Cloud Systems Administrator - Senior Linux / AWS Application Sustainment

Peraton; Herndon (VA); On-site; USD 135,000 - 216,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision benefits

401(k)

Paid time off for vacation

Job summary

Peraton is seeking a Senior Cloud Systems Administrator in Herndon, VA, to support mission-critical applications for the U.S. Intelligence Community. This hands-on role requires strong experience in Linux systems administration and AWS cloud management.

The ideal candidate should have a robust understanding of security processes and operational support in classified environments. With a target salary of $135,000 - $216,000, Peraton provides a comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of relevant experience in Linux and AWS environments.
• Active TS/SCI clearance or ability to obtain one.
• Strong troubleshooting and scripting skills.

Responsibilities

• Administer Linux systems for mission-critical applications.
• Support AWS environments including provisioning and monitoring.
• Perform security hardening and vulnerability remediation.

Skills

Linux systems administration

AWS cloud administration

Security hardening

Troubleshooting

Application sustainment

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Tools

CentOS

Red Hat Enterprise Linux

AWS console

Job description

About Peraton

Peraton is a next-generation national security company that drives missions of consequence spanning the globe and extending to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. As the world's leading mission capability integrator and transformative enterprise IT provider, we deliver trusted, highly differentiated solutions and technologies to protect our nation and allies. Peraton operates at the critical nexus between traditional and nontraditional threats across all domains: land, sea, space, air, and cyberspace. The company serves as a valued partner to essential government agencies and supports every branch of the U.S. armed forces. Each day, our employees solve the most daunting challenges that our customers face. Visit peraton.com to learn how we're keeping people around the world safe and secure.

Program Overview

Improves sustainment efforts for new enhancements and capabilities while maintaining operational applications and their authority to operate. Program supports research, development, testing, and evaluation based on customer requirements and agile processes, while assisting with intelligence missions and global integration efforts.

About The Role

We are seeking a Senior Cloud Systems Administrator in Herndon, VA to support the SITE III DO contract within our National Programs Business Intelligence Systems & Applications Operating Unit. This role supports mission-critical applications and services for a key directorate within the U.S. Intelligence Community. This is a hands‑on technical role requiring strong Linux systems administration, practical AWS cloud administration, security hardening, troubleshooting, and application sustainment experience. The selected candidate will help ensure reliable operation, performance, security, and availability of systems that support intelligence collection, dissemination, and mission operations. This position is best suited for a senior administrator who has supported secure, classified, mission‑focused environments and is comfortable working across Linux, AWS, security compliance, and operational application support.

Responsibilities

• Administer, maintain, and troubleshoot multi‑user Linux systems supporting mission‑critical applications.
• Support Linux environments including CentOS, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, and/or Oracle Linux.
• Provision, maintain, monitor, and support servers within an AWS environment.
• Use AWS console access to manage cloud‑based infrastructure, including compute, storage, backups, snapshots, monitoring, and recovery activities.
• Perform system backups, snapshots, disaster recovery activities, and performance tuning.
• Install, configure, patch, and upgrade operating systems, applications, and supporting tools.
• Apply security configurations, perform STIG hardening, and remediate identified vulnerabilities.
• Review audit logs, troubleshoot system issues, and support root cause analysis.
• Support Tier 1 troubleshooting and Tier 2 problem resolution for operational systems.
• Work closely with network engineers, software developers, security teams, and application stakeholders to maintain system availability and performance.
• Manage system resources to optimize CPU, disk, storage, and overall system responsiveness.
• Administer user accounts, profiles, permissions, service accounts, and security settings.
• Support security audits, testing events, vulnerability scans, and compliance activities.
• Create and maintain technical documentation, including SOPs, system administration guides, user guides, and operational procedures.
• Evaluate system performance, identify improvement opportunities, and recommend hardware, software, or process enhancements.
• Support mission‑critical applications that may require occasional after‑hours or weekend availability.
• Work full time in a SCIF environment with flexible hours and availability during core business hours.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in an area relevant to the position with 8 or more years of relevant experience; or Master's degree in an area relevant to the position with 6 or more years of relevant experience; or a Ph.D. in an area relevant to the position with 3 or more years of relevant experience; an additional 4 years of experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
• Active TS/SCI or SCI eligibility and active polygraph or ability to obtain a polygraph.
• Ability to work full time in a SCIF.
• Active Security+ certification or another current IAT II/III‑level certification.
• Strong current or very recent hands‑on Linux systems administration experience with CentOS, RHEL, and/or Oracle Linux.
• Practical experience working in an AWS environment.
• Experience using AWS console access to provision, maintain, and monitor servers.
• Experience performing snapshots, backups, disaster recovery, and performance tuning.
• Experience with installation, patching, vulnerability remediation, and STIG hardening.
• Strong troubleshooting skills, including scripting and audit log review.
• Ability to support both technical troubleshooting and customer‑facing Tier 1 communication.
• Experience supporting operational systems, application sustainment, or mission‑critical environments.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with technical teams, security personnel, developers, and mission stakeholders.

Desired Qualifications

• Current polygraph.
• Experience developing and maintaining technical documentation such as:
• SIPs
• SAGs
• SUMs
• SOPs
• Getting started guides
• Experience with ElasticSearch.
• Experience with AWS services and related technologies, including EC2, S3, and ElastiCache.
• Experience with Kafka, OpenShift, Docker, Keycloak, and WildFly.
• Experience with PKI certificates, SSL, and service accounts.
• Experience maintaining multiple environment types, including physical, virtual, and cloud environments.
• Experience supporting security audits, testing events, and compliance reviews.
• Experience upgrading from CentOS to RHEL 8.
• Experience supporting secure government, defense, intelligence, or classified environments.

Details

Target Salary Range: $135,000 - $216,000. This represents the typical salary range for this position. Salary is determined by various factors, including but not limited to the scope and responsibilities of the position, the individual's experience, education, knowledge, skills, and competencies, as well as geographic location and business and contract considerations. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay.

Benefits Statement: Peraton offers eligible employees a variety of benefits including medical, dental, vision, life, health savings account, short/long term disability, EAP, parental leave, 401(k), paid time off for vacation, and company paid holidays. A full listing of available benefits can be viewed at https://www.careers.peraton.com/benefits.

EEO

Equal opportunity employer, including disability and protected veterans, or other characteristics protected by law.