SERVER LEAD

Ignite Now; Huntsville (AL); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

On-site work at Redstone Arsenal

Employee-owned company

DoD project exposure

Job summary

The ideal candidate will mentor staff, coordinate with cross-functional teams, and manage upgrades, backups, disaster recovery, and incident response in a mission-critical setting.

Qualifications

• Ten (10) or more years of relevant systems-administration experience at the Senior/Lead level.
• Experience leading secure, high-availability enterprise server operations and after-hours incident response.
• Expert knowledge of VMware virtualization and enterprise Windows/Linux administration.
• Knowledge of OpenShift/container infrastructure, VDI, Active Directory/federation, storage, backup, monitoring, patching, STIGs, and vulnerability remediation.

Responsibilities

• Lead systems administration and maintenance across separate classified and unclassified networks.
• Assign work, mentor administrators, review changes, and evaluate technical performance.
• Install, configure, harden, patch, monitor, tune, troubleshoot, and sustain servers, hypervisors, VMs, appliances, VDI, and container platforms.
• Maintain system availability, integrity, capacity, recoverability, and performance on a 24/7 basis.
• Plan and execute upgrades, maintenance windows, firmware updates, and lifecycle replacements.
• Coordinate with network, cybersecurity, application, service desk, and architecture teams to resolve incidents and vulnerabilities.

Skills

Senior/Lead administration

Leadership

Incident response

After-hours support

Security+ knowledge

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

VMware virtualization

OpenShift

VDI

Windows Server

Linux administration

Scripting (PowerShell)

Job description

Job Title

SERVER LEAD

Location

Category

Information Technology

Job Type

Full-Time

Experienced (Non-Manager)

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Security Clearance Required

Secret

Job Description

Igniters operate in the world's most demanding environment. Igniters are self-motivated, mission-driven, and relentless in solving the Warfighters' hardest problems. We move fast, think differently, and execute with precision to tackle high-stakes challenges across AI/ML, space and missile defense intelligence, EMSO, advanced analytics, and programmatic domains. As an employee-owned SDVOSB headquartered in Huntsville, AL, our team delivers mission-critical impact for the Army, Air Force, Space Force, MDA, NASA, DIA, and FBI.

Ignite exists to outpace the threat and deliver results that matter in the moments that count.

Ignite is currently seeking a driven Server Lead to join our team supporting the U.S. Army on Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, AL. This position is expected to be onsite. The Server Lead will direct administration, sustainment, hardening, availability, backup, and lifecycle support for server and virtualization environments. The environment includes VMware ESXi, vCenter, vSAN, VCF, virtual machines and appliances, Red Hat OpenShift, VDI, Windows Server, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, storage, and related enterprise services.

The Server Lead will assign and oversee systems-administration work, ensure long-term operational requirements are incorporated into planning, and maintain secure and highly available systems supporting classified and unclassified missions.

This position is pending contract award.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Lead systems administration and maintenance across separate classified and unclassified networks.
• Assign work, mentor administrators, review changes, and evaluate technical performance.
• Install, configure, harden, patch, monitor, tune, troubleshoot, and sustain servers, hypervisors, VMs, appliances, VDI, and container platforms.
• Maintain system availability, integrity, capacity, recoverability, and performance on a 24/7 basis.
• Plan and execute approved upgrades, maintenance windows, firmware updates, and lifecycle replacements.
• Maintain hardware/software baselines, configuration records, SOPs, audit evidence, and system documentation.
• Coordinate with network, cybersecurity, application, service desk, and architecture teams to resolve incidents and vulnerabilities.
• Operate and validate backups, replication, restorations, RPOs, RTOs, disaster recovery, and COOP reconstitution.
• Support user orientation, testing, higher-headquarters implementations, and Government technical reviews.

Job Requirements

Job Requirements and Qualifications

• Ten (10) or more years of relevant systems-administration experience at the Senior/Lead level.
• Experience assigning personnel, directing technical activities, evaluating work, and planning long-term systems operations.
• Expert experience installing, maintaining, configuring, hardening, troubleshooting, and improving server operating systems and infrastructure software.
• Experience leading secure, high-availability enterprise server operations and after-hours incident response.
• Expert knowledge of VMware virtualization and enterprise Windows/Linux administration.
• Knowledge of OpenShift/container infrastructure, VDI, Active Directory/federation, storage, backup, monitoring, patching, STIGs, and vulnerability remediation.
• Ability to lead personnel with privileged access and maintain accurate configurations, SOPs, records, and change controls.
• Ability to provide on-site and after-hours support for mission-critical systems.
• CompTIA Security+ is required.

Preferred Qualifications

• VMware ESXi, vCenter, vSAN, SDDC Manager/VCF, Aria for Logs, Horizon/Omnissa, and related platforms.
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux, CoreOS, OpenShift, Kubernetes, Podman, Docker, Ansible, Quay/Harbor, and Linux services.
• Windows Server, SQL Server, IIS, WSUS, PowerShell, backups, storage, and enterprise monitoring.
• Cohesity, Dell PowerProtect Data Manager, Data Domain, VMware Replication, NFS/SMB, vProxy, DD Boost, NDMP, REST APIs, and S3-compatible storage.
• DoD 8140/DCWF-aligned qualification; SecurityX (CASP+), CCSP, or equivalent preferred.
• Current VMware, Red Hat, Microsoft, or equivalent platform certification is preferred.

Security Clearance Requirements

Must have an active DoD Secret Clearance (TS/SCI and SAP eligible)

Education Requirements

• MA/MS.
• Permitted substitution: BA/BS with 12 or more years of relevant experience.

We are equal opportunity/affirmative action employers, committed to diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under state or local law.

Accommodation Request: If you are a qualified individual with a disability or are a disabled veteran and are unable or limited in your ability to use or access our Careers sites as a result of your disability, you have the right to receive assistance in completing the application process. Please send your request to [e-mail]