Senior Windows SME

Leidos; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 116,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Leidos seeks a Senior Windows Systems Administrator to own and lead the Windows environment within a mixed-OS data-center supporting DISA. You will shape strategy, enforce standards, and drive reliability across servers, storage, and networking components.

You will mentor teams, coordinate lifecycle activities, and collaborate with Linux SMEs to resolve complex issues while ensuring security compliance and high-availability operations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related discipline with 8+ years of prior relevant experience, or master's degree with 6-10 years of prior relevant experience.
• Security+ Certification or other DOD 8570 IAT Level II Certification
• Security Clearance Requirement: Active TS and SCI eligibility
• Strong experience administering Windows Server environments.
• Deep understanding of core Windows services and system management.
• Working knowledge of Linux systems.
• Solid troubleshooting and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the senior lead and primary SME for all Windows Server environments, driving strategy and operational excellence.
• Design, architect, implement, and sustain enterprise Windows infrastructure.
• Own health, performance, and availability of Windows systems; monitor and improve trends.
• Lead complex troubleshooting and root cause analysis across systems and services.
• Establish enterprise standards, baselines, and security-aligned hardening guidelines.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to admins and engineers.
• Lead system lifecycle activities: patching, upgrades, migrations, modernization.
• Provide cross-platform support by performing basic Linux admin and coordinating with Linux SMEs.

Skills

Windows Server administration

Windows services

Linux systems

Troubleshooting

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in related discipline

Master's degree

Job description

Leidos is committed to delivering innovative solutions and supporting mission-critical operations for our customers. The DISA CESO ITSS team provides network operations and cyber defense support to the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), enabling secure and reliable communications for the Department of Defense (DoD) and Combatant Commands (COCOMs).

Leidos is seeking a Senior Windows Systems Administrator (SA) to serve as the primary Windows SA and subject matter expert (SME) for our team. This role focuses on ownership of our Windows environment while supporting a mixed-OS infrastructure.

Primary Responsibilities

• Serve as the senior lead and primary Subject Matter Expert (SME) for all Windows Server environments, driving technical strategy, architecture decisions, and operational excellence.
• Design, architect, implement, and sustain enterprise Windows infrastructure.
• Own the health, performance, and availability of Windows systems; proactively monitor, analyze trends, and implement improvements to prevent issues before they impact operations.
• Lead complex troubleshooting and incident resolution efforts, conducting deep root cause analysis and implementing permanent corrective actions across systems and services.
• Establish and enforce enterprise standards, baselines, and hardening guidelines in alignment with security frameworks and compliance requirements.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to system administrators and engineers; guide best practices and elevate team capabilities across Windows technologies.
• Lead planning and execution of system lifecycle activities, including patching, upgrades, migrations, and modernization initiatives.
• Provide cross-platform support by performing basic Linux system administration and coordinating with Linux SMEs for complex issues.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related discipline with 8+ years of prior relevant experience, or master's degree with 6-10 years of prior relevant experience.
• Security+ Certification or other DOD 8570 IAT Level II Certification
• Security Clearance Requirement: Active TS and SCI eligibility
• Strong experience administering Windows Server environments.
• Deep understanding of core Windows services and system management.
• Working knowledge of Linux systems.
• Solid troubleshooting and communication skills.

If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo - because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 - and moving faster than anyone else dares.

Original Posting:

September 21, 2026

For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.

Pay Range:

Pay Range $116,350.00 - $210,325.00

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.