Senior Systems Administrator

Forge Forward, Inc.; Charleston (SC); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Forge Forward, Inc. is seeking a Senior Systems Administrator in Charleston, SC, to manage and secure enterprise VMware-based infrastructure, Windows Server platforms, and endpoint security in a DoD environment.

You will patch, document, and maintain baselines while coordinating with cybersecurity, network, and service desk teams. The role requires at least 5+ years in enterprise systems administration, DoD experience preferred, and active SECRET clearance.

Qualifications

• 5+ years enterprise systems administration experience, preferably in a DoD environment.
• Administer VMware vSphere, ESXi, vCenter, VMs, templates, snapshots.
• Support VDI pools, images, access, profiles, sessions, and client connectivity.
• Administer Windows Server systems, services, permissions, patches, logs, and scheduled tasks.
• Perform routine Active Directory and Group Policy administration.
• Install, configure, monitor Trellix ESS and ePO components.
• Administer MDE and MDI onboarding, health, alerts, remediation actions.
• Apply DISA STIGs, security updates, endpoint policies, and approved configuration baselines.
• Coordinate with cybersecurity, network, engineering, help desk, and government teams.
• Provide technical guidance and knowledge transfer to junior staff.

Responsibilities

• Monitor system health, resolve incidents, restore services, and escalate complex issues.
• Support backups, restoration, continuity, and disaster-recovery activities.
• Execute approved changes with validation, rollback, and post-change documentation.
• Document SOPs, troubleshooting guides, maintenance logs, and access records.
• Use PowerShell to streamline routine administration, reporting, and compliance checks.

Skills

VMware vSphere

VDI platforms

Windows Server

Active Directory / GPO

Trellix ESS / ePO

MDE / MDI

DISA STIGs

PowerShell

Backups / DR

Troubleshooting / Documentation

Jira / Confluence / SharePoint / Git

Education

Bachelor's degree in IT / Cybersecurity

Tools

Jira

Confluence

SharePoint

Git

Job description

The Senior Systems Administrator is a hands-on operations and sustainment professional responsible for administering, maintaining, securing, and troubleshooting enterprise virtual infrastructure, virtual desktop services, Windows server platforms, and endpoint security capabilities in secure DoD environments. Minimum five (5) years of enterprise systems administration experience, preferably in a DoD environment. The position emphasizes reliable day-to-day administration, patching, configuration management, vulnerability remediation, service restoration, and technical documentation. The administrator will support VMware-based virtualization, selected VDI services, Trellix Endpoint Security Solutions (ESS), Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (MDE), and Microsoft Defender for Identity (MDI), while coordinating with engineering, cybersecurity, network, and service desk personnel. The candidate must be able to work independently on assigned administrative tasks, **escalate issues appropriately**, and maintain approved security and configuration baselines.

Functional Responsibilities and Required Skills:

• Administer VMware vSphere, ESXi, vCenter, virtual machines, templates, snapshots, and host resources.
• Support VDI desktop pools, images, user access, profiles, sessions, and client connectivity.
• Administer Windows Server systems, services, permissions, patches, logs, and scheduled tasks.
• Perform routine Active Directory and Group Policy administration.
• Install, configure, monitor, and troubleshoot Trellix ESS and ePO components.
• Administer MDE and MDI onboarding, health, alerts, and assigned remediation actions.
• Apply DISA STIGs, security updates, endpoint policies, and approved configuration baselines.
• Remediate assigned vulnerability findings and document completion status.
• Monitor system health, resolve incidents, restore services, and elevate complex issues.
• Support backups, restoration, continuity, and disaster-recovery activities.
• Maintain inventories, SOPs, troubleshooting guides, maintenance logs, and access records.
• Execute approved changes with validation, rollback, and post-change documentation.
• Use PowerShell to streamline routine administration, reporting, and compliance checks.
• Coordinate with cybersecurity, network, engineering, help desk, and government teams.
• Provide technical guidance and knowledge transfer to junior support personnel.

Desired Skills:

• Experience supporting Navy C4I, PMW 790, or comparable classified DoD environments.
• Experience with VMware or Omnissa Horizon, Citrix VDI, or similar platforms.
• Experience with Trellix ePO, ESS policies, agent health, updates, and troubleshooting.
• Experience with MDE, MDI, Microsoft security portals, alert triage, and device health.
• Working knowledge of Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS, DHCP, and certificates.
• Experience with enterprise backup, SAN/NAS, or virtualization storage support.
• Familiarity with ACAS, RMF, DISA STIGs, POA&Ms, and continuous monitoring.
• Practical PowerShell skills for administration and reporting.
• Experience with Jira, Confluence, SharePoint, Git, or similar tools.
• Strong troubleshooting, documentation, communication, and customer-service skills.

Education Requirements:

Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Cybersecurity, or a related technical field is desired. Additional relevant systems administration experience and technical training may be considered in lieu of a degree, subject to contract labor category requirements.

Certification Requirements:

Required: CompTIA Security+ or another certification meeting applicable DoD Cybersecurity Workforce IAT Level II requirements.

Desired: VMware Certified Professional (VCP), Microsoft role-based certification relevant to Windows Server or Microsoft Security, Trellix certification or training, and/or an enterprise VDI administration certification.

Clearance Requirements:

Must be a U.S. citizen and possess a SECRET clearance at a minimum, with a current SSBI/T5 investigation as required by the position. TS/SCI eligibility or the ability to obtain an elevated clearance is desired.