System Administrator

Leidos Inc; Norfolk (VA); On-site; USD 87,000 - 157,000; Full time

Job summary

Leidos in Norfolk, VA seeks a Lead System Administrator to guide a team in provisioning, deploying, and maintaining enterprise infrastructure. The role emphasizes security alignment with RMF, STIGs, and proactive vulnerability management, with strong automation using PowerShell, Ansible, and Jenkins.

Ideal candidates have 3–5 years in system administration, DoD compliance, and up-to-date IAT II certifications.

Qualifications

• U.S. citizenship is required.
• Active DoD Secret clearance is required.
• Current DoD 8570.01-M IAT II certification (e.g., Security+ CE, CySA+, CCNA Security, GSEC, or SSCP) and AZ-900 and Network+ certifications.
• Position is on-site or hybrid in the Hampton Roads area, VA.
• 3–5 years of progressive system administration experience.

Responsibilities

• Administer, monitor, and maintain servers and storage to ensure uptime.
• Apply STIGs and RMF to maintain security posture.
• Perform vulnerability scans, patching, and remediation.
• Develop automation using PowerShell, Ansible, and Jenkins.
• Manage backup and disaster recovery, test failover, and document configurations.

Skills

Leadership

System administration

Security compliance

Automation scripting

Vulnerability management

Documentation

Education

DoD 8570.01-M IAT II

AZ-900

Network+

Tools

PowerShell

Ansible

Jenkins

Job description

Description

We are seeking a highly skilled and mission-oriented Lead System Administrator with at least 3-5 years' experience to join our enterprise IT operations team located in the Hampton Roads area, VA. In this critical role, you will be responsible for leading a team in provisioning, installing, configuring, operating, and maintaining system hardware, software, and related infrastructure. You will play a key part in ensuring that system hardware, operating systems, software systems, and related procedures adhere to organizational values and rigorous security standards.

Position Summary

The ideal candidate possesses exceptional leadership skills along with robust technical expertise in system infrastructure administration combined with a proactive approach to security compliance, automated configuration management, and system monitoring. Working in a collaborative environment, you will sustain infrastructure health, participate in technical research and development to enable continuing innovation, and guarantee the high availability and security of essential defense and enterprise networks. Candidates must demonstrate excellent self-motivation and punctual attendance while working within a highly dynamic environment

Key Responsibilities

Infrastructure Maintenance & Operations: Administer, monitor, and maintain physical and virtual servers, operating systems, and enterprise storage solutions to ensure baseline operational efficiency and minimum downtime.

Security & Compliance: Apply Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs) to operating systems, applications, and network devices. Maintain a robust security posture in alignment with the Risk Management Framework (RMF).

Vulnerability Management: Perform regular vulnerability scans, analyze results, and execute timely system patching, remediation, and mitigation strategies against recognized security threats.

Automation & Configuration Management: Develop, test, and implement automated scripts and workflows using tools like PowerShell, Ansible, and Jenkins to streamline system provisioning, deployment, and configuration baselines.

Backup & Disaster Recovery: Manage enterprise-wide backup and recovery procedures, routinely testing data integrity and failover systems to safeguard critical operational workloads.

Technical Support & Documentation: Provide Tier III system administration support to isolate and resolve complex technical infrastructure issues. Draft and maintain precise system topology documentation, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and configuration logs.

Required Qualifications

Citizenship: Must be a United States Citizen.

Security Clearance: Must possess and maintain an active Department of Defense (DoD) Secret security clearance.

Certification: Must hold a current DoD 8570.01-M Information Assurance Technical (IAT) Level II certification (e.g., CompTIA Security+ CE, CySA+, CCNA Security, GSEC, or SSCP). As well as the current AZ-900 and Network+ certifications.

Location: Position is physically located in the Hampton Roads area, VA (on-site or hybrid as required by operational parameters).

Experience: Minimum of 3-5 years of progressive experience in system administration, managing enterprise infrastructure, server operating systems (Windows/Linux), or virtualized environments.

Preferred Qualifications

Core Technical Certifications: Possession of CompTIA Network+ and CompTIA Security+ certifications.

Cloud Certifications: Active Microsoft AZ-900 Certified

Security & Framework Familiarity: Strong operational familiarity with DISA STIGs, Risk Management Framework (RMF) processes, automated vulnerability management platforms (such as ACAS/Nessus), and federal compliance frameworks.

Automation & DevOps Tools: Hands-on experience developing automation or configuration-management routines using PowerShell, Ansible, Jenkins, and version control repositories like Bitbucket.

Working Environment

This is a 100% on-site role. Remote or hybrid work arrangements are not available for this role.

Preferred Work location

Norfolk, Virginia facility.

Shift days/hours

Required to work schedules that extend to evenings, nights, weekends, and occasional holidays.

NGEN

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.

Pay Range

Pay Range $87,100.00 - $157,450.00

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline onlyand 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.

About Leidos

Leidos is an industry and technology leader serving government and commercial customers with smarter, more efficient digital and mission innovations. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with 47,000 global employees, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $16.7 billion for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2025. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com.

Pay and Benefits

Pay and benefits are fundamental to any career decision. That's why we craft compensation packages that reflect the importance of the work we do for our customers. Employment benefits include competitive compensation, Health and Wellness programs, Income Protection, Paid Leave and Retirement. More details are available at www.leidos.com/careers/pay-benefits.

Commitment to Non-Discrimination

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Leidos will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with relevant laws.