System Administrator Job Description Template
System administrators manage and maintain an organisation's IT infrastructure - servers, networks, operating systems, and security systems. In India's rapidly digitising enterprise landscape, sysadmins play a critical role in ensuring uptime, managing on-premise and cloud infrastructure, and supporting end users. Use our system administrator job description template to attract skilled infrastructure professionals. It covers key responsibilities, required skills, Indian education requirements, salary insights (Cost to Company (CTC)), and the selection process.
Job title:
System Administrator
Location:
Pune, Maharashtra (or Bengaluru / Hyderabad / Chennai / Mumbai)
Job type:
Full-time, Permanent
Reports to:
Infrastructure Manager / IT Director
Experience:
3-6 years
Employment type:
Permanent
About the role
We are looking for a System Administrator to manage our hybrid infrastructure spanning AWS cloud and on-premise data centres. You will handle server provisioning, patch management, backup and disaster recovery, user administration, and network monitoring. This role is part of a 10-member infrastructure team supporting 2,500+ employees across 5 office locations in India. The ideal candidate has strong Linux administration skills and experience managing Windows Server environments.
About the company: - Established: 2000 - Employees: 12,000+ - Industry: IT Services and Consulting (BFSI, healthcare, and government verticals) - Certifications: ISO 27001, ISO 20000-1, CMMI Level 5, SOC 2 - Presence: 25 offices across India; delivery centres in Bengaluru, Pune, Chennai, Noida, and Hyderabad; client presence in 15 countries - Known for: Top 20 Indian IT services company by National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) ranking; preferred partner for digital transformation of Indian public sector banks
System administrator roles and responsibilities - Provision, configure, and maintain Linux (RHEL, Ubuntu) and Windows Server environments - physical, virtual (VMware vSphere), and cloud (AWS EC2) - Manage user accounts, groups, and access controls in Active Directory, LDAP, and IAM (AWS) following least-privilege principles - Perform routine patch management using SCCM, WSUS, or Red Hat Satellite - schedule and deploy security patches monthly - Monitor system health using Nagios, Zabbix, or SolarWinds - respond to alerts, troubleshoot root causes, and restore services within SLAs - Configure and manage backups using Veeam or Commvault - verify backup completion and perform quarterly disaster recovery drills - Manage DNS, DHCP, VPN (OpenVPN / WireGuard), and proxy configurations for office networks - Coordinate with network engineers for firewall rule changes, VLAN configurations, and bandwidth management - Create and maintain runbooks, SOPs, and infrastructure documentation for the team knowledge base - Support end users for escalated IT issues - collaborate with L1/L2 support team for complex problem resolution - Ensure compliance with ISO 27001 controls - participate in internal and external audits for the infrastructure domain
System administrator qualifications and skills - Strong Linux administration - RHEL or Ubuntu; user management, file systems, process management, systemd, and networking - Windows Server administration - Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS, DHCP, IIS, and PowerShell scripting - Virtualisation - VMware vSphere (ESXi, vCenter) or Hyper-V - Cloud fundamentals - AWS (EC2, S3, VPC, IAM) and Azure (VMs, Virtual Network) administration experience - Scripting - Bash and PowerShell for automation of routine administrative tasks - Backup and disaster recovery - experience with Veeam, Commvault, or native backup tools - Monitoring tools - Nagios, Zabbix, Prometheus, or SolarWinds - Understanding of networking concepts - TCP/IP, VLANs, routing, firewalls, and load balancers - ITIL Foundation certification is preferred - RHCSA or RHCE certification is a strong plus
Education and Experience Requirements - Degree: Bachelor of Engineering (BE) / Bachelor of Technology (BTech) in Computer Science, IT, or Electronics & Communication - BCA or BSc (IT) with relevant certifications also acceptable - Master of Computer Applications (MCA) graduates with infrastructure coursework preferred - Minimum 50% in graduation - 3-6 years of experience in system administration, infrastructure management, or IT operations - RHCSA (Red Hat Certified System Administrator) certification required - AWS Certified SysOps Administrator or Azure Administrator (AZ-104) is a plus - ITIL Foundation v4 certification preferred
System administrator average salary
In India, System Administrators earn 4-7 Lakhs Per Annum (LPA) at the junior level (1-3 years) and 7-12 LPA at the mid level (3-6 years). Professionals with RHCE, AWS, or Azure certifications command a 15-25% premium. IT services companies in Pune and Bengaluru offer the best compensation for infrastructure roles.
