Job ID

76055

Job Title

SYSTEMS INTEGRATION SPECIALIST

Regular/Temporary

Temporary

Location

Central Campus

Open Date

2026/05/07

Job Type

Limited Term (>12 months)

Close Date

2026/06/12

Employee Group

Unifor Unit 1, Staff

Favorite Job

Department

Research Data Centre Network

Full/Part Time

Full-Time

Salary Grade/Band

Grade 11

Salary Range

$41.99 - $59.09 (hourly)

Job Code

JD0636

Existing Vacancy

Yes - Newly Created Position

Contract Duration

24 Months

Target Number of Openings

1

Hours per Week

35

Posting Details

Schedule

Monday - Friday, 8:30am-4:30pm

Education Level

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Business, or a related field of study.

Career Level

Requires 5 years of relevant experience.

Job Description Number

JD00636

Anticipated Start Date

July 2026

Employment Type

Limited Term Employee

Duration

24 month

Job Description

Should the successful applicant be a Unifor Unit 1 bargaining unit member, who meets the eligibility conditions of Article 19.02 of the Unifor Unit 1 Collective Agreement, then the Limited Term Assignment will be defined as a Career Growth Opportunity in accordance with Article 19 of the Unifor Local 5555 Unit 1 Collective Agreement.

Unit Description

Established in 2000, the Canadian Research Data Centre Network (CRDCN) is a national research infrastructure for leading edge research and training in the quantitative social and population health sciences, creating social, economic, health and environmental benefits for Canadians. The Network supports a partnership between Canadian universities and Statistics Canada. Its mission is to enable quantitative researchers to address vital questions; train the next generation of highly qualified personnel in social and population health sciences; and contribute to evidence-based policy and decision-making by facilitating access to confidential microdata supported by state-of-the-art computing facilities. There are four key strategic pillars set out in the current CRDCN Strategic Plan (2024-29): data; community and capabilities; evidence-informed decision-making; and research ecosystem.

This national facility is run by a central management team based at McMaster University as the host institution. It is led by the Executive Director who reports to a national Board and at McMaster to the Vice President Research, who also serves on the Board. CRDCN is a distributed network, currently comprising 33 physical Research Data Centres (RDCs) based in Collaborating Institutions, each led by an Academic Director, whose roles and responsibilities are overseen by CRDCN. The CRDCN currently serves over 2,000 researchers and trainees in all 10 provinces.

CRDCN is primarily funded by federal and provincial government agencies—namely Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ)—as well as Statistics Canada and 33 Collaborating Institutions. The total budget from these and other funding sources in the current funding term is $80M (2023-2029). CRDCN is one of only 19 CFI Major Science Initiatives. CRDCN also manages additional CFI funding ($10M) to build an advanced research computing platform, which will centralize physical and remote data access to all RDCs via two Compute Canada data centres located at the University of Waterloo and Simon Fraser University. CRDCN’s central management team will take on new responsibilities to operate and maintain this advanced research computing platform upon completion of its build.

Reporting to the Director of IT at CRDCN, this role will support and administer a secure, enterprise-grade virtual desktop and remote access environment. This role focuses on maintaining and optimizing a VMware Horizon VDI infrastructure alongside Fortinet Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) solutions to ensure reliable, secure access for end users.

Job Summary

The Systems Integration Specialist acts as a lead technical and consulting resource to various University departments and units with respect to the planning, implementation, and maintenance of information technology systems. Supports the University's academic and administration departments by acting in a functional capacity in all phases of the Project Life Cycle for medium to large projects, including post-production support and ongoing maintenance. Continuously gains an understanding of the University's operations and processes and how systems are used in support of those operations. Creates, maintains, and manages multi-user, production quality campus-wide computing environments that involve computers, servers and associated hardware, software and facilities. Facilitates the selection of new information processing, computing technologies, information security and services across the University. Provides expertise in leading and participating in the technical architecture planning and acquisition of development projects and the documentation, final preparation, and introduction of new systems and services into the production environment. Provides lead-hand supervision to a team of Systems Administrators.

Purpose and Key Functions:

• Manage work assignments of internal staff and schedule and monitor adherence to procedures, protocols, and standards.

• Act as an on-site project manager, responsible for managing projects from inception to completion.

• Plan and establish project framework and identify project milestones to ensure the project is completed according to project specifications and within specified timelines.

• Design, develop, implement, and evaluate functional specifications for a variety of highly complex University application systems.

• Complete feasibility studies and cost-benefit analyses and translate technical flow into business terms.

• Coach and mentor junior staff in order to ensure a highly motivated and technically competent team.

• Participate in the development of capital project charters and cost justifications.

• Lead the ongoing design and support for technology in server and related environments, data network infrastructure and related environments, datacenter technology and facilities, storage area network and other storage related environments, voice network infrastructure and related environments, and information security infrastructure and other related environments.

