Senior Systems Administrator

Forge Forward Inc.; Charleston (SC); On-site; USD 95,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Forge Forward Inc. seeks a Senior Systems Administrator to join our on-site DoD-focused IT team in Charleston, SC. You will administer VMware-based virtualization, VDI, Windows Server, and endpoint security, while coordinating with cybersecurity and engineering staff.

A current SECRET clearance and US citizenship are required, with a minimum of five years in enterprise systems administration. You will patch, document, and enforce baselines, support disaster recovery, and provide guidance to

Qualifications

• 5+ years of enterprise systems administration experience, preferably in a DoD environment.
• US citizenship and an active SECRET clearance required.
• Hands-on administration of VMware-based virtualization, VDI, Windows Server, and endpoint security.
• Ability to work independently, document tasks, and follow approved baselines.
• Familiarity with DISA STIGs, RMF and continuous monitoring practices.

Responsibilities

• Administer VMware vSphere, ESXi, vCenter, VMs, templates, snapshots, and host resources.
• Support VDI pools, images, access, profiles, sessions, and client connectivity.
• Administer Windows Server services, permissions, patches, logs, and tasks.
• Active Directory and Group Policy administration tasks.
• Install and manage Trellix ESS/ePO components; monitor health.
• Onboard and manage MDE and MDI, health alerts, remediation actions.
• Apply DISA STIGs and security baselines; remediate findings.
• Monitor health, resolve incidents, restore services; escalate as needed.
• Assist backups, continuity, and disaster recovery activities.
• Document changes, maintain SOPs and troubleshooting guides.

Skills

Troubleshooting

Documentation

Communication

Customer service

Education

Bachelor's degree in IT/CS/CYBER

Tools

VMware vSphere

vCenter

Trellix ePO

Trellix ESS

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint

Microsoft Defender for Identity

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. This will be an on‑site position that requires US citizenship and an active Secret clearance. 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.