Source: Naukri Salary Index 2025-26; TeamLease Digital Salary Report 2025.
Benefits - CTC includes: Basic + HRA + Special Allowances + Variable pay (10% of CTC tied to uptime and Service Level Agreement (SLA) metrics) - Statutory: Provident Fund (PF), Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) (if eligible), Gratuity (payable after 5 years) - Additional: Group medical insurance (₹5 lakh cover for self + dependents), accidental insurance, annual performance bonus - Perks: Certification sponsorship (full reimbursement on passing), learning platform access (Pluralsight, A Cloud Guru), internet reimbursement
Other details - Probation period: 6 months - Notice period: 60 days (30 days during probation) - Immediate joiners preferred: Yes - Bond / Service agreement: 12-month service agreement if sponsored for certification (>₹50,000) - Working days: 5 days a week (Monday to Friday) - Work mode: Work from Office (hybrid - 3 days in office for infrastructure roles requiring on-premise access) - Shifts: General shift primarily; on-call rotation for weekend maintenance windows and P1 incident response (1 week per month) - Relocation support: Not provided
Selection process
1. Resume screening: Based on Linux/Windows experience, certifications (RHCSA/RHCE, AWS), and infrastructure domain expertise
2. Technical assessment: 60-minute online test covering Linux commands, bash scripting, networking concepts, and troubleshooting scenarios
3. Technical interview: 45-minute interview with Infrastructure Manager - real incident walkthrough, configuration discussion, and design problem (e.g., design backup strategy for a 500-user organisation)
4. Practical round: 30-minute hands-on exercise - fix a broken Linux server, configure a new user with specific permissions, or set up a basic web server
5. HR interview: Compensation fitment, notice period, on-call availability, and team fitment
6. Offer rollout
How to apply - Platform: Apply through the company careers portal, Naukri, or LinkedIn - Documents: Resume (PDF), certification copies (RHCSA, AWS, etc.), latest degree certificate - Timeline: Rolling applications; interview process completed within 2 weeks - Referral: Employee referrals accepted with referral ID in application
Frequently asked questions
1. What does a System Administrator do in India?
A System Administrator manages servers, operating systems, backups, and user access in enterprise IT environments. They handle provisioning (Linux/Windows), patch management, monitoring, and incident response. They work in IT services, BFSI, and product companies across Pune, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chennai.
2. What qualifications do I need to become a System Administrator in India?
A Bachelor of Engineering (BE)/Bachelor of Technology (BTech), BCA, or Master of Computer Applications (MCA) degree is standard. RHCSA certification is often mandatory. Cloud certifications (AWS SysOps, Azure AZ-104) significantly improve prospects. Linux administration and scripting are the most important skills.
3. What is the average salary of a System Administrator in India?
Junior sysadmins earn 4-7 Lakhs Per Annum (LPA); mid-level (3-6 years) earn 7-12 LPA. Certification holders command 15-25% more. Pune and Bengaluru offer the best pay for infrastructure roles.
4. How can I hire the right System Administrator in India?
Give a practical troubleshooting exercise - ask the candidate to fix a misconfigured Linux server or set up a backup job. Verify hands-on experience with real scenarios, not theoretical knowledge. Prioritise RHCSA/RHCE certified candidates who can demonstrate automation through bash/PowerShell scripting.