Senior Linux Systems Administrator

AeroVironment; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

AeroVironment in Arlington, VA seeks a Senior Linux Systems Administrator to design, deploy, secure, automate, and maintain enterprise Linux servers and developer workstations across on‑premises and multi‑cloud environments. You will serve as SME for Oracle Linux, RHEL, and Ubuntu, and lead Canonical Landscape deployments.

The role emphasizes MFA/PAM, NIST 800-171/CMMC2, IaC with Ansible/Terraform, and high‑availability planning, plus backup, monitoring, and escalation support for engineering

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or equivalent.
• 8–12 years IT infrastructure experience; 6+ years in enterprise Linux.
• Hands-on admin of Oracle Linux, RHEL, and Ubuntu.
• Experience managing Linux endpoints at scale with Landscape/Satellite/Foreman.
• Experience implementing MFA for desktop and SSH; PAM integration.
• Hardening to NIST SP 800-171, CMMC Level 2, or DISA STIG.
• Strong automation skills with Ansible and scripting (Bash/Python).
• US Person; ability to obtain DoD clearance if required.

Responsibilities

• Enterprise Linux server design, build, config, and maintenance across on‑prem and cloud.
• Architect and administer Canonical Landscape for hundreds of Ubuntu endpoints.
• Implement MFA/PAM, SSSD/Active Directory bridging, and centralized sudoers.
• Harden systems to NIST SP 800-171/CMMC2 and manage security baselines.
• Develop IaC using Ansible, Terraform, Puppet/Chef, with Bash/Python scripts.
• Configure storage (LVM, NFS, iSCSI, SAN) and VMware ESXi/vCenter for Linux guests.
• Support engineering toolchains, licenses, DNS/DHCP/Kerberos; Tier 3 escalation.
• Design backup, DR, monitoring (Prometheus/Grafana/Zabbix) and performance tuning.

Skills

Enterprise Linux administration

Automation (Ansible, Bash, Python)

Scripting (Bash, Python)

MFA integration

PAM

NIST SP 800-171 / CMMC2 compliance

Security clearance readiness

VMware/vSphere administration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related

Tools

Canonical Landscape

Red Hat Satellite

Foreman

VMware vSphere/ESXi

LVM

NFS

iSCSI

Job description

Huntsville, AL

Dayton, OH

Albuquerque, NM

Simi Valley, CA

Sunrise, FL

Herndon, VA

Arlington, VA

Germantown, MD

Melbourne, FL

Full time

8518

Worker Type

Regular

Job Description

Summary

The Senior Linux Systems Administrator is responsible for designing, deploying, securing, automating, and maintaining enterprise Linux server infrastructure and developer workstation fleets across on-premises and multi‑cloud environments.

This role serves as the subject matter expert for enterprise Linux distributions ( Oracle Linux, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Ubuntu ), configuration management, and centralized orchestration. A primary focus includes managing and scaling Canonical Landscape to administer hundreds of Ubuntu developer desktops within a strict CMMC 2.0 Level 2 / NIST SP 800-171 compliant environment. The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in Linux PAM architecture, enterprise MFA integrations, infrastructure-as-code automation, and defense‑in‑depth security hardening.

Position Responsibilities

• Enterprise Linux Server Administration: Design, build, configure, and maintain mission‑critical Linux servers across on‑prem (VMware vSphere) and cloud environments (OCI, AWS, Azure), supporting engineering workloads, database platforms, and custom development pipelines.
• Developer Fleet Management: Architect, deploy, and administer Canonical Landscape to manage configuration profiles, package repositories, compliance policies, and automated patch management for hundreds of Ubuntu developer endpoints.
• Identity & Access Management (MFA/PAM): Implement and enforce robust authentication and authorization frameworks, including smart card/FIPS‑compliant MFA at desktop and SSH login, PAM module engineering, SSSD/FreeIPA integration, Active Directory/LDAP bridging, and centralized sudoers delegation.
• CMMC L2 & Security Compliance: Harden Linux servers and workstations to NIST SP 800-171, DISA STIG, and CIS Level 2 benchmarks. Implement SELinux/AppArmor enforcement, auditd daemon logging, file integrity monitoring (FIM), and SIEM log forwarding.
• Automation & Configuration Management: Develop and maintain Infrastructure‑as‑Code (IaC) and configuration baselines using Ansible, Terraform, Puppet/Chef, and advanced Bash/Python scripting.
• Storage & Virtualization: Configure and troubleshoot enterprise SAN/NAS storage, iSCSI/NFS mounts, multipathing, LVM volumes, and VMware ESXi/vCenter virtualization for Linux guests.
• Engineering Tools & Service Desk Escalation: Serve as Tier 3 escalation support for engineering applications, toolchains, build environments, license managers (FlexLM), and core network/directory services (DNS, DHCP, LDAP, Kerberos, NTP).
• High Availability & Disaster Recovery: Design robust backup and recovery workflows, test system failover procedures, monitor system health/telemetry (Prometheus, Grafana, Zabbix), and resolve complex performance bottlenecks.

Basic Qualifications (Required Skills & Experience)

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, or equivalent combination of education, technical training, and experience.
• Experience: Minimum of 8–12 years of total IT infrastructure experience, with at least 6+ years focused on enterprise Linux systems administration.
• Distribution Mastery: Deep, hands‑on administration of Oracle Linux (UEK), Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), and Ubuntu Server/Desktop .
• Fleet Management: Proven experience managing Linux endpoints at scale using Canonical Landscape , Red Hat Satellite, or Foreman.
• Authentication & MFA: Demonstrated experience implementing Linux desktop and SSH Multi‑Factor Authentication (YubiKey, PKI/Smartcard, Duo, or Okta PAM integration).
• Compliance & Hardening: Direct experience hardening Linux environments to NIST SP 800-171, CMMC Level 2, or DISA STIG requirements.
• Automation: Strong proficiency in Ansible and scripting with Bash or Python .
• Virtualization & Storage: Solid experience with VMware vSphere/ESXi and enterprise storage management (LVM, NFS, iSCSI, SAN).
• Security Clearance / Export Control: Must be a U.S. Person (U.S. Citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident) due to compliance with ITAR/EAR regulations; ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Security Clearance if required.

Other Qualifications & Desired Compet