Principal Engineer - Systems (Unix Systems Administrator)

Microchip Technology Inc.; Boulder (CO); On-site; USD 75,000 - 232,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Wellness & Medical Benefits

401K Retirement Savings Plan

Tuition Reimbursement

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Restricted Stock Grant

Quarterly Employee Cash Bonus Plan

Life Insurance

Long Term Care

Legal

Employee Assistance Plan

Job summary

Microchip Technology Inc. is seeking a highly experienced Systems Administrator to design, secure, and maintain Linux and FreeBSD infrastructure across bare‑metal hardware and cloud platforms.

You will be the technical authority on system architecture and security, enforcing DISA STIGs, CIS Benchmarks, and CMMC for handling CUI, with hands‑on work in virtualization and containers.

U.S. citizenship and TS/SCI clearance eligibility are required for consideration.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of hands‑on, enterprise‑level system administration experience with Linux and/or FreeBSD.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, or a related technical field.
• Must be a U.S. Citizen with the ability to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI U.S. Government Security Clearance.
• Proven track record of hardening systems using DISA STIGs and CIS Benchmarks without breaking production workloads; SELinux configuration knowledge.
• Strong working knowledge of CMMC frameworks and the specific guardrails for handling CUI.
• Ability to provision, manage, and secure OS on bare‑metal hardware and in scalable cloud environments.
• Solid knowledge of virtualization technologies and container runtimes.

Responsibilities

• Design, deploy, and maintain enterprise Linux and/or FreeBSD environments on‑premises and in cloud environments.
• Implement deep system hardening and access controls (SELinux) with custom policies.
• Apply and maintain strict security baselines per DISA STIGs and CIS Benchmarks.
• Architect and manage secure enclaves compliant with CMMC for CUI processing/storage.
• Manage virtualized environments and containerized workloads securely.
• Automate patching, configuration management, and compliance auditing (e.g., Ansible).
• Troubleshoot OS, network, and storage issues at kernel/hypervisor levels.

Skills

Linux

FreeBSD

SELinux

DISA STIGs

CIS Benchmarks

CMMC

Virtualization

Containerization

Ansible

Security compliance

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, or related technical field

Tools

Kubernetes

AWS

Cloud platforms

Job description

Are you looking for a unique opportunity to be a part of something great? Want to join a 17,000-member team that works on the technology that powers the world around us? Looking for an atmosphere of trust, empowerment, respect, diversity, and communication? How about an opportunity to own a piece of a multi-billion dollar (with a B!) global organization? We offer all that and more at Microchip Technology Inc.
People come to work at Microchip because we help design the technology that runs the world. They stay because our culture supports their growth and stability. They are challenged and driven by an incredible array of products and solutions with unlimited career potential. Microchip’s nationally-recognized Leadership Passage Programs support career growth where we proudly enroll over a thousand people annually. We take pride in our commitment to employee development, values-based decision making, and strong sense of community, driven by our Vision, Mission, and 11 Guiding Values; we affectionately refer to it as the Aggregate System and it’s won us countless awards for diversity and workplace excellence.
Our company is built by dedicated team players who love to challenge the status quo; we did not achieve record revenue and over 30 years of quarterly profitability without a great team dedicated to empowering innovation. People like you.

Job Description

We are seeking a highly experienced Systems Administrator to engineer, secure, and maintain business-critical Linux and FreeBSD infrastructure across both bare-metal hardware and virtualized platforms. You will serve as a primary technical authority on system architecture and security compliance, ensuring our environments meet stringent federal and defense-industry standards.

Core Responsibilities

• Design, deploy, and maintain enterprise Linux and/or FreeBSD environments on-premises and within cloud infrastructure environments.
• Implement deep system hardening and mandatory access controls using SELinux by writing custom policies.
• Apply, automate, and maintain strict security baselines according to DISA STIGs and CIS Benchmarks.
• Architect and manage secure enclaves compliant with Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) standards for the safe processing and storage of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).
• Deploy, secure, and manage virtualized environments and containerized workloads.
• Automate patching, configuration management, and compliance auditing across all hardware and cloud perimeters, utilizing in-house and industry automated tools (e.g., Ansible).
• Troubleshoot complex OS, network, and storage issues at the kernel and hypervisor levels.

Requirements/Qualifications

Experience: 10+ years of hands‑on, enterprise‑level system administration experience specifically with Linux and/or FreeBSD operating systems.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, or a related technical field.

Clearance Eligibility: Must be a U.S. Citizen with the ability to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI U.S. Government Security Clearance.

Security & Hardening: Proven track record of hardening systems using DISA STIGs and CIS Benchmarks without breaking production workloads, practical knowledge of SELinux configuration.

Federal Compliance: Strong working knowledge of CMMC frameworks and the specific technical guardrails required for handling CUI.

Infrastructure Versatility: Demonstrated ability to provision, manage, and secure operating systems directly on bare‑metal hardware, as well as within scalable cloud environments.

Modern Workloads: Solid foundational knowledge of virtualization technologies and containerization runtimes.

Related & Preferred Certifications

We encourage candidates to apply if they hold one or more of the following, which strongly align with our compliance requirements (DoD 8140/8570, CMMC):

Operating System Focus: Red Hat Certified Engineer/Administrator (RHCE/RHCSA), Linux Foundation Certified Engineer/Administrator (LFCE/LFCS), CompTIA Linux+, or BSD Certification Group (BSDA/BSDP).

Security & Compliance Focus: Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP+), or CompTIA Security+.

Cloud & Modern Infrastructure: AWS Certified SysOps Administrator/Security Specialty, or Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA).

Benefits

• Wellness & Medical Benefits effective on your First Day of Employment
• Gold Standard in Medical, Prescription Drug, Dental & Vision Benefits
• Quarterly Employee Cash Bonus Plan
• Restricted Stock Grant
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Tuition Reimbursement
• 401K Retirement Savings Plan
• Spending Accounts
• Life Insurance
• Long Term Care
• Legal
• Employee Assistance Plan

Paid Time Off

• Vacation Pay
• Absence Time - "Sick Pay"
• 10 Paid Holidays

U.S. Export Controls Requirements

This job requires access to technology, materials, software or hardware that is controlled by the export laws of the United States. Candidates are required to provide proof of either U.S. citizenship, Permanent U.S. residency or classification as a protected individual as defined in 8 USC 1324b (a) (3).

Travel Time

0% - 25%

Physical Attributes

Feeling, Handling, Hearing, Other, Pulling, Reaching, Seeing, Talking, Works Alone, Works Around Others

Physical Requirements

70% sitting; 15% walking; 15% standing; 100% in doors; Usual business hours

Pay Range

We offer a total compensation package that ranks among the best in the industry. It consists of competitive base pay, restricted stock units, and quarterly bonus payments. In addition to these components, our package includes health benefits that begin day one, retirement savings plans, and an industry leading ESPP program with a 2 year look back feature. Find more information about all our benefits at the link below:
The annual base salary range for this position, which could be performed in the US, is $75,000-$232,000.*

• Range is dependent on numerous factors including job location, skills and experience.

Microchip Technology Inc is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.

For more information on applicable equal employment regulations, please refer to the Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal Poster.