IT Platform Administrator – Research Computing & Security

Penn State University; University Park (TX); On-site; USD 62,000 - 94,000; Full time

Job summary

Penn State University's Applied Research Laboratory in State College, PA, seeks an experienced IT security specialist to administer identity and access management, manage servers, and support high-security research computing.

The role requires DoD 8140/8570 readiness, Windows and Red Hat Linux expertise, and collaboration with IT to design resilient infrastructures. Hybrid options may arise after acclimation; strong emphasis on security, incident response, and documentation.

Qualifications

• Current eligibility for access to classified information at the Secret level or higher.
• Willingness to obtain DoD 8140/8570 certification within one year of start date.
• Experience administering Windows and Red Hat Linux servers at an enterprise level.
• Knowledge of Active Directory, Group Policy, Windows Server, NTFS permissions, DNS, and secure Windows servers.
• Experience in high-security research computing environments.
• Strong communication and organizational skills are required.
• Systems integration in a heterogeneous network environment.

Responsibilities

• Administer identity and access management, authentication, privileged accounts, certificates, and RBAC to protect research data.
• Install, configure, secure, and upgrade physical and virtual servers, OS, and storage for research computing.
• Monitor security events, vulnerabilities, and compliance; coordinate incident response and fixes.
• Monitor availability, performance, capacity; troubleshoot complex system and infra issues.
• Develop and maintain system architecture diagrams, baselines, DR docs, and security records.
• Provide advanced technical support; mentor staff; contribute to modernization and research initiatives.
• Collaborate with IT on designing infrastructures to meet goals.

Skills

Active Directory

Group Policy

Windows Server

NTFS Permissions

DNS

Linux Administration

DoD 8140/8570

Security Clearance

System Integration

Communication Skills

Education

Associate Degree

Tools

SCCM

Ansible

Redhat IDM

Job description

Penn State University's Applied Research Laboratory in State College, PA, seeks an experienced IT security specialist to administer identity and access management, manage servers, and support high-security research computing.

The role requires DoD 8140/8570 readiness, Windows and Red Hat Linux expertise, and collaboration with IT to design resilient infrastructures. Hybrid options may arise after acclimation; strong emphasis on security, incident response, and documentation.