Linux Support Engineer

Clark Davis Associates; Morristown (NJ); On-site; USD 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Clark Davis Associates is seeking a hands-on Support Engineer to own and operate the non-development workload alongside the engineering team. The role includes monitoring, basic networking tasks, small-scale infrastructure management (Nagios), and automation of routine processes—with a focus on improvement over runbooks.

The ideal candidate will be a capable Linux administrator, comfortable scripting in Bash or Python, and able to communicate clearly while documenting work.

Qualifications

• Up to 5 years of experience in Linux administration, support engineering, or similar infrastructure/operations roles.
• Strong hands-on experience with Linux and command-line tools.
• Scripting experience in Bash, Python, or similar languages.
• Basic networking fundamentals (routing, VLANs, DHCP, DNS, etc.).
• Excellent communication and documentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Own and maintain our small Nagios monitoring environment and help expand/improve alerting over time.
• Monitor systems, services, and basic metrics; respond to alerts and resolve or elevate issues.
• Identify when systems deviate from normal patterns and react quickly and calmly.
• Support day-to-day operational workflows across infrastructure and internal services.
• Act as a primary Linux sysadmin (Debian preferred, not required).
• Perform routine maintenance, updates, configuration changes, and system checks.
• Write scripts (Bash, Python) to automate repetitive tasks and streamline processes—focus on improving rather than just following runbooks.
• Help manage core services such as DNS, NTP/PTP time sync, SSL certificates, logging, and authentication tools.
• Handle basic Cisco networking tasks—sufficient to communicate requirements to external network engineers and verify work completion.
• Assist with troubleshooting connectivity issues (nothing heavy‑duty; baseline knowledge is acceptable).
• Exposure or experience in any of the following is useful (not expected to have all):
• NIS, DNS
• GitLab
• MySQL
• You will not be expected to master everything on this list—it's a wishlist of tools you might touch or learn over time.
• Maintain clear documentation, logs, and configuration details.
• Identify recurring issues and assist in developing more robust or automated solutions.
• Contribute to small infrastructure improvements and operational efficiency projects.

Skills

Linux administration

Bash scripting

Python scripting

Basic networking fundamentals

Documentation

Tools

Nagios

GitLab

MySQL

Debian

Job description

We are looking for a Support Engineer to take ownership of the operational and non-development workloads that our engineering team currently shares. This is a hands‑on, varied role that includes system monitoring, basic networking tasks, small-scale infrastructure management (including a lightweight Nagios installation), and automation of routine processes.

DevOps/infrastructure capabilities.

What You’ll Do

Systems Monitoring & Operational Support

• Own and maintain our small Nagios monitoring environment and help expand/improve alerting over time.
• Monitor systems, services, and basic metrics; respond to alerts and resolve or elevate issues.
• Identify when systems deviate from normal patterns and react quickly and calmly.
• Support day‑to‑day operational workflows across infrastructure and internal services.
• Act as a primary Linux sysadmin (Debian preferred, not required).
• Perform routine maintenance, updates, configuration changes, and system checks.
• Write scripts (Bash, Python) to automate repetitive tasks and streamline processes—focus on improving rather than just following runbooks.
• Help manage core services such as DNS, NTP/PTP time sync, SSL certificates, logging, and authentication tools.
• Handle basic Cisco networking tasks—sufficient to communicate requirements to external network engineers and verify work completion.
• Assist with troubleshooting connectivity issues (nothing heavy‑duty; baseline knowledge is acceptable).

Tooling, Services & Infrastructure

Exposure or experience in any of the following is useful (not expected to have all):

• NIS, DNS
• GitLab
• MySQL

You will not be expected to master everything on this list—it's a wishlist of tools you might touch or learn over time.

• Maintain clear documentation, logs, and configuration details.
• Identify recurring issues and assist in developing more robust or automated solutions.
• Contribute to small infrastructure improvements and operational efficiency projects.

Ideal Candidate

We’re looking for someone who is:

• Smart, motivated, teachable, and eager to grow.
• A natural problem‑solver with good judgment.
• Reliable and consistent in follow‑through.
• Calm under pressure and able to troubleshoot logically.
• Comfortable with Linux system administration (Debian a plus).
• Experienced with Bash/Python scripting and automation.
• Familiar with basic Cisco networking concepts.
• Interested in taking ownership of operational tasks and improving them.

Qualifications

• Up to 5 years of experience in Linux administration, support engineering, or similar infrastructure/operations roles.
• Strong hands‑on experience with Linux and command‑line tools.
• Scripting experience in Bash, Python, or similar languages.
• Basic networking fundamentals (routing, VLANs, DHCP, DNS, etc.).
• Excellent communication and documentation skills.