate from a Novell to a MS Infrastructure. In this contest an Active Directory forest has been introduced. 

Tasks:

The IT Desktop Computing Engineer and Administrator, in the Information Technology Service Support Group, will design, validate, deploy and support the desktop and laptop systems (OS and the applications). The detailed tasks, in order of priority, are as a minimum:

• prepare, validate and execute the distribution of software applications, upgrades and patches to desktops/servers using the Novell Zenworks Software Distribution / Patch Management systems;
• operate and maintain the hardware and software asset information via the Zenworks Asset Management System; monitor and report on software license usage, maintaining the software license inventory;
• operate and maintain the antivirus management infrastructure based on Symantec Enterprise Security; ensure that all systems are having the latest virus patterns and a managed firewall configuration;
• analyse users needs and provide input for the procurement of software applications or for upgrading the existing ones;
• provide second and third level user and technical support for user applications and desktops;
• contribute to the procurement of licenses by providing specifications and performing price inquiries, as well as act as interface with software suppliers regarding procurement, warranty and maintenance issues;
• maintain a verification and validation environment to verify and validate software updates and roll-outs;
• monitor and report on performance indicators for services and systems and perform health checks on the IT infrastructure and systems.

In the performance of these tasks, the consultant shall apply the relevant system engineering standards, as well as procedures for:

• quality management
• configuration and change control system operations and maintenance

Profile:

The consultant shall have preferably a University degree in Information Technology or comparable discipline (or equivalent professional experience) together with proven 5 years of experience as IT System Engineer and Administrator in a demanding and heterogeneous computing environment.MS certifications are considered an asset.The consultant is required to have as a minimum:

• extensive experience in using Novell Zenworks to package and distribute office applications;
• demonstrated experience in installing and operating the Novell Zenworks Suite;
• extensive knowledge of administering and deploying office packages (e.g. MS Office, MS Visio, MS Project, financial and technical applications);
• demonstrated experience in installing, administering and remotely managing Windows XP desktops;
• experience in operating a managed antivirus/firewall system like Symantec Endpoint Protection.

In addition, the following aspects shall be considered an advantage:

• knowledge of and experience in administering MS Active Directory;
• knowledge of other distribution systems (MS SMS or Landesk);
• knowledge of and experience in the specification, design and implementation of MS based system and services;
• experience of migrating from Novell to Microsoft environments;
• experience in a structured, ISO 9000 certified project and service environment;
• knowledge of change and configuration management fundamentals and principles;
• knowledge of ITIL. 

The variety of the tasks requires a high degree of autonomy and the close interaction with users of the IT environment requires good communication skills and a customer-oriented approach with some experience co-ordinating IT related projects.The official languages of EUMETSAT are English and French. The working language for the position is English and therefore the consultant must be able to work effectively in this language and have knowledge of the other.

Working hours :

The activity is assumed, as a baseline, to require full-time participation of one consultant for the duration of the contract. The tasks of the consultant will be carried out mainly at EUMETSAT HQ in Darmstadt, but may require very limited travel within Europe for certain activities. The work will be released in individual work packages based on rolling wave resource plans and related project plans.

The normal working hours are Monday - Thursday from 08:30 to 17:15 and Friday from 08:30 to 16:00. These are also the hours during which computing support and services are provided, and during which the information technology helpdesk shall be manned.Stand-by/call-out arrangements as well as late night or weekend work might be required on certain occasions, which will be planned and agreed at least one week ahead.

Reporting :

Formal reporting is required at monthly intervals and following completion of major tasks in a format specified by EUMETSAT. The monthly reports and any other reports or documentation generated shall be submitted in writing directly to the EUMETSAT technical representative or a delegated person for a specific project or service. All reporting and documentation shall be in the English language