Role Purpose
The Systems Administrator is a member of the 24x7x365 Infrastructure & Operations team, providing IT services to Keolis Canada’s operating entities with high-availability (four-nines / 4 9s) service targets. The incumbent owns Tier 2 and Tier 3 application support across the region - resolving escalated incidents and service requests that are beyond the scope of the central (Tier 1) helpdesk, performing advanced systems and application administration, and acting as a technical escalation point for the broader support team.
The incumbent is expected to handle complex application, integration, server, operational technology and basic network issues, restore service during elevated outages and cyber incidents, and contribute to the deployment and sustainment of enterprise application systems. The role is fully onsite and requires regular travel to operating sites.
Knowledge and Experience
- Minimum 4 years of hands-on systems and application administration experience, with demonstrated focus on Tier 2 and Tier 3 (not Tier 1) escalated support of enterprise applications and infrastructure.
- Proven experience supporting geographically dispersed local and remote end users across multiple sites, meeting or exceeding stringent corporate/contractual Service Level Agreements (SLAs) - 4 9s availability.
- Strong experience administering and troubleshooting enterprise applications, including incident diagnosis, root-cause analysis, patching, configuration, integrations and vendor-escalated defect resolution.
- Solid experience with on-premise and cloud-hosted services (Microsoft Azure and/or AWS - IaaS, PaaS, SaaS), Windows Server (2012 R2 and later), Active Directory / Entra ID, Microsoft 365, networking, endpoint, compute and storage (SAN/NAS).
- Working knowledge of cybersecurity frameworks and methodologies (e.g., NIST SP 800 / FIPS 140, ISO 27001/27002, CIS, PCI-DSS) and of securing both traditional IT and transit operational technologies.
- Comfortable authoring and debugging SQL queries and supporting application data and integration issues; experience with enterprise BI platforms (Power BI, Tableau and/or QuickSight) is an asset.
- Knowledge or exposure to transit onboard equipment (e.g., DriveCam, CAD/AVL, cellular technologies) and fleet management hardware/software is an asset.
- Undergraduate degree from an accredited university or college in computer science/engineering, information technology, or a related field; or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
- Active professional credentials in the following are preferred: ITIL v4 Foundation, Microsoft Certified (Azure/Server).
- Possess a valid Class 5 driver's license and access to a reliable personal vehicle to support travel requirements.
Skills
- Advanced troubleshooting and problem-solving skills with the ability to resolve complex, cross-system issues under pressure.
- Strong knowledge of Microsoft 365 and enterprise application administration.
- Ability to support tier 3 Applications team to design and execute system test plans, including front-end, back-end, unit and integration testing.
- Sound judgment to triage, prioritize and own escalated tickets through to resolution while keeping stakeholders informed.
- Exceptional time management and organizational skills; able to multitask across multiple incidents and projects simultaneously.
- Strong attention to detail and a disciplined approach to documentation and knowledge management.
- Excellent communication skills to interact effectively with end users, peers, leadership and vendors.
- Customer-oriented mindset with strong listening skills and a commitment to service quality.
- Ability to mentor and provide technical guidance to junior team members and Tier 1 staff.
- Self-motivated, autonomous and rigorous, with a willingness to continuously learn new technologies.
Key Accountabilities
Tier 2 & Tier 3 System and Application Support
- Own and resolve Tier 2 and Tier 3 incidents and service requests escalated from the central (Tier 1) helpdesk, providing advanced application and systems support.
- Perform root-cause analysis on complex, recurring and cross-system issues, and implement permanent corrective actions.
- Administer, configure, patch and maintain enterprise applications, server, network, email and file services to keep them stable and secure.
- Act as the technical escalation point to vendors for defects and advanced support, enforcing agreed SLAs through to resolution.
- Categorize, prioritize and document incidents and resolutions in line with ITIL best practices; create and maintain troubleshooting procedures and knowledge-base articles.
IT Infrastructure & Operations
- Maintain reliable infrastructure and real-time monitoring/notification capabilities to support business continuity and high-availability targets.
- Verifying backups run successfully, investigating failures, and handling restore requests when needed.
- File shares & permissions – Managing access to network shares, setting and correcting NTFS/DFS ACLs, Access to software / Tools / Apps and resolving permission issues on sensitive folders.
- Troubleshooting print queues, drivers, and connectivity problems for users.
- Address escalated site-wide and company-wide outages and cyber incidents as a member of the off-hours critical response team and 24x7 on-call rotation.
- Support the deployment and sustainment of enterprise application systems in coordination with internal and external stakeholders.
- Apply and support cybersecurity controls across traditional IT and lines of business operational technologies, in line with corporate policy and industry frameworks.
- Ad hoc support: Investigating and resolving a range of day-to-day infrastructure and user issues as they come up including handling lockouts, password resets, access requests, and general account troubleshooting.
- Create and keep current documentation for services, infrastructure and configurations.
Onsite Deployment & Field Support
- Provide onsite, deskside and field support across pan-Canadian operating sites ; travel regularly to sites and occasionally elsewhere in Canada.
- Serve as a member of onsite technical deployment teams during mobilization and demobilization efforts (endpoint management, server migration, application roll-out).
- Install, test, configure, maintain and repair IT hardware, software, operating systems, telephony and mobile devices as required.
- Maintain accurate IT asset and hardware inventory across supported sites.
Collaboration, Continuous Improvement & Mentorship
- Collaborate with Keolis North America Digital Solutions and cross-functional teams to deliver shared-services objectives and the regional IT services vision.
- Identify and propose improvements to the support process, tooling, software and systems to improve service quality and reduce cost.
- Provide technical guidance and mentorship to Tier 1 staff and junior administrators, and support onboarding of new technical employees.
- Participate actively in transformation projects, contributing to feasibility assessment, proof-of-concept, testing and deployment of new solutions.
Other tasks
- Any other tasks directly related to the position
About Keolis
Keolis Canada is a leader in public transportation, with over 2,000 employees dedicated to providing safe, reliable, and sustainable multimodal mobility solutions across the country. Committed to operational excellence, innovation, and customer experience, the company actively contributes to making travel more accessible and efficient, while creating a positive impact on communities and the environment.
A subsidiary of the Keolis Group, a global company owned by SNCF (70%) and the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) (30%), Keolis Canada benefits from the expertise of a group operating in 13 countries, with nearly 70,000 employees and revenue of 7.7 billion euros in 2025.
