Senior IT Administrator

The Ascendancy Group; Virginia Beach (VA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

A defense solutions provider in Virginia Beach seeks a Senior IT Administrator to lead the technical strategy for secure communications kits. This role involves overseeing infrastructure design, lifecycle governance, and compliance documentation. Candidates must have 7-10 years of IT operations experience and an active SECRET clearance. Key responsibilities include defining security standards, training program management, and vendor coordination. Candidates with relevant certifications such as CISSP and CISM are preferred.

Qualifications

• 7–10+ years experience in infrastructure/IT operations.
• 3+ years leading secure endpoint or field-kit programs.
• Active SECRET clearance required.

Responsibilities

• Define security baselines and configuration templates.
• Establish logging/telemetry and incident workflows.
• Oversee lifecycle governance including procurement and maintenance.
• Coordinate with vendor partners for requirements validation.
• Direct the training program for secure operating procedures.
• Maintain compliance documentation for audits.

Skills

Infrastructure design

Security architecture

End-to-end lifecycle governance

Operational oversight

Help desk management

Risk management

Education

CISSP certification

CISM certification

ISSM certification

Job description

To be the unequaled provider of special operations forces (SOF) and Intelligence Community focused technical, service, and training-based solutions.

Overview

As a TAG Senior IT Administrator, you will lead the end-to-end technical strategy, security architecture, and operational oversight for Deployable Communications Kits (DCKs) used for secure, managed-attribution communications. In this role, you will own infrastructure design, standards, and compliance; guide procurement, imaging, isolation technologies, and lifecycle management; ensure help desk readiness and training delivery; and maintain audit-ready documentation aligned to USG requirements.

Security Requirement

• An active SECRET clearance

Roles and Responsibilities

• Define security baselines, hardening standards, and configuration templates (e.g., CIS Benchmarks, applicable NIST guidance such as SP 800-53/800-171, and media sanitization via 800-88) aligned to client requirements.
• Establish logging/telemetry, SIEM integration, and incident workflows for kit devices (e.g., endpoint detection & response, audit trails, secure update channels).
• Own end-to-end lifecycle governance (2–3 years): procurement standards, asset tagging/serialization, chain of custody, maintenance, patching cadence, and decommissioning/sanitization.
• Define SLAs, surge protocols (=2-hour response), escalation paths, and service reporting/dashboards.
• Coordinate with vendor partners and the client for requirements validation, risk acceptance, and change management.
• Oversee golden images, secure boot, firmware policies, certificate management, and update channels across laptops/tablets/routers/peripherals.
• Direct the training program for managed attribution usage, kit handling (Faraday bags, data blockers), and secure operating procedures; approve training content and job aids.
• Ensure help desk SOPs align with ITIL practices; maintain a tiered support model, runbooks, and knowledge base.
• Maintain documentation: SSPs, diagrams, SOPs, asset registers, inventory logs, incident records, and patch status for audits.
• Implement risk management processes, vulnerability management, and continuous improvement.

Position Requirements

• 7–10+ years' experience in infrastructure/IT operations; 3+ years leading secure endpoint or field-kit programs.
• Certifications (requested): CISSP, CISM & ISSM (or equivalent DoD 8570/8140 management-level certifications).

Preferred

• Experience supporting USG programs, managed attribution concepts, or deployable/expeditionary communications.
• Familiarity with STIGs/CIS controls, Zero Trust principles, and field logistics.