Senior System Administrator

avav; Maryland; On-site; USD 170,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision

401K with company matching

9/80 work schedule

Paid holidays

Job summary

AV inc. is seeking a System Administrator III in Maryland to design, implement, secure, and maintain the organization’s core IT infrastructure.

This senior role provides Tier 3 incident support, leads infrastructure projects, mentors junior staff, and ensures high availability, performance, and security of critical systems. The candidate will design and manage servers, virtualization, storage, and core services (AD, DNS, DHCP, Group Policy), harden Linux/Windows environments, and implement

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field; or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• 10–15+ years of progressively responsible experience in system administration, with significant experience in medium to large enterprise environments.
• Demonstrated experience operating as a Tier 3 resource for complex infrastructure issues.
• Active TS/SCI with Polygraph.

Responsibilities

• Design, install, configure, and maintain servers, virtualization platforms, storage, and core services (e.g., AD, DNS, DHCP, Group Policy).
• Manage and optimize virtualization environments (e.g., VMware, Nutanix, Hyper‑V, or similar) and related storage solutions (SAN/NAS).
• Administer Windows and/or Linux server environments, including patching, hardening, and lifecycle management.
• Implement and maintain monitoring, alerting, and logging systems to ensure reliability and performance.
• Implement and maintain security controls (OS hardening, access controls, patch management, endpoint security).
• Collaborate with security teams to support vulnerability management, incident response, and audits.
• Ensure systems comply with relevant standards and policies (e.g., ISO 27001, NIST, internal IT policies).
• Maintain backup, recovery, and disaster recovery strategies; perform regular DR tests.
• Serve as the highest internal escalation point for complex infrastructure incidents and problems.
• Troubleshoot advanced issues involving servers, storage, virtualization, networking interactions, and authentication services.
• Perform root‑cause analysis for major incidents and implement long‑term corrective actions.
• Develop and maintain technical documentation, runbooks, and standard operating procedures.
• Develop scripts and automation (e.g., PowerShell, Bash, Python, or configuration management tools) to streamline deployment, configuration, and maintenance.
• Evaluate and recommend new technologies, tools, and processes to improve reliability, security, and efficiency.
• Lead or contribute to infrastructure modernization initiatives (e.g., cloud migration, identity modernization, endpoint management).
• Lead and/or serve as technical SME on cross‑functional projects, upgrades, and new system implementations.
• Mentor and provide technical guidance to System Administrator I/II and other IT staff.
• Collaborate closely with application, network, and security teams to deliver end‑to‑end solutions.

Skills

System administration

Tier 3 support

Windows

Linux

Scripting (PowerShell, Bash, Python)

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field; or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience

Job description

Worker Type: Regular

Job Description

Summary

The System Administrator III is a senior technical contributor responsible for designing, implementing, securing, and maintaining the organization’s core IT infrastructure. This role provides Tier 3 support for complex incidents, leads infrastructure projects, mentors junior staff, and ensures high availability, performance, and security of critical systems.

Position Responsibilities

Infrastructure Design & Administration

• Design, install, configure, and maintain servers, virtualization platforms, storage, and core services (e.g., AD, DNS, DHCP, Group Policy).
• Manage and optimize virtualization environments (e.g., VMware, Nutanx, Hyper‑V, or similar) and related storage solutions (SAN/NAS).
• Administer Windows and/or Linux server environments, including patching, hardening, and lifecycle management.
• Implement and maintain monitoring, alerting, and logging systems to ensure reliability and performance.

Security & Compliance

• Implement and maintain security controls (OS hardening, access controls, patch management, endpoint security).
• Collaborate with security teams to support vulnerability management, incident response, and audits.
• Ensure systems comply with relevant standards and policies (e.g., ISO 27001, NIST, internal IT policies).
• Maintain backup, recovery, and disaster recovery strategies; perform regular DR tests.

Operational Support (Tier 3)

• Serve as the highest internal escalation point for complex infrastructure incidents and problems.
• Troubleshoot advanced issues involving servers, storage, virtualization, networking interactions, and authentication services.
• Perform root‑cause analysis for major incidents and implement long‑term corrective actions.
• Develop and maintain technical documentation, runbooks, and standard operating procedures.

Automation & Continuous Improvement

• Develop scripts and automation (e.g., PowerShell, Bash, Python, or configuration management tools) to streamline deployment, configuration, and maintenance.
• Evaluate and recommend new technologies, tools, and processes to improve reliability, security, and efficiency.
• Lead or contribute to infrastructure modernization initiatives (e.g., cloud migration, identity modernization, endpoint management).

Collaboration & Leadership

• Lead and/or serve as technical SME on cross‑functional projects, upgrades, and new system implementations.
• Mentor and provide technical guidance to System Administrator I/II and other IT staff.
• Collaborate closely with application, network, and security teams to deliver end‑to‑end solutions.

Basic Qualifications (Required Skills & Experience)

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field; or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• 10–15+ years of progressively responsible experience in system administration, with significant experience in medium to large enterprise environments.
• Demonstrated experience operating as a Tier 3 resource for complex infrastructure issues.
• Active TS/SCI with Polygraph.

Salary Range

170,000 – 250,000

The AV pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Determination of official compensation or salary relies on several factors including, but not limited to, level of position, job responsibilities, geographic location, scope of relevant work experience, educational background, certifications, contract‑specific affordability, organizational requirements, alignment with internal equity as well as alignment with market data.

ITAR Requirement

This position requires access to information that is subject to compliance with the International Traffic Arms Regulations ("ITAR") and/or the Export Administration Regulations ("EAR"). In order to comply with the requirements of the ITAR and/or the EAR, applicants will be asked to provide specific documentation to verify U.S. person status under the ITAR and the EAR. A "U.S. person" according to their definition is a U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident (green card holder), or protected individual such as a refugee, or asylee. Some positions will require current U.S. Citizenship due to contract requirements.

Benefits

AV offers an excellent benefits package including medical, dental, vision, 401K with company matching, a 9/80 work schedule, and a paid holiday shutdown. Benefits can be found on: http://www.avinc.com/myavbenefits

We also encourage you to review our company website at http://www.avinc.com to learn more about us.

We are an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and welcome all qualified applicants. Qualified applicants will receive fair and impartial consideration without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic data, sexual orientation, gender identity or other legally protected status.