System Administrator | Hybrid

Sanderson Government & Defence; Borehamwood; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading aerospace and defence organisation is seeking a Systems Administrator to support complex engineering environments. This role involves managing version-controlled scripting, maintaining Ansible-based configuration management, and administering multiple systems. If you enjoy solving complex technical challenges and driving innovation in aerospace, this position offers a competitive day rate and a chance to work on critical infrastructure projects. Join us to impact the future of engineering.

Qualifications

• Experience with Git for version control.
• Proficiency in Ansible for configuration management.
• Hands-on experience deploying systems.
• Skilled in administering Ubuntu and Debian systems.
• Knowledge of containerization using Podman.

Responsibilities

• Manage version-controlled scripting using Git.
• Maintain Ansible-based configuration management.
• Deploy systems using Autoinstall or similar tools.
• Administer Ubuntu or Debian-based environments.
• Build and run containerized services with Podman.
• Configure and install physical machines.
• Contribute to IT system architecture design.

Skills

Version control using Git

Ansible configuration management

Deploying systems using Autoinstall

Administering Ubuntu 20+ environments

Containerized services with Podman

Configuring physical machines

Designing IT system architectures

Job description

Position: System Administrator
Location: Stevenage | 3 days a week onsite
Day Rate: £400 - £500 inside IR35
BPSS clearance required

An exciting opportunity to join a leading aerospace and defence organisation as a Systems Administrator, supporting complex engineering environments and mission‑critical infrastructure. You'll work across modern and Legacy systems, ensuring reliable deployment, configuration, and operation of the platforms that underpin advanced engineering projects.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage version‑controlled scripting using Git
• Maintain and extend Ansible‑based configuration management
• Deploy systems using Autoinstall or similar tooling
• Administer Ubuntu 20+ or other Debian‑based environments
• Build and run containerised services using Podman (incl. hardware passthrough and QEMU emulation)
• Configure and install physical machines, including racking, power/UPS, networking, and specialist hardware setups
• Contribute to the design and implementation of IT system architectures

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys hands‑on technical work, solving complex infrastructure challenges, and supporting engineering teams working at the forefront of aerospace innovation.

If you're interested in hearing more, please do send your profile to (see below).

Reasonable Adjustments

Respect and equality are core values to us. We are proud of the diverse and inclusive community we have built, and we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and perspectives. Our success is driven by our people, united by the spirit of partnership to deliver the best resourcing solutions for our clients.

If you need any help or adjustments during the recruitment process for any reason, please let us know when you apply or talk to the recruiters directly so we can support you.