Systems Administration Supervisor / Helpdesk Lead

Peraton; Virginia (IL); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Peraton is seeking a Systems Administration Supervisor to oversee the availability, security, and performance of mission-critical systems, while managing daily operations, staff development, and cross-team coordination.

This role also serves as Helpdesk Lead, supporting a program that provides data center and HPC infrastructure in support of AI processing, and requires a proactive, collaborative approach with cybersecurity, engineering, and program management teams.

Qualifications

• Minimum 6 years of experience in systems administration, with possible lead experience.
• Active TS/SCI clearance with the ability to obtain a polygraph.
• Experience triaging incidents and events for effective resolution.
• Experience with Windows/Linux server administration, virtualization, and networking.
• Ability to write technical documentation and coordinate work within a team.
• Relevant certifications (e.g., Security+, CISSP, or equivalent DoD 8570/8140).
• Strong leadership, communication, and organizational skills.

Responsibilities

• Supervise and mentor a team of systems administrators and provide technical direction.
• Oversee installation, configuration, maintenance, and troubleshooting of servers, networks, and infrastructure.
• Ensure compliance with security policies and accreditation requirements (RMF, NIST 800-53).
• Coordinate with cybersecurity, engineering, and program management teams for upgrades and incident response.
• Develop and enforce SOPs for systems administration activities.
• Monitor system performance and capacity and recommend improvements.
• Manage scheduling, staffing, and resource allocation for the team.
• Prepare documentation including system configurations and network diagrams.

Skills

Leadership

Team coordination

Training/mentoring

Technical documentation

Communication

Organizational skills

Tools

Monitoring tools

Active Directory

Backup systems

Virtualization platforms

RMF/NIST 800-53 artifacts

Job description

Peraton is seeking a Systems Administration Supervisor to oversee the availability, security, and performance of mission-critical systems, while managing daily operations, staff development, and cross-team coordination. This role also serves as Helpdesk Lead, supporting a program providing data center/HPC infrastructure in support of AI processing.

Required Qualifications:

• Minimum of 6 years of experience (may have lead experience)
• Active TS/SCI clearance required with the ability to obtain a polygraph
• Experience and ability to triage incidents and events for effective resolution
• Experience with Active Directory account and server management and monitoring
• Experience with monitoring and management tools
• Knowledge of Backup Systems, Networking principles, and equipment
• Knowledge of IT Service Management Processes and concepts with special emphasis on Incident and Event management
• Experience writing technical documentation.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate and manage work within a team, provide training and technical direction to team members, mentor newly assigned staff.
• Relevant certifications (e.g., Security+, CISSP, or equivalent DoD 8570/8140 compliance)
• Strong knowledge of Windows/Linux server administration, virtualization, and networking
• Experience supporting classified or restricted-access systems
• Excellent leadership, communication, and organizational skills

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior supervisory or team lead experience
• Experience supporting AI/ML infrastructure or capability programs
• Familiarity with cloud environments (AWS GovCloud, Azure Government, etc.)
• ITIL or project management certification

What You'll Do:

• Supervise and mentor a team of systems administrators, providing guidance on daily tasks, technical problem-solving, and professional development
• Oversee installation, configuration, maintenance, and troubleshooting of servers, networks, and infrastructure.
• Ensure compliance with applicable security policies, procedures, and accreditation requirements (e.g., RMF, NIST 800-53)
• Coordinate with cybersecurity, engineering, and program management teams to support system upgrades, patches, and incident response
• Develop and enforce standard operating procedures (SOPs) for systems administration activities
• Monitor system performance and capacity, recommending improvements as needed
• Manage scheduling, staffing, and resource allocation for the systems administration team
• Prepare and maintain documentation, including system configurations, network diagrams, and operational reports
• Support audits, inspections, and compliance reviews related to system security and operations
• Serve as a point of escalation for complex technical issues