Assistant System Administrator Part-time

We are looking for a working student (Werkstudent) to support our work to empower people to control technology. The person will work 10 hours per week in the Berlin office (home office possible at a later stage) and will support the FSFE’s technical infrastructure by working closely together with our system administrators.

About the FSFE

Free Software Foundation Europe is a charity that empowers users to control technology. Software is deeply involved in all aspects of our lives and it is important that technology empowers rather than restricts us. Free Software gives everybody the rights to use, understand, adapt and share software. These rights help support other fundamental freedoms like freedom of speech, press and privacy.

The FSFE helps individuals and organisations to understand how Free Software contributes to freedom, transparency, and self-determination. It enhances users’ rights by abolishing barriers to Free Software adoption, encourages people to use and develop Free Software, and provides resources to enable everyone to further promote Free Software in Europe.

We are involved in many activities in the legal, economic, political and technical areas around Free Software. Our work is made possible by a community of volunteers, supporters, donors, and staff. The assistant system administrator’s job will strengthen the technical backbone of our operations.
Person sitting in front of a computer and discussing
Main responsibilities

• Working closely together with technical staff and volunteers.
• Regularly maintaining some of our systems, e.g. upgrades, health and security checks, or Docker image updates.
• Running and assisting with defined projects for the improvement and modernisation of our systems.
• Helping staff and volunteers in case of technical problems, especially for the systems you regularly take care of.

Qualifications

• Fluency in written and spoken English. Other European languages are considered an asset.
• Proven experience with system administration of GNU/Linux servers.
• Practical understanding of Git, Docker, and Python.
• Experience with one or more of the following technologies: mail servers (e.g. Postfix), LDAP (e.g. OpenLDAP), DNS (e.g. Bind), XMPP (e.g. Prosody), mailing lists (e.g. Mailman), webservers (e.g. Apache and Nginx), Ansible, Proxmox.
• Enthusiasm for the principles of Free Software, its community and tools.

Attitude

We are looking for a reliable, well-organised member of our technical teams who is keen to learn about old and new technologies. You support the whole organisation in its mission. Long-term thinking, efficiency and effectiveness are more important to you than the newest cool technology on the block.
Working time and compensation

The desired working time would be 10 hours per week but can be discussed. You will start working in our Berlin office to get a feeling for the organisation and the faces behind it, but at a later stage, home office is possible. The salary is based on the currently applicable minimum wage in Germany but can be higher depending on your experience. A mandatory requirement is that you are enrolled as a student at a university in Germany.

How to apply

To apply, please send a maximum one-page cover letter — including the desired hours per week — and a maximum two-page CV (only PDFs are accepted) by email to jobs@fsfe.org, with the subject “sysadmin student”. Please do not include pictures of yourself in the application.

Your personal data will be deleted 3 months after we have made our decision. The closing date for applications is Sunday 15 November 2020.

Free Software is meant to serve everyone regardless of their age, ability or disability, gender identity, sex, race, religion or sexual orientation. Hence, we encourage applications from all backgrounds and promise to judge all applications on merit, without reference to any of the characteristics listed. To promote diversity and equality in the Free Software community, we shall give preference to applicants who identify as part of a traditionally marginalised demographic in technology for applications of equal strength.