Senior Linux Systems Administrator

AeroVironment; Melbourne (FL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

AeroVironment is seeking a Senior Linux Systems Administrator to design, deploy, secure, automate, and maintain enterprise Linux infrastructure across on‑premises and multi‑cloud environments in support of engineering workloads.

The role focuses on Oracle Linux, RHEL, Ubuntu, and Canonical Landscape, with IAM/MFA, IaC automation, and stringent NIST 800-171/CMMC L2 compliance. You will operate in a DoD‑aligned environment with high availability and strong security practices.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in IT.
• 8–12 years IT infrastructure, 6+ years Linux
• Deep Linux distro expertise: Oracle Linux, RHEL, Ubuntu.

Responsibilities

• Design, deploy, and maintain mission-critical Linux servers across on‑prem and cloud.
• Manage Canonical Landscape to uniform desktops and patches.
• Implement MFA/SUDO/SSSD/LDAP and PAM integrations for secure access.
• Harden systems to NIST SP 800-171, CMMC L2, and DISA STIG.
• Develop IaC with Ansible, Terraform, Puppet/Chef; Bash/Python scripting.
• Manage storage and virtualization (LVM, NFS, iSCSI, VMware).
• Provide Tier 3 support for engineering tools and directory services.

Skills

Linux server administration

MFA / PAM

Automation / IaC

Scripting (Bash / Python)

Security hardening

Education

Bachelor’s degree in related IT field

Tools

Canonical Landscape

Red Hat Satellite

Foreman

VMware vSphere/ESXi

NIST SP 800-171 / DISA STIG

Prometheus Grafana Zabbix

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