Junior System Administrator

NOVA DINE LLC; Quantico (VA); On-site; USD 58,000 - 89,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision

Paid Time Off

Retirement with company match

Job summary

NOVA DINE LLC is seeking a Junior Systems Administrator to operate, secure, and maintain on‑premises server, storage, and virtualization environments across classified networks. You will backup data, verify backups, and support disaster recovery per NIST guidelines.

Ideal candidates have a TS/SCI clearance, 3+ years in DoD-style environments, and a degree in IT related fields. On‑site role with comprehensive benefits and a focus on continuity planning.

Qualifications

• At least 3 years of specialized system administration experience in Federal/DoW environments.
• Expert-level knowledge of Red Hat Linux, Windows Server, VMware, and backup applications.
• Experience with backup, recovery, and COOP planning per NIST guidance.

Responsibilities

• Administer, patch, and maintain Red Hat Linux and Windows servers and VMware VMs across classified/unclassified domains.
• Monitor Active Directory, DHCP, and authentication; resolve or escalate issues.
• Support on-prem SAN/NAS operations and perform backups with verification.
• Perform quarterly recovery tests and record results in recovery history.
• Develop and maintain backup, recovery, and business continuity/disaster recovery plans.
• Restore services at alternate locations within 24 hours during COOP exercises.
• Install, configure, and maintain physical servers, storage, and VMware hosts; coordinate hardware repairs.
• Collect VM performance data to support capacity planning and right-sizing.
• Update baselines, diagrams, and SOPs; escalate complex issues.

Skills

TS/SCI clearance

Backup & recovery

Senior system administration

Education

Bachelor's degree in IT Management or related field

Tools

VMware

Red Hat Linux

Windows Server

Commvault

Job description

Position Overview

Junior Systems Administrator responsible for operating, maintaining, and protecting on-premises server, storage, and virtualization environments across classified and unclassified networks. Working under the direction of senior system administrators, the administrator monitors enterprise services daily, performs routine physical server and virtual machine administration, runs and verifies backups, and keeps system documentation current. This position supports the on-premises backup, recovery, and continuity of operations (COOP) capabilities that keep mission information available at primary and alternate locations.

Responsibilities

• Administer, patch, and maintain Red Hat Linux and Windows servers and VMware virtual machines across classified and unclassified domains.
• Monitor enterprise services such as Active Directory, DHCP, and authentication daily using centralized management tools, and resolve or escalate availability and performance issues.
• Support on-premises storage area network (SAN) and network-attached storage (NAS) operations, including capacity monitoring and allocation.
• Run scheduled backups of mission-critical data and infrastructure configurations using Commvault or similar tools, verify job completion, and remediate failures.
• Perform quarterly data recovery tests and real-world restores, and record the results in the recovery history.
• Help develop and maintain on-premises backup, recovery, and business continuity/disaster recovery plans aligned with NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 and SP 800-34 Rev. 1.
• Support restoral of enterprise services at alternate operating locations during COOP exercises and real-world events, ready for implementation within 24 hours of notification.
• Install, configure, and maintain physical servers, storage arrays, and VMware hosts, and coordinate hardware repairs and replacements with vendors.
• Collect virtual machine and host performance and capacity data to support right-sizing and hardware recommendations.
• Implement approved changes through the configuration and change management process and update system baselines and diagrams.
• Maintain standard operating procedures, configuration records, and ticket histories, and elevate complex issues to senior administrators.

Years of Experience

At least 3 years of specialized experience in system administration within Federal/Department of War (DoW) environments, with specific expertise in server platforms (Red Hat Linux and similar), virtualization platforms (VMware and similar), and backup applications (Commvault and similar).

Education Level

Bachelor's degree in IT Management, Cybersecurity, Computer Science, or a related discipline; equivalent professional experience will also be considered.

Clearance Requirements

Must possess and maintain an active Top Secret (TS) security clearance with access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI).

Certification Requirements

CompTIA Server+ CE, Security+ CE, and/or Cloud+ CE required (Security+ CE preferred, as it also meets DoD 8140 requirements for system administrator access). Red Hat Certified System Administrator, Windows Server Administrator, VMware Certified Professional (Data Center), or Commvault Certified Professional preferred.

Other Qualifications

Expert-level knowledge of server platforms (Red Hat Linux and similar), virtualization platforms (VMware and similar), and backup applications (Commvault and similar); expert-level knowledge of backup and recovery and business continuity/disaster recovery practices for a highly distributed enterprise, including restoral of services at an alternate site; and knowledge of NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5, SP 800-34 Rev. 1, and SP 800-209, and of DAF COOP planning guidance (DAFI 10-208). No cloud administration is required for this position.

Salary Range

Salary Range: $58,000 to $89,000

The compensation range listed for this position represents the good faith salary range Diné Development Corporation (DDC) and its subsidiaries reasonably expect to pay for the role, in accordance with applicable state and local pay transparency laws. Actual compensation will be determined based on a variety of factors, including the position's responsibilities, the candidate's education, experience, skills, internal equity, market considerations, and any applicable collective bargaining agreements or legal requirements.

About Us

Diné Development Corporation (DDC) is a Navajo Nation-owned family of companies that provides government agencies and commercial organizations with high-quality IT, professional, environmental, and research and development services. DDC is dedicated to empowering the Navajo Nation and the communities we serve.

Benefits

• Eligible full-time employees receive a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, life and disability coverage, retirement savings with company match, and paid time off.
• Additional benefits include voluntary supplemental benefits, access to an emp