• Critically evaluate information gathered from multiple sources, reconcile conflicts, decompose high-level information into details, abstract up from low-level information to a general understanding, and distinguish user requests from the underlying true needs.

• Elicit requirements using interviews, document analysis, requirement workshops, surveys, site visits, business process descriptions, use cases, scenarios, business analysis, and task and workflow analysis.

• Perform advanced levels of analysis, problem solving and research skills to formulate solutions to complex business needs.

• Conduct gap analyses.

• Develop strategies for implementing new services and upgrades on production systems.

• Troubleshoot computer system issues that may require an end-to-end evaluation of University wide systems often spanning multiple heterogeneous hosts and locations across the University and with external service providers.

• Ensure the availability and performance of the current production storage, information processing, and computing environment in assigned and related areas of the organization. · Test system architecture in order to minimize risks to the production systems.

• Investigate, evaluate, compare, and demonstrate new hardware and software products, and new computing techniques which could enhance the University’s computing, information processing, and network environment.

• Undertake study and pilot projects to assess and select commercial technology alternatives.

• Provide technical assistance to individual user groups, user support, and operational staff in the introduction and development of specialized systems and services.

• Ensure individuals conform to organizational information processing, use of network, and computing standards through the proper publication and awareness of policies.

• Plan and coordinate the technology refresh for large and complex interconnected systems.

• Contribute to the development of cost and time estimates for the technical architecture components of project implementation.

• Deliver workshops and demonstrate new technologies to campus staff as systems are being implemented.

• Prepare and present training for user support and operational staff through technical seminars and documentation.

• Prepare procedures for restoring systems to full operation after hardware and software component failures on both production and test systems.

• Prepare contingency plans for recovering services and operations after incidents including, but not limited to, power blackouts, water damage, or structural building failures and contribute to the planning and development of disaster recovery scenarios.

• Undertake projects such as performance monitoring and capacity planning to monitor the overall reliability and effectiveness of the computing systems and information processing architecture including storage area networks.

• Liaise with computer vendors, other institutions, and associated computer user groups as a means to maintain communication between all parties involved in technical projects and day-to-day operations.

• Design, implement, and document support processes, procedures, and mechanisms that inter-connect heterogeneous systems in support of the integration of processes and data flow.

• Gather and compile information and create reports and graphs for capacity planning, and performance metrics.

• Prepare technical specifications and requests for quotes from suppliers and requests for proposals.

• Participate in negotiations with suppliers to discover options and acquire the most cost effective solutions for technology requirements.

• Utilize the appropriate control tools to coordinate projects according to Project Management Office methodologies.

• Develop success criteria and risk assessments for projects and changes.

• Develop, implement, and document best practices to align with departmental and University strategies and processes.

• Work independently with users to define concepts.

• Ensure that projects meet specified functionality requirements.

• Prepare and review recommendations and other project initiation documents.

• Document system functionality, particularly related to new enhancements.

• Develop and maintain information technology process flow, methodology, and control documentation.

• Assist with the development of project proposals and estimates.

• Resolve problems in the test, production implementation, and post-implementation phases in coordination with other technical and business groups.

• Liaise between the technology and support teams.

• Communicate project, issue, and system status to others.

• Communicate testing results to other stakeholders.

• Facilitate effective dialog between user community and technical staff.

• Interact with and exchange information with colleagues.

• Follow a test script and document defects.

• Prioritize and schedule issues resolution.

• Plan, schedule, and monitor own work within short time horizons.

• Organize individual time, work and resources to accomplish objectives in the most effective and efficient way.

• Understand and use appropriate methods, tools, and applications to complete work tasks.

• Demonstrate a rational and organized approach to work and identify development opportunities.

• Absorb technical information when it is presented systematically and apply it effectively.

• Use measurement methods to monitor progress toward goal attainment, tenaciously working to meet or exceed those goals, while deriving satisfaction from the process of goal achievement and continuous improvement.

• Ensure that the internal and external customer perspective is a driving force behind decisions and activities.

• Follow service practices that meet customers’ and University needs.

• Interact with others in a way that gives them confidence in one’s intentions and those of the University.

• Work collaboratively with others to achieve departmental and institutional goals. Actively participate as a member of a team to move the team toward the completion of goals.

• Perform a range of varied work activities in a variety of structured environments.

• Successfully engage in multiple initiatives simultaneously.

• Apply and enforce department change control policies and procedures.

• Read and understand a complex project plan and develop simple project plans.

• Remain current with relevant development and project methodologies.

• Remain current with security policies and procedures and work with System Administrators to implement security changes.

• Remain current with the different levels of testing and develop simple use cases and test scripts.

Supervision:

Provide lead hand supervision and is responsible for the quality and quantity of work of others.

Requirements:

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Business, or a related field of study. Requires 5 years of relevant experience.

