System Administrator III

Ashburn-Consulting; Purcellville (VA); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Ashburn Consulting supports FEMA CCD at Mount Weather with secure, enterprise-grade IT administration. The role covers Windows Server, Active Directory, Linux, and related infrastructure; requires strict security controls and DHS/FEMA compliance.

Work involves coordination with DHS and FEMA teams, implementation of STIGs, change control, and continuity planning to ensure mission readiness for critical communications and continuity environments.

Qualifications

• Active final Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility.
• Bachelor’s degree preferred; relevant work experience may substitute.
• 3–5 years of hands-on system-administration or secure-infrastructure experience.
• Hands-on Windows Server and Active Directory administration, with working Linux knowledge.
• Experience with virtualization, backup/recovery, patch management, system hardening, logging, and vulnerability remediation.

Responsibilities

• Administer, monitor, troubleshoot, patch, harden, upgrade, and maintain Windows Server, AD, workstations, and related infrastructure; provide working Linux support.
• Manage accounts, permissions, authentication, GPOs, access controls, and configured security settings under government direction.
• Support virtualization, backups, patching, vulnerability scanning, STIG implementation, and log review.
• Assist with FEMA OCIO change control and configuration management; maintain baselines and test records.
• Track and maintain high-value assets, licenses, and system-of-record entries per FEMA directives.
• Support testing, operational-readiness, incident response, and service restoration.

Skills

CCNA certification

PowerShell

Group Policy

Security hardening

Education

Bachelor's degree preferred

Tools

Windows Server

Active Directory

Linux

VMware/ virtualization

Job description

• Compensation: USD 100000 - USD 120000 - yearly

Company Description

Ashburn Consulting, a Small Business based in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, specializes in providing network and network security solutions in complex environments to a select set of government and business clients. The company, an established leader in its field, is composed of an elite team of engineers and business consultants, each of whom is recognized and highly regarded within the network and security communities.

Job Description

Administer, secure, monitor, troubleshoot, and sustain the servers, workstations, applications, accounts, configurations, network services, and supporting infrastructure used by FEMA CCD at Mount Weather. The role supports the Division Program Management Office and the IGS, COOP SATCOM, ICCT, and FNARS continuity-communications environments.

Primary Responsibilities

• Administer, monitor, troubleshoot, patch, harden, upgrade, and maintain Windows Server, Active Directory, workstations, applications, network services, and related infrastructure; provide working Linux support.
• Manage authorized accounts, permissions, authentication, Group Policy, access controls, approved software, services, configurations, and security settings under Government direction.
• Support virtualization, backup and recovery, patch management, system hardening, vulnerability scanning, STIG implementation, audit/authorization response, log review, health checks, and capacity/performance monitoring.
• Assist with FEMA OCIO change control and configuration management across development, acquisition, operation, and disposal; maintain baselines, change records, diagrams, SOPs, training materials, administrator/recovery guides, and test records.
• Track, monitor, and maintain high-value communications assets, GFE, software, licenses, and system-of-record entries in accordance with FEMA Property Management Directive 119-7.
• Support integration, user-acceptance and performance testing, operational-readiness and continuity exercises, post-change validation, incident response, fault isolation, and service restoration.
• Ensure hardware, software, network services, and technical artifacts comply with DHS Enterprise Architecture, TRM Standards and Products Profile, IPv6, and applicable DHS/FEMA security requirements.
• Coordinate with network, RF/SATCOM, cybersecurity, logistics, program-management, vendor, user, and Government teams while protecting classified and sensitive information.

Qualifications

Active final Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility; willingness to undergo FSO verification and DHS suitability processing.

• Current CCNA certification, verifiable at candidate submission.
• Three to five years of hands-on system-administration, secure-infrastructure support, or closely related experience.
• Hands-on Windows Server and Active Directory administration, with working Linux knowledge.
• Experience with virtualization, backup/recovery, patch management, system hardening, account/access administration, logging, monitoring, technical documentation, and vulnerability remediation.
• Working knowledge of routers, switches, network services, and network-infrastructure design, plus understanding of DHS EA/TRM and IPv6 requirements.
• Experience supporting a classified, regulated, or other tightly controlled production environment using formal incident, change, configuration, and security processes.
• Ability to commute reliably to Mount Weather EOC and support controlled-site access, exercises, restoration, travel, and scheduled after-hours maintenance.
• U.S. citizenship and ability to comply with classified-facility, badging, nondisclosure, information-protection, and site-access requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

• PowerShell or shell scripting, endpoint security, Group Policy, identity/access management, configuration-management databases, and disaster-recovery testing.
• Experience supporting IGS, COOP SATCOM, ICCT, FNARS, specialized communications, network-management, test, logistics, or PMO applications.
• Prior Mount Weather, FEMA, DHS, DoD, continuity-of-government, emergency-management, public-safety, or comparable restricted-site experience.
• Current Microsoft, Red Hat, CompTIA Security+, VMware, cloud, or cybersecurity certification in addition to current CCNA.
• Prior federal/DoD administration or military IT/communications background.

Additional Information

• Active final Top Secret clearance with current SCI eligibility; current TS/SCI strongly preferred
• Bachelor’s degree preferred; relevant work experience may substitute

Ashburn Consulting is an Equal Opportunity Aff Employer.
In compliance with the American with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA), if you have a disability and would like to request and accommodation in order to apply for a position with Ashburn Consulting, please e-mail [emailprotected] .