Systems Administrator / Desktop Administrator (Various Levels)

Cse Cst

Ottawa

Hybrid

CAD 70,000 - 110,000

Full time

7 days ago

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Job summary

Communications Security Establishment (CSE) is recruiting for Systems Administrator, Desktop Administrator and related IT specialty roles in Ottawa. You will work in dynamic environments, assisting with engineering, configuration and support for a range of hardware, software, and virtualization technologies to protect Canada's critical infrastructure.

Ideal candidates will have post-secondary IT education or an equivalent mix of education and experience, plus hands-on experience with

Qualifications

Post-secondary education in Computer Science/Engineering or related field, or an acceptable combination of education, training and experience.
Experience with system administration in a networked environment including OS, servers, storage and backups.
Experience with desktop/endpoint management, ITIL principles and virtualization technologies.

Responsibilities

Assist with engineering, configuration and support of hardware and software in diverse IT environments.
Provide virtualization and cloud services support across multiple domains.
Contribute to IT infrastructure projects and automation efforts (Docker, Kubernetes, scripting).

Skills

VMware

OpenStack

Hyper-V

Docker

Kubernetes

Scripting

Puppet

Ansible

PKI

Networking

Oracle PostgreSQL

Nagios/OpenNMS

Bash

Python

PowerShell

Education

Post-secondary IT related education

Combination of education/training with experience

Tools

VMware

OpenStack

Hyper-V

Docker

Kubernetes

Puppet

Ansible

Job description

Closing Date:

2026-11-29

Classification:

Reference number: RF-17252

About CSE

The Communications Security Establishment (CSE) is Canada’s agency responsible for foreign signals intelligence, cyber operations and cyber security. Learn more about our mission , and what it means to work in a security and intelligence field .

CSE is currently looking for systems administrators and desktop administrators from a diverse range of technical backgrounds who will thrive working on unique problems in an open minded and innovative environment, and who value the different perspectives of others. We are looking for people who constantly strive for better solutions to keep our country safe, who seek to learn more about the cyber challenges that impact us, and who collaborate with partners, colleagues, and teams on complex problems. You should be someone who enjoys a challenging career and who desires to learn new technologies to expand and evolve your expertise.

Our positions exist in very dynamic and unique operational environments and provides direct support to CSE missions. We are a unique technical organization with hundreds of subject matter experts across IT domains. We have guilds of expertise who collaborate in agency, government, and international initiatives to find the right solution to complex problems. Individuals selected will assist with the engineering, configuration, and support of a variety of hardware and software. Our team relies heavily on virtualization to support our operations.

Your work will have a significant impact on Canada’s security posture and will contribute towards ensuring the safety of Canadians. Your role will entail technical research and development, enabling continued innovation within various IT environments. You will be responsible for effective provisioning, installation, configuration and supporting advancement of many technologies across multiple IT domains while adhering to ITIL principles.

You may work with many common enterprise services: Linux and/or Windows, data storage & protection services, scripting, and networking. You may also be exposed to cloud services, cryptography, PKI, the system development lifecycle, and automation technologies.

The intent of this selection process is to staff various entry-level, intermediate and senior positions across different activity areas of CSE. This selection process will be used to recruit three streams:

Stream 1: Systems Administrator

As a systems administrator, you will work to support critical infrastructure with unique challenges using the latest technologies.

Stream 2: Desktop Administrator

As a desktop administrator, you will support various endpoint solutions (mobility, local, VDI) and engage in critical projects with unique challenges using the latest technologies.

Stream 3: Other Specialties

CSE is looking for various specialists in multiple IT domains (for example, but not limited to: storage, monitoring, Citrix, AV/VTC, telephony, VMWare). Where a system administrator would typically have a broader range of experience, a specialist has more depth within an area of expertise.

To find out more about our salary scale, vacation allowances and benefits (health, dental and pension plans, etc.) visit the Compensation page on our website.

Area of selection

Open to Canadian citizens.

Location

The majority of our jobs are in Ottawa, Ontario. CSE has two accessible facilities . Flexible work arrangements, including telework for a portion of the work week, may be possible.

Conditions of employment

A valid Enhanced Top Secret security clearance is a condition of employment that must be met before an offer can be made.

In order to be considered, your cover letter must clearly explain how you meet the following education and experience requirements.

Education

You must have either one of the following:

A post-secondary education in a field related to the position, such as (but not limited to) Computer Science, Computer Engineering or Computer Engineering Technology
An acceptable combination of education, training or relevant experience (as listed below).

Note: The educational program must be recognized in Canada, and you must be able to provide proof of education credentials. Students graduating within the next twelve months are eligible to apply.

Experience

Streams 1 and 3

Experience or training in system administration which may include but is not limited to: operating systems, software, server, storage, backups and appliance administration in a networked environment.

Streams 2

Experience or training in desktop administration which may include but is not limited to: all aspects of endpoint computing/deskside computing, operating systems and peripherals in a networked environment.
English essential means that the position is unilingual English.
Bilingual means that knowledge of both official languages (English and French) is required for the position.
- Imperative means that you must possess the knowledge of both official languages before a job offer can be made.
The profile (e.g. BBB) represent the proficiency level you must demonstrate in each of the language skills (reading, writing and oral interaction) for the bilingual position. For bilingual positions, second language evaluations will be offered to candidates who don’t have valid language test results issued by the Government of Canada.

The following technical, behavioural and leadership competencies will be assessed at a later date. You do not need to include information about them in your application.

Streams 1, 2 and 3

Infrastructures and Platforms
Knowledge of IT

Stream 2 only

IT User Support / Help Desk
Cognitive thinking skills
Interactive communication
Working in a team
Achieving results
Change and innovation

Assets

Assets are “nice-to-have” expertise and skills we’re interested in. You will not be eliminated if you do not meet or possess these qualifications. However, if you do have them, they may be used to identify which team you could best complement.

Please demonstrate on your application if you meet or possess the asset experience listed below.

Experience working with and/or supporting Cloud infrastructure and virtualization technologies (such as VMWare, OpenStack or Hyper-V).
Experience with IT Automation and Orchestration (such as Docker, Kubernetes, scripting, Puppet and/or Ansible).
Experience networking in a data center environment including, IP networking, cabling, switch, and firewall configuration.
Experience configuring and supporting storage systems.
Experience writing and maintaining scripts in Bash or Python or Powershell.
Experience with Unified Communication (VTC, VoIP, SIP etc.).
Experience administering Public Key Infrastructure (PKI).
Experience configuring and supporting database systems (such as Oracle or PostgreSQL).
Experience working with system monitoring tools (such as Nagios or OpenNMS).

The following asset technical, behavioural and leadership competencies will be assessed at a later date. You do not need to include information about them in your application.