System Administrator (f/m/d) Defense Products

IONOS; Berlin; On-site; EUR 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Subsidized canteen

Free drinks

Modern office with good transport

Employee discounts

Training and development opportunities

Health offerings

Job summary

IONOS in Germany is seeking a System Administrator to join the Defense Platform Services team. You will work with site reliability engineers and network engineers to protect our hosting products and infrastructure from DDoS and cyber threats.

The role includes on-call duties, managing 800+ Linux components, configuring Nginx as a reverse proxy/WAF, and deploying Docker and Kubernetes. You will use ELK Stack and ClickHouse for telemetry and contribute to CI/CD in a DevOps setting.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of platform operating experience at scale.
• Expert-level proficiency in managing complex, distributed Linux environments.
• Experience configuring Nginx as a reverse proxy or WAF.
• Familiarity with Docker, Kubernetes, ELK Stack, or ClickHouse is beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Administer and troubleshoot large-scale scrubbing platforms and proxy infrastructure.
• Maintain 24/7 protection with on-call rotation (one week per month).
• Develop and optimize CI/CD pipelines in a DevOps environment using Docker and Kubernetes.
• Analyze traffic, identify attack signatures, and devise mitigations using modern tooling.

Skills

Linux administration

DDoS defense

Automation

On-call readiness

Open source mindset

Tools

Nginx

WAF

Docker

Kubernetes

ELK Stack

ClickHouse

Ansible

Puppet

Python

BGP

Flowspec

Anycast routing

Job description

Join our highly motivated team of experts dedicated to combating cybersecurity threats. As a System Administrator, you will plan and operate our cutting-edge defense platforms alongside site reliability engineers and network engineers. These platforms are crucial for protecting our hosting products and infrastructure, encompassing classic DDoS mitigation, modern Web Application Firewalls (WAF), Zero Trust strategies, and our Content Delivery Network (CDN).

We foster a culture that highly values creative ideas, agile working methods, initiative, and participation. As an Specialist in our Defense squad, you act as a vital shield against daily DDoS and sophisticated cyber attacks. You are the first line of defense, dedicated to neutralizing threats through technical mastery and proactive mitigation.

We are hiring for this role in Karlsruhe and/or Berlin. You will join a distributed, international Defense Platform Services team of approximately 8–9 experts. You will work within specialized squads for Operations, SRE, and NRE to provide comprehensive protection for the group’s infrastructure across Germany and beyond.

Tasks

The day-to-day operations of the Defense Platform Services team directly correlate to the financial stability of the United Internet Group. When our defenders succeed, the group’s digital economy remains fluid; your success is measured by the silence of a neutralized threat.

• Active Defense & DDoS Mitigation: Administer and troubleshoot scrubbing platforms and a complex, large-scale proxy infrastructure. You will engage in the \"cat and mouse game\" of fighting attacks in real-time—identifying, washing, and neutralizing malicious traffic to protect core cloud and fiber services.
• Architectural Density & Operational Excellence: You will manage the lifecycle of 800+ Linux-based components within a highly available infrastructure. To maintain 24/7 group-wide protection, this role requires a mandatory on-call service rotation of one week per month, ensuring immediate response to high-priority network threats.
• Innovation & Data-Driven Defense: We leverage modern AI tools for log analysis and pattern detection. You will bring creative ideas to the table, utilizing the ELK Stack and ClickHouse to manage high-volume telemetry, identify attack signatures, and devise advanced mitigation strategies.
• Lifecycle & Pipeline Management: Develop and optimize CI/CD pipelines in an agile DevOps environment. You will evaluate and integrate new technologies—including Docker and Kubernetes—to ensure our defense architecture remains lean, efficient, and ahead of evolving industry threats.

Qualifications

Because this role manages critical national and corporate infrastructure, the barrier to entry involves both technical mastery and a high degree of professional trust.Therefore, we require 3 to 5 years of platform operating experience at scale. We are looking for an administrator with a \"security gene\"—a specialized, proactive interest in DDoS mitigation and cyber defense that goes beyond standard system maintenance.

• Expert-level proficiency in managing complex, distributed Linux environments.
• Proven experience configuring Nginx as a reverse proxy or Web Application Firewall (WAF).
• Practical knowledge of BGP, Flowspec, and Anycast routing.
• A passion for eliminating repetitive tasks through Ansible, Puppet, and Python.
• Several years of experience in the administration of complex, distributed Linux systems.
• Proven experience in configuring and operating Nginx as a reverse proxy or web application firewall.
• Hands-on experience with the deployment of BGP, Flowspec, and Anycast routing on Linux systems and network routers.
• Strong passion for automation using tools like Ansible, Puppet, and Python to eliminate repetitive manual tasks.
• Strong analytical skills to evaluate DDoS attacks, implement effective countermeasures, and continuously develop our defense platforms.
• Initial experience with technologies such as Docker, Kubernetes, ClickHouse, or the ELK Stack is beneficial.
• Like us, you are a strong advocate for Open Source, especially Linux.
• Flexible working hours through trust-based working hours.
• Subsidized canteen and various free drinks at select locations.
• Modern office space with excellent public transport connections.
• Various employee discounts for activities and products.
• Employee events such as summer and winter parties, as well as workshops.
• Numerous training and development opportunities.
• Various health offerings, such as sports and wellness courses.