Senior Windows Systems Administrator with Security Clearance

Caelum Research Corporation; Maryland; On-site; USD 90,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k)

401(k) matching

Employee assistance program

Flexible spending account

Health insurance

Life insurance

Paid time off

Parental leave

Referral program

Vision insurance

Job summary

Caelum Research Corporation seeks a Senior Windows Systems Administrator for on-site work at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD. The role centers on Windows Server, AD, GPO, and virtualization, with leadership duties and mentoring responsibilities.

You will architect and operate a highly available Windows environment, manage Elastic Stack for logs, automate deployments, and enforce DISA STIG security practices. DoD Secret clearance is required.

Qualifications

• Must hold DoD Secret clearance or be eligible.
• Expert in Windows Server, AD, GPO, and middleware.
• VMware virtualization, lifecycle management, STIG/hardening.
• Experience with Elastic Stack for log analytics.
• Automation and deployment using scripting.
• Strong mentoring and team leadership skills.
• Experience with CISCO UCS, NetApp/VSAN storage.
• Knowledge of Linux (RHEL) is a plus.
• Security+ and CE certifications preferred.

Responsibilities

• Install, configure, and manage Windows servers.
• Manage VMware environment, patching, hardening.
• Lead junior admins and provide mentoring.
• Configure ELK stack for central logging.
• Automate deployment with scripts (PowerShell, Python).
• Ensure high availability and capacity planning.
• Troubleshoot networking and storage issues.
• Maintain security compliance per DISA STIGs.

Skills

Windows Server

VMware

PowerShell

AD & GPO

Scripting

STIG hardening

Elastic Stack

Networking basics

CISCO UCS

Linux Admin

Education

High School Diploma / GED

Associate's degree

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Tools

ACAS

NetApp/VSAN

Job description

• Clearance Requirement: DoD Secret
• Location: On-site at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD Role Overview We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Windows Systems Administrator to support a critical government IT services contract. The successful candidate will act as a primary subject matter expert for Windows infrastructure, automation, virtualization, and high-availability systems. This role requires deep technical expertise in Microsoft Windows Server, enterprise production environments, network storage, and virtualization technologies. As a senior member of the team, the candidate will also provide technical guidance, leadership, and mentorship to other IT professionals. Core Responsibilities & Technical Qualifications
• Windows Systems Administration: Install, configure, and manage Microsoft server operating systems, with a heavy emphasis on Windows Server operating systems, Active Directory (AD) configuration, Group Policy (GPO) management, and associated middleware.
• Virtualization Management: Manage a VMware environment, including systems deployment, patching, STIG/hardening, and troubleshooting.
• Technical Mentorship: Act as a senior technical resource, providing mentorship, guidance, or team lead support to junior administrators and technical staff; may lead 5 or more employees.
• Centralized Logging & Analytics (Elastic Stack): Configure, maintain, and utilize the Elastic Stack (ELK) to ingest, analyze, and visualize system logs and performance metrics across the enterprise to proactively identify system anomalies and security events.
• Automation & Deployment: Manage complex production environments using automated installation, automated build and deployment, and automated configuration management frameworks.
• Scripting Proficiency: Write and utilize operating system commands and scripts to automate routine tasks, utilizing PowerShell and being familiar with others like Python or Bash.
• High-Availability Infrastructure: Build, maintain, and support clustered, scalable, and high-availability systems, including load balancing, web servers, application servers, and server virtualization.
• Networking & Troubleshooting: Apply foundational networking principles (TCP/IP, firewalls, routing, VLANs) to perform general network troubleshooting and resolve complex system issues.
• Performance Monitoring & Optimization: Utilize enterprise monitoring tools for event and performance monitoring. Conduct performance tuning, capacity planning, and bottleneck resolution.
• Security & Compliance: Apply Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs) to harden systems, remediate advanced security vulnerabilities, manage identity and access configurations, and ensure overall system security compliance. Experience with ESS (e.g., McAfee/Trellix) is required.
• System Lifecycle Management: Plan and execute seamless operating system upgrades and environment migrations with minimal mission impact.
• Hardware and Storage: Support enterprise hardware and storage environments, including CISCO Unified Computing System (UCS) and technologies such as Commvault, NetApp, or VSAN. Preferred Qualifications
• Vulnerability Scanning (ACAS): Experience utilizing the Assured Compliance Assessment Solution (ACAS) for vulnerability scanning, analysis, and compliance reporting.
• Linux Administration: Familiarity or experience with Linux server operating systems (e.g., RHEL), event and performance monitoring, and associated middleware.
• Database Technologies: Knowledge of database technologies, including installation and configuration of database management systems and migration of databases. Education and Experience Requirements Candidates must meet one of the following education and experience combinations. Education must be in a directly related IT discipline (e.g., Computer Science, Information Systems, Computer/Software Engineering, Management Information Systems, or Computer Forensics/Security).
• High School Diploma / GED: Minimum of 11 years of directly related IT experience.
• Associate's degree: Minimum of 9 years of directly related IT experience.
• Bachelor's Degree: Minimum of 7 years of directly related IT experience.
• Master's Degree: Minimum of 5 years of directly related IT experience. Certifications
• DoD Directive 8570.01 Compliance: Must possess a current Security+ certification (or equivalent IAT Level II baseline certification).
• Computing Environment (CE): Must hold at least one current Computing Environment certification, or be able to obtain one within 6 months of start. Given the technical requirements of this role, a Microsoft-based certification (e.g., Microsoft Certified: Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate, MCSE) is strongly preferred. Job Type: Full-time Salary: $90,000 - $135,000 per year Benefits:
• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Referral program
• Vision insurance Work Location: In person