FSFE is hiring a working student as an assistant system administrator
We are looking for a working student to support our work in empowering people to control technology. The person will support the FSFE's technical infrastructure by working with our system administrators. The work is 10 hours per week in the Berlin office and home office is possible at a later stage.
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. We enhance users' rights by abolishing barriers to Free Software adoption, encourage people to use and develop Free Software, and provide 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.
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.
- Helping staff and volunteers in case of technical problems, especially for the systems you regularly take care of.
- Running and assisting with defined projects for the improvement and modernisation of our systems.
Qualifications
- Enthusiasm for software freedom and its great community
- Experience with the installation and maintenance of GNU/Linux systems
- A practical understanding of software development with version control systems
- Ability and willingness to learn new tools
- Experience with one or more of the following technologies are an advantage: mail servers (e.g. Postfix), LDAP and SSO (e.g. OpenLDAP and Keycloak), DNS (e.g. Bind), Matrix (e.g. Synapse), mailing lists (e.g. Mailman), web servers (e.g. Apache Nginx or Caddy), Docker, Ansible, Proxmox.
- Being able to communicate with others in the team in English.
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 have fun working with volunteers and staff to support the whole organisation in its mission for software freedom. 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.
Learning outcomes
During your internship you will become familiar with our fully Free Software technical infrastructure. You will gain insights around our solutions. You will receive effective supervision and feedback on your work, which will help you spot where there is room for improvement and what your strengths are. You will learn to organise your workflow and prioritise your tasks.
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 16 October 2022.
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.