Systems Administrator

Application Deadline: 29 May 2026

Department: Hosting

Location: Manchester

Description

About CTI

Join 150+ strategists and specialists who refuse to settle, creating bold digital experiences for ambitious brands since 2004. We're a full-service digital agency delivering strategic consultancy, web development, and digital marketing to drive demand online.

Using over two decades of industry experience, we provide next-gen solutions as part of lasting partnerships with hundreds of clients from Chester Zoo and Zip World to Balfour Beatty and Mind.

What makes us different

• We break new ground. You'll work on innovative projects using the latest technologies before they hit the mainstream. We celebrate calculated risks and learn fast from every experiment.
• We get stuck in together. Genuine collaboration across all departments. Your ideas matter here, regardless of your role or how long you've been with us.
• We stay curious. Continuous learning is essential. You'll have dedicated time and budget for development, working alongside industry experts who are genuinely invested in your success.
• We own it. Full accountability and autonomy over your work means you'll build client relationships, see real-world impact, and be recognised when you go the extra mile.

You’ll join our Hosting & Infrastructure function, a vital part of CTI that works across our Nublue hosting platforms and CTI's internal systems. We support a mix of cloud-native environments, managed infrastructure, and continuous improvement projects. The team operates with a strong focus on uptime, performance, and automation, maintaining close links with client support, delivery teams, and the wider tech group.

This is role, offering the perfect opportunity to dive into both platform engineering and technical support. You'll work closely with senior engineers to understand, maintain, and improve our critical client systems, getting hands-on experience from day one and learning what it takes to own a modern digital platform.

What you’ll be doing

As a Systems Administrator at CTI, you’ll be a vital contributor to the infrastructure that powers our client-facing platforms and internal systems. This is a hands-on position where you will rapidly build your expertise by supporting our cloud environments and responding to live service issues. You will be expected to roll up your sleeves, learn quickly, and contribute to a robust 24/7 service.

Your key responsibilities will include

• Service & Incident Response: Working closely with the support team to efficiently respond to technical incidents, system alerts, and client-reported escalations, ensuring minimal downtime.
• Platform Maintenance: Assisting with the day-to-day management and optimisation of client cloud infrastructure, with a primary focus on Azure.
• System Administration: Managing web hosting environments, including Linux servers and Plesk, to ensure platforms are stable, secure, and performing optimally.
• Infrastructure Support: Supporting platform security, managing backup processes, and maintaining access controls across various client and internal systems.
• Documentation & Knowledge Sharing: Creating and maintaining clear platform documentation, runbooks, and handover notes to drive team knowledge and process consistency.
• Collaboration: Working with senior engineers on continuous improvement tasks, learning how to monitor system performance and contribute to automation efforts.
• Availability: Participating in an out-of-hours 24/7 rota (on call) to provide consistent coverage and quick resolution for critical issues.

What experience you need to be successful

To thrive as a Systems Administrator at CTI, you'll need a genuine passion for technology and a foundation in system administration, coupled with a hunger to learn and solve problems. This is an ideal role for someone just starting out who has formal training or an established interest in IT infrastructure and is ready to execute bravely.

Key skills and experience include

• Foundational Knowledge: Experience with or a qualification (such as an apprenticeship, degree, or entry-level certifications like CompTIA A+/Network+, Azure Fundamentals) in IT, Infrastructure, or Hosting Support is highly desirable.
• Operating Systems: A solid working knowledge of Linux is essential, with an understanding of core concepts like command line, SSH, and file systems.
• Web Hosting Essentials: Familiarity with common hosting elements like DNS, SSL, web servers (e.g., Apache/Nginx), and an understanding of networking fundamentals.
• Cloud Awareness: Some exposure to or a keen interest in Azure and other cloud platforms.
• Troubleshooting: An ability to approach problems logically, research solutions effectively, and communicate technical issues clearly to both technical and non-technical colleagues.
• Proactive Mindset: You are highly organised, take accountability for your work, and show initiative in seeking out tasks and learning opportunities.

We’re challenging the 'Gender Confidence Gap,' which suggests that individuals will only apply for a job if they meet 100% of the criteria. Some of our best hires didn’t check every box in the role description, so if you were about to rule yourself out, we still encourage you to apply!

Interview process

We've designed our process with you in mind. This is as much an opportunity for you to make sure CTI Digital is right for you as you are for us. We've embedded a values driven approach to recruitment and offer transparency and feedback at each and every stage.

Candidate experience is incredibly important to us. You'll have a dedicated member of the Talent Team with you every step of the way, ready to answer questions or make reasonable adjustments as needed.

📞 Screening Stage - A 30-minute exploratory call with one of our Platform Engineer. A chance to explore the role and responsibilities.

📆 2nd Stage - A face-to-face interview with a Hosting team and our CTO. We’ll probe around your commercial experience and approach to client relationships.

🎉 Offer - If we think it’s a good fit, we’ll make you an offer!

What's in it for you?

🏖️ 28 days annual leave, in addition to the bank holidays

🏠 Hybrid-working - we’re in the office twice a week

👶 Workplace nursery scheme

🏥 Health cash plan

🛡️ Life insurance 2x annual salary

🚴 Cycle-to-work scheme

⏰ Flexible working hours

🧠 Employee well-being and mental health programme

🐶 Relaxed working environments - office dogs welcome!

🎉 Company socials and lots of fun!