Senior Systems Administrator - Linux, Automation & Security

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory; Laurel (MD); On-site; USD 100,000 - 245,000; Full time

Job summary

Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) seeks a Senior Systems Administrator to support mission-critical systems in highly classified environments. You will combine deep Linux expertise with broad infrastructure management, mentoring others and delivering secure, reliable services.

The role involves escalation, patching, virtualization and enterprise storage administration across Windows and Linux, with opportunities to lead automation efforts using Ansible, Python, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in IT, CS, cybersecurity, or 10+ years equivalent experience.
• 8+ years of progressively responsible systems administration, incl. production Linux.
• Broad experience in Windows, virtualization, storage, networking, automation, HPC, cloud, or cybersecurity.
• Experience in security-controlled environments and supporting classified work.
• Active Top Secret clearance with SCI access; U.S. citizenship is required.
• IAT Level II certification or ability to obtain one.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a senior escalation point for complex OS, virtualization, storage, networking, hardware, and security issues.
• Provide advanced Linux administration on RHEL-based systems and hardening.
• Administer Windows Server, AD, DNS/DHCP, VMware, Hyper-V, NetApp, and enterprise storage.
• Plan and execute patches, upgrades, migrations, and lifecycle management with minimal disruption.
• Monitor performance, capacity, availability, and security; lead root-cause analysis.
• Configure network connectivity and work with engineers on VLANs and segmentation.
• Automate builds and ops with Ansible, Python, PowerShell; maintain runbooks.
• Mentor admins and coordinate small technical initiatives.

Skills

System administration

Linux (RHEL)

Virtualization

Cybersecurity fundamentals

Education

Bachelor's degree in IT / CS / cybersecurity

Master’s degree or 10+ years equivalent experience (advantageous)

Tools

VMware

Hyper-V

NetApp

Active Directory

Group Policy

Job description

Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) seeks a Senior Systems Administrator to support mission-critical systems in highly classified environments. You will combine deep Linux expertise with broad infrastructure management, mentoring others and delivering secure, reliable services.

The role involves escalation, patching, virtualization and enterprise storage administration across Windows and Linux, with opportunities to lead automation efforts using Ansible, Python, and