Systems Administrator SME

Cornerstone Defense LLC; Herndon (VA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental and Vision Plans

Generous PTO Policy

401(k)

Tuition Reimbursement and Training

Fitness Reimbursement Program

Job summary

Cornerstone Defense LLC is seeking a Systems Administrator SME in Herndon, VA. The ideal candidate will have a minimum of 16 years’ experience and a strong proficiency in Windows Server, AWS, and Azure. An active TS/SCI clearance is required to apply.

This role involves providing support for enterprise systems, troubleshooting issues, and validating deployments in cloud environments. Offering a range of benefits including medical, dental, and vision plans, as well as generous PTO and tuition reimbursement.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 16 years’ experience in Systems Administration.
• Experience with AWS, Azure, and hybrid cloud environments.
• Proficiency in documenting incidents and conducting functional tests.

Responsibilities

• Provide Tier I & II support for enterprise systems.
• Document incidents and service requests using ServiceNow.
• Validate deployments in AWS, Azure, and hybrid cloud environments.

Skills

Windows Server 2016–2021

Active Directory

AWS

Azure

ServiceNow

Education

Bachelor's or Master's Degree

Tools

ITSM tools

Job description

Title: Systems Administrator SME

Location: Herndon, VA

Clearance: Active TS/SCI w/ Polygraph needed to apply

Company Overview

Cornerstone Defense is the Employer of Choice within the Intelligence, Defense, and Space communities of the U.S. Government. Realizing early on that our most prized assets are our employees, we continually focus our attention on improving the overall work/life experience they have supporting the mission. Our Team is pushed every day to use their industry leading knowledge to provide end-to-end solutions to combat our nation’s toughest and most secure problems. If you are looking for a place to not only be professionally challenged, but encouraged and supported by a company that cares, don’t look any further than Cornerstone Defense.

Benefits Overview

• Medical, Dental and Vision Plans
• Generous PTO Policy
• 401(k)
• HSA and FSA options
• Life and Disability Insurance
• Tuition Reimbursement and Training
• Perks at Work Discount Program
• Referral Program
• Leads Generation Program
• CollegeAmerica 529
• Fitness Reimbursement Program
• Travel Assistance
• Norton Lifelock Benefit Solutions
• Life Planning Financial & Legal Services

Required Education, Experience, & Skills

We are actively seeking candidates with a minimum of 16 years’ experience, and a range of skill levels from basic to advanced. Bachelor's or Master's Degree are preferred in one or more of the disciplines described below where specific skills may include the following:

Key Responsibilities

• Systems Administration
  • Provide Tier I & II support for enterprise systems and elevate advanced issues as needed.
  • Troubleshoot server, operating system, application, and connectivity issues.
  • Support daily operations, monitoring, maintenance, and upgrades for on-prem, virtual, and cloud systems.
  • Document incidents, problems, and service requests using ServiceNow.
  • Support asset management, inventory, and user onboarding activities.
  • Maintain system documentation, SOPs, and operational guides.
  • Deliver hardware within the WMA; limited travel required.
  • Provide guidance and knowledge transfer to junior team members.
• Quality Assurance & Testing
  • Test and validate system builds, patches, and configuration changes across Dev/Test/Prod environments.
  • Conduct functional, integration, regression, and post-deployment tests.
  • Develop test documentation including Test Plans, Test Cases, Defect Logs, and Test Reports.
  • Identify, log, and track defects through closure.
  • Create test scenarios that include both expected outcomes and failure conditions.
  • Perform smoke testing and pre/post-deployment validation for production releases.
  • Identify risks or gaps early in development.
  • Recommend areas for automated testing improvements.
• Cloud & DevOps Support
  • Validate deployments in AWS, Azure, and hybrid cloud environments.
  • Verify IAM roles, access controls, and Zero Trust security configurations (ACLs, security groups, routing rules, firewall settings).
  • Validate DNS paths, connectivity, and system availability after updates or builds.
  • Confirm server build integrity through post-deployment checks (connectivity, logs, performance).
  • Ensure systems remain available after certificate updates and patching.

Preferred Education, Experience, & Skills

• Strong proficiency with Windows Server 2016–2021
• Active Directory
• AWS and/or Azure
• Virtualized infrastructure
• ServiceNow or similar ITSM tools
• Ability to work effectively within Agile teams including Developers, Technical Managers, Business Analysts, and Product Owners.
• Strong analytical ability, communication skills, and problem-solving capabilities.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively.
• