Cloud Administrator 1 / System Administrator 2

J T; Fort Meade (MD); On-site; USD 153,000 - 184,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance

401(k) retirement with employer match

Paid time off and federal holidays

Paid parental leave

Tuition reimbursement for education/cs

Job summary

J T in Fort Meade, MD seeks a Cloud Administrator 1 / System Administrator 2 to support enterprise Linux environments, virtualization, and hardware lifecycle management. The role emphasizes security, patching, and cross-team coordination for mission-critical applications.

The position requires active TS/SCI with polygraph, strong Linux skills, and hands-on hardware experience. You will work with a 20+ member team on multi-node deployments and vendor coordination.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field plus 5 years of relevant systems experience, OR 9 years of direct systems administration experience without a degree.
• Active TS/SCI clearance with an active polygraph.
• Strong hands-on Linux system administration and troubleshooting background.
• Demonstrated ability in rack installations, physical hardware maintenance, cabling, equipment swapping, and system verification.
• Hands-on experience deploying and administering hypervisors/virtual platforms (VMware, Xen, Nutanix).
• Practical working knowledge of vulnerability remediation and STE/STN compliance standards.

Responsibilities

• Administer, configure, and troubleshoot enterprise Linux environments to maintain system availability and uptime.
• Oversee physical hardware setups, racking, equipment installations, cabling, and hardware troubleshooting across development and operational networks.
• Configure and validate server network connectivity and routing across multi-node environments.
• Build and maintain Ansible automation playbooks and scripts to standardize routine administration.
• Deploy, maintain, and support virtualization platforms (VMware, Xen, Nutanix).
• Partner with ISSO/ISSE teams to harden systems and ensure STE/STN compliance; patch Linux and Windows servers as required.
• Collaborate with external vendors to gather hardware specs, quotes, and plan hardware refreshes.

Skills

Linux administration

Virtualization

Automation

Networking

Security

Vendor management

Scripting

Jira/Confluence

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science

Tools

VMware

Xen

Nutanix

Ansible

Jira

Confluence

Windows Server

Job description

Location: Fort Meade, MD (20755)

Position Type: Full-Time

Classification: Systems Administration

Clearance Requirement: Active TS/SCI with current Polygraph

Compensation Range: $153,000 – $184,000 / year (commensurate with experience, technical scope, and contract guidelines)

Role Summary

We are seeking a Cloud Administrator 1 / System Administrator 2 to provide critical systems, infrastructure, and operational support across Development, Operations, and Security teams. In this role, you will join an integrated team of 20+ professionals supporting full-lifecycle operations for an enterprise software application delivering mission-critical audio ingest, storage, query, playback, analysis, and transcription capabilities.

The application serves national and tactical analysts across both portable endpoint systems (laptops) and distributed large-scale environments (multi-node clusters). You will be responsible for standing up, maintaining, optimizing, and decommissioning development and deployment platforms, executing physical hardware refreshes, coordinating vendor quotes and specifications, and managing system vulnerability patching under multi-SSP and STE/STN initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

Linux Administration: Administer, configure, and troubleshoot enterprise Linux environments to maintain system availability, performance, and operational uptime.

Physical Hardware Management: Oversee physical hardware setups, racking, equipment installations, component replacements, cable management, and hardware troubleshooting across development and operational networks.

Network & Connectivity: Configure and validate server network connectivity, interface configurations, and address routing/communication bottlenecks across multi-node environments.

Automation & Orchestration: Build and maintain Ansible automation playbooks and scripts to standardize routine administration and enhance workflow efficiency.

Virtualization Support: Deploy, maintain, and support virtualized infrastructure running on platforms such as VMware, Xen, or Nutanix.

Security & Compliance: Partner with ISSO/ISSE teams to harden systems and maintain alignment with STE/STN standards; execute regular vulnerability patching across Linux systems and assist with Windows Server patch updates.

Vendor & Lifecycle Coordination: Collaborate with external hardware vendors to gather equipment specifications, obtain hardware quotes, and plan scalable system refreshes.

Candidate Qualifications

Mandatory Requirements:

Experience & Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science (or related technical field) + 5 years of relevant systems experience, OR

9 years of direct systems administration experience without a degree (qualifying for Cloud Administrator Level 1 / CA1).

Security Clearance: Active TS/SCI clearance with an active polygraph.

Linux Expertise: Strong hands-on Linux system administration and troubleshooting background.

Physical Infrastructure: Demonstrated ability in rack installations, physical hardware maintenance, cabling, equipment swapping, and system verification.

Physical Capability: Ability to safely lift, move, and rack equipment weighing up to 50 pounds during routine hardware installations and maintenance.

Virtualization: Hands-on experience deploying and administering hypervisors/virtual platforms (VMware, Xen, Nutanix, etc.).

Security Frameworks: Practical working knowledge of vulnerability remediation and STE/STN compliance standards.

Preferred Skills:

Proficiency in Ansible automation, configuration management, and scripting.

Familiarity with Windows Server administration and patching procedures.

Experience using Jira and Confluence for workflow and documentation tracking.

Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance plans

401(k) retirement savings plan with employer matching

Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) package and paid federal holidays

Paid parental leave

Tuition reimbursement for ongoing academic and professional certification programs

Basic Life, AD&D, and Short-/Long-Term Disability insurance coverage