Network/Systems Administrator - Remote (Active Secret Clearance Required)

Empower AI; Radford (VA); Remote; USD 96,000 - 149,000; Full time

Job summary

Empower AI is seeking a Remote Network/Systems Administrator to support a mixed network environment with Windows Server, VMware, Oracle OS, and Cisco/Palo Alto infrastructure. This role requires DoD Secret clearance and hands-on engineering across data centers and cloud environments.

You will help design, deploy, and maintain secure networks across multiple locations, with an emphasis on enterprise reliability, scalability, and compliance.

Qualifications

• Ten+ years in IT support or networking environments.
• Experience designing, implementing and documenting complex networks.
• Knowledge of DoD cybersecurity requirements and RMF/SRG/CORA is desirable.
• Hands-on with Palo Alto, Cisco, and firewall ecosystems.
• Experience with network management and monitoring tools.

Responsibilities

• Plan, deploy, troubleshoot, and support multi-site networks for customers.
• Create and maintain technical instructions, SOPs, and policies.
• Monitor performance, harden security, and report status.
• Integrate software/hardware, and manage vendor equipment in data centers.
• Document networking solutions and maintain configurations.
• Configure and migrate Palo Alto firewalls and Cisco gear.
• Provide reports and action plans for optimization.

Skills

Team player

Strong interpersonal skills

IT experience

DoD cybersecurity awareness

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent

Tools

Palo Alto Firewalls

Cisco Nexus switches

Cisco Catalyst switches

Cisco ASR/ISR routers

Cisco Firepower

SolarWinds

Cisco Prime

Palo Alto Panorama

VMware

Job description

Remote Network/Systems Administrator - (Active Secret Clearance Required)

Job ID: 2026-9493

Job Locations

US-VA-Radford | US-Remote

Category

Telecommunications

Type

Regular Full-Time

Overview

Empower AI is AI for government. Empower AI gives federal agency leaders the tools to elevate the potential of their workforce with a direct path for meaningful transformation. Headquartered in Reston, Va., Empower AI leverages three decades of experience solving complex challenges in Health, Defense, and Civilian missions. Our proven Empower AI Platform provides a practical, sustainable path for clients to achieve transformation that is true to who they are, what they do, how they work, with the resources they have. The result is a government workforce that is exponentially more creative and productive. For more information, visit www.Empower.ai.

Empower AI is proud to be recognized as a 2024 Military Friendly Employer by Viqtory, the publisher of G.I. Jobs. This designation reflects the company's commitment to hiring and supporting active-duty and veteran employees.

Responsibilities

The Network Administrator supports a mixed and growing environment currently serving functional teams and customers utilizing MS Windows Server 2019/2022, MS SQL 2019, MS Windows 11, VMware 7.x, OEL 8x-9x, and Oracle operating systems. Working with existing team members responsible for designing and supporting multiple complex networks across different locations, this position helps lead strategies to manage, maintain, deploy, troubleshoot, and support networks for multiple customer environments.

This is a remote-eligible position. Local candidates in the Roanoke and Radford, Virginia area are encouraged to apply, and work may be performed locally for those who prefer an on-site or hybrid arrangement. The ideal candidate will bring hands-on enterprise network administration expertise, strong DoD cybersecurity compliance knowledge, and the ability to support mission-critical Army IT services across enterprise data centers and cloud-hosted environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead efforts to plan, execute, and implement new network implementations.
• Create and maintain team technical instructions, operating procedures, and policies.
• Monitor and tune system and network performance; harden the network and report on overall security and operational status.
• Recommend enterprise improvements and manage new software/hardware integrations.
• Produce utilization reports to identify problems and corrective actions.
• Support the lifecycle of a mixed vendor equipment environment in the datacenter, including firmware version control and preventive maintenance.
• Design, implement, document, and maintain complex networking solutions.
• Configure, update, maintain, administer, and migrate Palo Alto firewalls and Cisco networking equipment (Nexus, Catalyst, ASR/ISR routers, Firepower).

Qualifications

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

• CompTIA Security+.
• Computing Environment (CE) Certification (e.g., MCSE, Server+, CCNA, RedHat, Palo) - may be waived for 30 days after project join date.
• DoD Secret Security Clearance.
• Experience in Computer Science or IT.
• 10-15 years of realvent experience
• Three or more years' experience designing, implementing, documenting, and maintaining complex networking solutions.
• Three or more years' experience configuring, updating, maintaining, administering, and migrating Palo Alto Firewalls.
• Three or more years' experience with network management, analysis, and troubleshooting tools (SolarWinds, Cisco Prime, Palo Alto Panorama, Men and Mice, etc.).
• Five or more years' experience configuring, updating, maintaining, and administering Cisco Nexus (9K, 7K, 5K, 2K), Cisco Catalyst switches, Cisco ASR/ISR routers, and Cisco Firepower.
• Three years' experience or working knowledge of Software Defined Networking.
• Three or more years' experience creating, maintaining, and following Standard Operating Procedures for repeatable processes, disaster recovery, and common problem resolution.
• Strong interpersonal skills and willingness to be a team player.

PREFERRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent years of experience.
• Three or more years' experience in automation and scripting with Python, Perl, TCL, or Ansible.
• Three or more years' experience supporting Cybersecurity patch management and STIGs, SRG, RMF, SCA-V, and Cyber Operational Readiness Assessments (CORA).

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

This position requires the ability to perform the below essential functions:

• Sitting for long periods
• Standing for long periods
• Ambulate throughout an office
• Ambulate between several buildings
• Stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl as required

About Empower AI

All hiring and promotion decisions at Empower AI are based on merit to bring the best talent available to contribute to our firm's overall success. It is the policy of Empower AI not to discriminate against any applicant for employment, or employee because of age, color, sex, disability, national origin, race, religion, or veteran status. Empower AI is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.

Pay Band Min

USD $96,050.00/Yr.

Pay Band Max

USD $148,670.00/Yr.