Infrastructure Systems Administrator

The Applied Research Laboratory at Penn State University; San Diego (CA); Hybrid; USD 76,700 - 129,500; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage

Robust retirement plans

Generous 75% tuition discount for employees and eligible dependents

Job summary

The Applied Research Laboratory at Penn State University is seeking an experienced Infrastructure Systems Administrator for its DevSecOps Department. This hybrid position involves managing system hardware and software, ensuring compliance with security policies, and performing regular security monitoring.

The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor's Degree and significant system administration experience, particularly with U.S. Government systems. A competitive benefits package and salary range of $76,700 to $129,500 are offered, depending on qualifications.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of relevant experience for Senior Professional or 3+ years for Advanced Professional.
• Experience with U.S. Government computers, networks, and security.
• Demonstrated ability to work through difficult problems.

Responsibilities

• Asset installation, configuration, operation, and maintenance of systems.
• Perform regular security monitoring to identify possible intrusions.
• Establish, document, and monitor the government’s cyber security program.

Skills

System administration experience

Proven working experience with DNS, DHCP, Kickstart, LDAP

Cybersecurity Management Certification

Willingness to learn new technologies

Ability to obtain an active security clearance at the TS/SCI level

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

Windows 11 and Server

Red Hat Enterprise Linux

Terraform

Ansible

Grafana

ELK Stack

Job description

Position

We are searching for an experienced, organized, positive, and self‑motivated Infrastructure Systems Administrator to join our DevSecOps Department within the Joint Mission Integration and Experimentation (JMIE) Division at the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) at Penn State.

Responsibilities

• Asset installation, configuration, operation, and maintenance of systems hardware, software, and related infrastructure.
• Configure and manage operating systems (Windows and Linux), applications (commercial and government), networks (IPs, subnets, etc.), and network equipment (switches).
• Configure and manage DOD and IC standard distributed authentication services.
• Build systems from bare‑metal in alignment with accredited baselines.
• Ensure that system hardware, operating systems, software systems, and related procedures adhere to government security and readiness policies.
• Perform regular security monitoring to identify possible intrusions, including assessment of logs and reports.
• Perform daily backup operations, regular file archival and purge as necessary.
• Create, change, and delete user accounts per request.
• Perform ongoing performance tuning, hardware upgrades, and resource optimization.
• Repair and recover from hardware or software failures for multiple sites.
• Establish, document, and monitor the government’s cyber security program implementation plan.
• Maintain facility video distribution system and displays.

Required Skills / Experience

• System administration experience (server and desktop security implementation and management, software development, IT infrastructure setup and management).
• Experience with U.S. Government computers, networks, and security.
• Administering server‑side technology and networked computing systems.
• Proven working experience with DNS, DHCP, Kickstart, LDAP, Kubernetes, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Windows 11 and Server, ACAS, Rancher, Grafana, ELK Stack, Cross Domain Guards.
• Configure and manage operating systems (Windows and Linux), applications, networks, and network equipment.
• Configure and manage DOD and IC standard distributed authentication services.
• Maintain and create system documentation, provide surge hours during events, and create simple scripts (e.g., PowerShell or Bash).
• Cybersecurity Management Certification (CISSP, CISM), Cybersecurity IAT‑2 level Technical Certification (Security+, GSEC, etc.), Risk Management Framework (RMF) accreditation experience within six months of hire if not already held.
• Demonstrated ability to work through difficult problems, using proper steps to define and formulate ideas to reach a solution.
• Willingness to learn new technologies.
• Ability to obtain an active security clearance at the TS/SCI level prior to beginning employment.

Preferred Skills / Experience

• Automate installation, configuration, and provisioning using Infrastructure as Code tools such as Terraform, Ansible, Puppet, and Chef.
• Experience with Joint IO Range, Defense Research and Engineering Network, or similar environments.
• Experience with DOD and IC network infrastructures.

Location

Your working location will be hybrid on‑site/work from home (project‑dependent ability for hybrid work), located in San Diego, CA. Questions related to flexible work should be directed to the hiring manager during the interview process.

Minimum Education / Experience

For Senior Professional: Bachelor’s Degree with 6+ years of relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. For Advanced Professional: Bachelor’s Degree with 3+ years of relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Salary & Benefits

The salary range for this position, including all possible grades, is $76,700 to $129,500. The proposed salary range may be impacted by geographic differential.

Penn State provides a competitive benefits package for full‑time employees designed to support personal and professional well‑being. Benefits include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage; robust retirement plans; substantial paid time off including holidays, vacation, and sick time; and a generous 75% tuition discount available to employees and eligible spouses and children.

Background Checks / Clearances

Employment with the University requires successful completion of a background check in accordance with University policies. All positions at ARL require the ability to obtain a government security clearance; you will be notified during the interview process if this position is subject to a government background investigation. You must be a U.S. citizen and a pre-employment drug screen will be required.

EEO Statement

Penn State is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status. If you are unable to use our online application process due to an impairment or disability, please contact 814‑865‑1473.