Senior IT Administrator

Senior IT Administrator – Surrey, BC Permanent | On-site

$90,000 – $105,000 (commensurate with experience, education, and qualifications)

ABOUT US

STRIVE is a specialist recruitment firm offering proactive recruitment solutions across Technology, Accounting & Finance, Corporate Administration, and Manufacturing Operations. STRIVE supports various clients from small to medium-sized enterprises to Fortune 500 organizations for their permanent, contract, and temporary recruitment needs.

THE ROLE

STRIVE Recruitment is proud to partner with a well-established, family-owned Western Canadian electrical distributor with 20+ locations across BC, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, consistently recognized as one of Canada's Best-Managed companies, to recruit for a Senior IT Administrator based in Surrey, BC.

They offer a stable, values-driven workplace with strong employee benefits, including a birthday off, health and dental coverage, an employee assistance program, annual profit-sharing, an employee share ownership program, RRSP matching after one year of employment, and access to ongoing professional development resources.

The client is seeking a highly skilled and proactive Senior IT Administrator to lead the management, security, and reliability of their IT infrastructure across multiple branch locations. This role requires deep technical expertise, strong problem-solving skills, and the ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment, and includes mandatory participation in after-hours support for urgent security incidents and critical infrastructure issues.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage and maintain network infrastructure, including firewalls, switches, routers, and VPN connections
• Serve as system administrator for Microsoft 365, Active Directory, hybrid cloud and on-prem environments, Azure, and SAML authentication
• Implement and oversee cybersecurity programs, including Incident Response and Disaster Recovery Plans, applying Zero Trust principles
• Administer backup, virtualization, and storage systems, including Veeam, VMware, NAS, VOIP, and asset management platforms
• Provide after-hours support for emergencies, outages, and security incidents, with periodic travel to branch locations
• Use RMM tools and ticketing systems to monitor, manage, and resolve IT issues efficiently
• Develop and maintain PowerShell scripts and automation workflows to streamline IT operations
• Provide end-user technical support and mentor junior IT staff
• Support remote branch offices with network connectivity, endpoint management, and troubleshooting
• Take ownership of critical IT infrastructure, including monitoring, patching, maintenance, and documentation
• Plan and execute IT projects, including system upgrades, migrations, and new technology deployments

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, information technology, or equivalent experience
• 5+ years of IT administration experience, preferably in a multi-site environment
• Extensive hands-on experience with Fortinet firewalls, switches, and VPN configurations
• Willingness and ability to work after hours as required, including responding to critical incidents
• Experience with VMware, Veeam, Microsoft 365, and enterprise-scale network infrastructure
• Strong understanding of cybersecurity frameworks, incident response, and disaster recovery

Preferred Skills

• Experience supporting remote branches and multi-site IT environments
• Familiarity with RMM tools and ticketing systems for IT service management
• Proven ability to work independently and manage complex IT projects
• Excellent communication and leadership skills

What Success Looks Like

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills applied to complex, high-priority issues
• Ability to take full ownership of critical infrastructure and respond confidently under pressure
• Effective mentorship of junior team members alongside consistent end-user support
• Successful execution of IT projects, upgrades, and migrations with minimal disruption