Cyber Security R&D Systems Administrator (Cybersecurity Technical Staff 1)

Los Alamos National Laboratory; Los Alamos (NM); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, NM seeks a junior technical staff member to support a range of computing systems and research efforts within A-4. You will work with scientists and engineers to prototype AI/ML/LLM capabilities, maintaining reproducible Linux environments and containerized services, with mentorship from senior staff.

You will deploy and maintain infrastructure, automate tasks, and help manage GPU-accelerated workloads while expanding your systems engineering skills

Qualifications

• Proficient in Linux system administration and containerization.
• Familiarity with open source monitoring and alerting platforms (Grafana, Prometheus, etc)
• Understands General Purpose Programming (Python, Go, or similar)
• Able to learn complex and advanced computing systems
• Able to identify and solve novel systems engineering problems
• Able to work productively with research, development, operations, and management teams
• Able to obtain a DOE Q/SCI clearance
• Education/Experience: Bachelor's degree in a technical field, Computer Science or a related field preferred, and a minimum of 2 years' related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Responsibilities

• Deploying and maintaining containerized infrastructure and services
• Automating routine tasks
• Tracking and resolving infrastructure and service issues and alerts
• Identifying and engineering new system capabilities
• Support advanced computing platforms while learning to manage GPU-accelerated workloads

Skills

Linux system administration

Containerization

Python or Go

Team collaboration

Learning agility

DOE clearance eligibility

Education

Bachelor's degree in a technical field

2 years related experience

Tools

Grafana

Prometheus

GPU workloads

Cloud computing

Systems monitoring

Job description

What You Will Do

The Advanced Research in Cyber Systems group (A-4) is seeking a junior technical staff member to support a diverse range of computing systems and research efforts. We maintain fault-tolerant, reproducible environments using immutable Linux operating systems and container technologies, while supporting research scientists and engineers as they prototype emerging artificial intelligence, machine learning, and Large Language Model (LLM) capabilities. You will collaborate with research, development, operations, and management teams, with mentorship and guidance provided by senior staff members.

A-4 develops, trains with, and utilizes advanced tools and technologies to protect, analyze, detect, and monitor cyber threats across the complete spectrum of adversaries. Our work addresses challenging problems at the intersection of cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, persistent cyber threats, and critical infrastructure. In this role, you will contribute to these efforts by supporting reliable computing environments and enabling the development and evaluation of innovative technologies that advance A-4's cybersecurity research mission.

Responsibilities will include:

• Deploying and maintaining containerized infrastructure and services
• Automating routine tasks
• Tracking and resolving infrastructure and service issues and alerts
• Identifying and engineering new system capabilities
• Support advanced computing platforms while learning to manage GPU-accelerated workloads

What You Need

Minimum Job Requirements

• Proficient in Linux system administration and containerization
• Familiarity with open source monitoring and alerting platforms (Grafana, Prometheus, etc)
• Understands General Purpose Programming (Python, Go, or similar)
• Able to learn complex and advanced computing systems
• Able to identify and solve novel systems engineering problems
• Able to work productively with research, development, operations, and management teams
• Able to obtain a DOE Q/SCI clearance

Education/Experience: This position requires a Bachelor's degree in a technical field, Computer Science or a related field preferred, and a minimum of 2 years' related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Desired Qualifications

• Proficiency in any of the following:
  • Container Orchestration
  • GPU accelerated workloads
  • TCP/IP networking
  • Cloud Computing
  • System Hardening
  • Systems architecture and design
  • Datacenter management
  • Software-Defined Storage (ZFS, Ceph, etc)

Work Environment

Work Location: The work location for this position is onsite and located in Los Alamos, NM. All work locations are at the discretion of management.

Position Commitment

Regular appointment employees are required to serve a period of continuous service in their current position in order to be eligible to apply for posted jobs throughout the Laboratory. If an employee has not served the time required, they may only apply for Laboratory jobs with the documented approval of their Division Leader. The position commitment for this position is 1 year.

Note to Applicants

Due to federal restrictions contained in the current National Defense Authorization Act, citizens of the People's Republic of China-including the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau-as well as citizens of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), and the Russian Federation, who are not Lawful Permanent Residents ("green card" holders) are prohibited from accessing facilities that support the mission, functions, and operations of national security laboratories and nuclear weapons production facilities, which includes Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Where You Will Work

Located in beautiful northern New Mexico, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security. Our generous benefits package includes:

• PPO or High Deductible medical insurance with the same large nationwide network
• Dental and vision insurance
• Free basic life and disability insurance
• Paid childbirth and parental leave
• Award-winning 401(k) (6% matching plus 3.5% annually)
• Learning opportunities and tuition assistance
• Flexible schedules and time off (PTO and holidays)
• Onsite gyms and wellness programs
• Extensive relocation packages (outside a 50 mile radius)

Additional Details

Directive 206.2 - Employment with Triad requires a favorable decision by NNSA indicating employee is suitable under NNSA Supplemental Directive 206.2. Please note that this requirement applies only to citizens of the United States. Foreign nationals are subject to a similar requirement under DOE Order 142.3A.

Clearance

Q/SCI (Position will be cleared to this level). Selected applicants will be subject to a background investigation conducted by or on behalf of the Federal Government, and must meet eligibility requirements* for access to classified matter. This position requires a Q clearance. and obtaining such clearance requires US Citizenship except in extremely rare circumstances. Dependent upon the position, additional authorization to access classified information may be required, which may or may not be available to dual citizens. Receipt of a Q clearance and additional access authorization ultimately is a decision of the Federal Government and not of Triad.

Eligibility Requirements

To obtain a clearance, an individual must be at least 18 years of age; U.S. citizenship is required except in very limited circumstances. See DOE Order 472.2 for additional information.

New-Employment Drug Test

The Laboratory requires successful applicants to complete a new-employment drug test and maintains a substance abuse policy that includes random drug testing. Although New Mexico and other states have legalized the use of marijuana, use and possession of marijuana remain illegal under federal law. A positive drug test for marijuana will result in termination of employment, even if the use was pre-offer.

Regular Position

Term status Laboratory employees applying for regular-status positions are converted to regular status.

Equal Opportunity

Los Alamos National Laboratory is an equal opportunity employer. All employment practices are based on qualification and merit, without regard to protected categories such as race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status or spousal affiliation, physical or mental disability, medical conditions, pregnancy, status as a protected veteran, genetic information, or citizenship within the limits imposed by federal, state, and local laws and regulations. The Laboratory is also committed to making our workplace accessible to individuals with disabilities and will provide reasonable accommodations, upon request, for individuals to participate in the application and hiring process. To request such an accommodation, please send an email to [e-mail] or call (505)-664-6947.