Assets:

For this particular role, the ideal candidate is a skilled IT professional with extensive experience designing, operating, and automating multi‑site VMware, storage, and secure network environments for research data and enterprise workloads in Canada. They have a proven track record running complex datacenter stacks (vSphere, Horizon VDI, Windows and Linux, DFS/dedup, backup and recovery, encryption, Fortinet firewalls/ZTNA) and building robust automation in PowerShell and other scripting languages to improve reliability, security, and operational efficiency. They are skilled at leading end‑to‑end implementation and troubleshooting, collaborating with researchers and stakeholders and maintaining compliant, high‑availability platforms that support demanding data‑intensive use cases.

Additional Information:

The Key focus of this position:

The Systems Integration Specialist serves a key role on the CRDCN IT team, supporting the vRDC (virtual Research Data Centre) VDI project. As an integral part of the team, this role’s duties may include the following:

• Regular maintenance of Windows desktop “master image” applying system updates, security patches, application updates and new software installations

• Updating VMware Horizon pools with latest images

• Creating conditional access policies in VMware Workspace One Access

• Working with VMware Dynamic Environment Manager and App Volumes to custom tailor delivery of applications and desktop environments

• Creating DHCP scopes, DNS records and VMware NSX network segments and firewall policy

• Working with Fortinet appliances to create and troubleshoot firewall rules and ZTNA access policies

• Managing Forticlient endpoints, troubleshooting remote access and ZTNA access violations, managing invite codes and two-factor accounts, configuring EMS and FortiAuthenticator to secure user access

• Obtaining procurement quotes and managing software licensing and warranty, service and subscription renewals

• Administration of local WSUS server and updates

• Investigating alternative solutions to current and future virtualization platforms (e.g. OpenStack, Kubernetes, containerization, AI-driven workflows, Proxmox, etc.)

• Developing and optimizing scripts for onboarding and provisioning projects

• Building on existing processes to help improve automation

• Designing and implementing processes to monitor and respond to incidents, system errors, and capacity notifications

• Ensure robust monitoring and incident response (e.g. syslog, SNMP, Zabbix, Hesk, etc.)

• Active Directory administration (DFSN, GPOs, user group memberships and permissions, computer and user account management)

• Familiarity with disaster recovery technologies (DataDomain, Networker, snapshot management, iDRAC, backup and restore of user files)

This role requires working around StatCan Protected-B confidential data, and as such, will require you become a “deemed employee of StatCan” this will require a fingerprint scan and criminal background check conducted by the RCMP.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and shortlisted candidates may be contacted prior to the job posting closing date.

How To Apply

To apply for this job, please submit your application online.

Employment Equity Statement

McMaster University is located on the traditional territories of the Haudenosaunee and Mississauga Nations and within the lands protected by the “Dish With One Spoon” wampum agreement.

The diversity of our workforce is at the core of our innovation and creativity and strengthens our research and teaching excellence. In keeping with its Statement on Building an Inclusive Community with a Shared Purpose, McMaster University strives to embody the values of respect, collaboration and diversity, and has a strong commitment to employment equity.

The University seeks qualified candidates who share our commitment to equity and inclusion, who will contribute to the diversification of ideas and perspectives, and especially welcomes applications from indigenous (First Nations, Métis or Inuit) peoples, members of racialized communities, persons with disabilities, women, and persons who identify as 2SLGBTQ+.

As part of McMaster’s commitment, all applicants are invited to complete a confidential Applicant Diversity Survey through the online application submission process. The Survey questionnaire requests voluntary self-identification in relation to equity-seeking groups that have historically faced and continue to face barriers in employment. Please refer to the Applicant Diversity Survey - Statement of Collection for additional information.

Job applicants requiring accommodation to participate in the hiring process should contact:

• Human Resources Service Centre at 905-525-9140 ext. 222-HR (22247), or
• Faculty of Health Sciences HR Office at ext. 22207, or
• School of Graduate Studies at ext. 23679

to communicate accommodation needs.

Hybrid Work Language

To ensure an ongoing and vibrant University community that meets the needs of our students, staff and faculty and supports the University mission, ability to work on-site continues to be a requirement for most University positions. The University is supportive of exploring flexible work arrangements that effectively balance operational needs and employee interests.

Interview Experience

At McMaster University, we believe in a comprehensive and inclusive interview process. Our interview methods encompass a variety of approaches that allow our hiring teams to provide a flexible and accessible experience for engaging with our candidates. Throughout your recruitment process at McMaster, you may be requested to participate in a variety of formats, that may include in-person, virtual or recorded interviews. If you have any questions as you move through the hiring process, please reach out to talent@mcmaster.ca or the HR contact associated with your position of interest.

AI Statement

McMaster and its third-party partners may use AI tools to screen, assess, or select applicants during the hiring process. Please note that currently our recruitment platform does not use AI nor is it part of our current recommended recruitment process.