Senior Systems Administrator

The Applied Research Laboratory at Penn State University; Reston (VA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

The Applied Research Laboratory at Penn State University in Reston, VA is seeking a Systems Administrator to maintain HPC systems, Linux environments, and CI/CD tooling. You will install, configure, and troubleshoot software, perform maintenance, and help implement upgrades while ensuring backups and system reliability.

This onsite role supports high‑performance computing and cloud tooling. Ideal candidates have strong Red Hat Linux, Ansible scripting, GitLab pipelines, Kubernetes experience,

Qualifications

• Strong experience installing, configuring, maintaining Linux systems and scripting.
• Ability to diagnose and resolve server, workstation, and A/V issues during business hours.
• Experience testing upgrades/patches for Linux, Kubernetes, and M&S applications.
• Current eligibility for access to classified information at the Secret level or higher.

Responsibilities

• Install, configure, maintain, upgrade, and support systems and software with focus on Linux, Ansible, and GitLab pipelines.
• Develop deployment plans, schedules, and requirements for systems.
• Create scripts and tooling to aid in systems management.
• Diagnose outages and issues across servers, workstations, and A/V equipment.
• Test and implement patches and upgrades for OS, Kubernetes, and M&S apps.
• Maintain system reliability through monitoring, testing, and troubleshooting.
• Monitor backups and automation/CI-CD pipelines.
• Document processes, configurations, and plans.
• May supervise staff, including hiring and performance management.

Skills

Linux (Red Hat)

Ansible scripting

GitLab pipelines

Tools

Kubernetes

Job description

We are searching for a Systems Administrator to join the Reston, VA location of the Digital Engineering Department in the Cyber, Modeling, and Simulation Division of the Information Advantage Office at the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) at Penn State. You will maintain the integrity of various high-performance computing (HPC) systems including operating systems, physical servers/workstations, and applications; administer, install, and troubleshoot a variety of Cloud tooling and applications, perform systems maintenance tasks such as troubleshooting and performance evaluation as well as back-up and recovery; perform configuration changes to address customer needs; schedule, install, and test system software upgrades; monitor and maintain software licensing.

ARL is an authorized DoD SkillBridge partner and welcomes all transitioning military members to apply

You will:

• Install, configure, maintain, upgrade, and support systems and software with a focus on Linux (Red Hat), Ansible scripting, and GitLab pipelines
• Develop plans, schedules, and requirements for deployment of systems
• Create or improve existing scripts and tooling to aid in systems management
• Diagnose, troubleshoot, and resolve server, workstation, and audio-visual (A/V) issues and/or respond to outages during normal working hours
• Resolve service-related issues; determine immediate economic and financial consequences of an incident
• Test and implement upgrades and patches to installed operating systems, software container orchestration platforms (Kubernetes), and modeling & simulation (M&S) applications
• Maintain reliability of systems by monitoring, running tests, and troubleshooting
• Monitor backups and plans for installed systems
• Monitor, maintain, and execute automation processes and CI/CD pipelines
• Evaluate and recommend new or existing system improvements and/or solutions
• Create and maintain system documentation of our processes, procedures, plans, and configurations
• May supervise staff members, including hiring, development, and performance management

Required Skills/Experience areas to include:

• Ability to install, configure, maintain, upgrade, and support systems and software, with a strong focus on Linux (Red Hat), Ansible scripting, and GitLab pipelines
• Skilled in diagnosing, troubleshooting, and resolving server, workstation, and audio-visual (A/V) issues, including responding to system outages during normal business hours
• Proficiency in testing and implementing upgrades and patches for operating systems, Kubernetes-based container orchestration platforms, and modeling and simulation (M&S) applications
• Current eligibility for access to classified information at the Secret level or higher and may be subject to a government background investigation to upgrade clearance eligibility, if required

Your working location will be fully onsite, located in Reston,VA.