Job Description

About Unicard

As the leading provider of software solutions for public and private sector transport management and smart ticketing, for over 20 years Unicard has been trusted by millions of passengers to get them where they need to be. Today, our solutions can be found throughout the UK, processing several billion transactions a year.

Since we started in 2003, a wide range of local authorities, transport operators and hardware manufacturers have depended on our capabilities in strategy, design, development, testing and delivery to help deliver passenger transport services every day. We support a wide variety of customers, from simple single-user and concessionary travel programmes to complex multi-modal and multi-operator configurations. Examples include:

We deliver our cEMV tap on tap off solution delivering London style ticketing to Transport for Wales rail network Our technology powers Transport for West Midlands trailblazing Swift integrated ticketing system, one of the largest and most well-respected schemes in the UK, and the largest after Oyster in London We are trusted by 58+ local authorities to deliver their vital concessionary travel programmes more than 25% of the market Over 30% of all ITSO card terminals in the UK run on Unicard software We have over 3.5 million cardholders currently under management, with transaction values in the tens of millions annually

Employing approximately 115 people across the UK and Bulgaria, our in-house research, strategy and development capabilities give us an affordable, well-managed ability to develop market leading technologies and affordably maintain existing products. As a small-to-medium-sized enterprise, we pride ourselves on our reputation for outstanding products, technical support, delivery capability and high levels of customer service.

About the Role

This is a hands-on System Administrator

six-month contract role

responsible for supporting Unicards on-premises IT infrastructure through a combination of project-based work and day-to-day operational support. The role requires solid technical expertise in Windows Server and database administration, virtualization technologies (Hyper-V and VMware), storage systems, and high-availability configurations including failover and stretched clustering. The position will primarily focus on delivering infrastructure-related projects such as data centre migrations and system upgrades while also maintaining the stability, performance, and security of core services. The System Administrator will contribute to the implementation of secure, scalable solutions and ensure alignment with compliance standards such as ISO 27001 and Cyber Essentials Plus. This role supports multiple office locations and data centres and is expected to actively troubleshoot issues, optimize systems, and maintain service continuity throughout the engagement.
Candidates must hold the right to work in the UK.

Accountabilities

The On-Prem System Administrator will be responsible and accountable for:

Ensuring timely delivery of infrastructure upgrade and data centre migration projects. Managing and maintaining the health, performance, and availability of on-premises Windows-based infrastructure and Azure cloud services. Supporting the implementation and enforcement of security controls aligned with organizational policies and compliance standards (e.g., ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials Plus, GDPR). Overseeing Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS, DHCP, and other core infrastructure services. Managing system configuration, performance tuning, and incident/problem resolution across both on-prem and Azure environments. Participating in disaster recovery and business continuity planning and testing. Collaborating with cross-functional teams to support infrastructure projects and business needs.

4. Role Requirements/Dimensions

Strong hands-on experience with Hyper-V and VMware, including VM deployment, migration, resource optimisation, and backup/restore procedures. Expertise in failover clustering and stretched clustering for high availability and business continuity across sites. Proven knowledge of NetApp and other enterprise storage platforms, including configuration, performance tuning, and replication. Experience with SAN environments, iSCSI, Fiber channels and data protection mechanisms. Capable of designing scalable and secure IT infrastructure solutions, both on-prem and hybrid, to support evolving business and security needs. Practical experience managing IAM, including role-based access control (RBAC), conditional access policies, GPO and on-prem Active Directory. Familiarity with securing identities and implementing least privilege principles. Experience in managing on-premises data centre operations including rack/stack, cabling, cooling, power, access control, and physical security best practices. Responsible for hardware lifecycle, capacity planning. Understanding of database servers, proxy servers, and load balancers; ability to support and collaborate with teams managing these components is a strong advantage. Knowledge of health monitoring, fault tolerance, and performance optimisation across server layers. Familiar with architecture documentation and solution design principles with HLD and LLD. Working knowledge of networking fundamentals including TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, VLANs, firewalls, and VPNs. Ability to troubleshoot and collaborate on network-related issues in a multi-site or hybrid cloud environment. Skilled in managing and supporting Office 365 applications and services, including Exchange Online, SharePoint, Teams, and Intune. Experience with user onboarding, license management, and service configuration.

Typical Outputs

Successful execution of infrastructure projects, including migrations and data centre operations, delivered on time with minimal business disruption. Ongoing administration of virtualised environments using Hyper-V and VMware, NetApp storage, services to ensure high availability and performance. Delivery of a stable and secure infrastructure environment through proactive management and maintenance of on-prem environment. Configuration and management of Azure identity and access controls, ensuring alignment with organisational security and compliance standards. Creation and maintenance of accurate technical documentation HLD and LLD covering infrastructure, network configurations, system builds, and support procedures. Implementation of monitoring and alerting systems that provide visibility into infrastructure health and support timely issue resolution. Systems and processes maintained in compliance with regulatory and security standards such as ISO 27001, GDPR, and Cyber Essentials Plus. Disaster recovery and incident response plans developed, documented, and tested to ensure readiness and business continuity. Effective collaboration with other technical teams to troubleshoot and resolve complex infrastructure issues. Consistent and reliable delivery of second and third-line support services, improving user satisfaction and operational efficiency.

Required Personal Skills

Professional and presentable Effective communication; verbal and written. Excellent time management Collaborative / Team player Positive and proactive Dependable and flexible Holds a valid UK drivers licence and owns own car Ability to work well under pressure Attention to detail and focused A desire to keep learning and driving new technologies Confident decision making Situational awareness Appetite for growth and development

Required Professional Skills/Experience

IT background (min 5 to 7 years) IT Web/Application Hosting Windows Server 2022 + Office 365 admin (Azure AD, Exchange, Group Policies, MDT) Enterprise infrastructure SLA driven Virtualisation

Desired Professional Skills/Experience

AZ 800 Microsoft Certified: Windows Server 2022/2019/2016 Certification MS Database administration * Security conscious (PKI, PCI, CE+, ISO 27001 ISO22301, ISO20001, Enterprise Risk Management etc,)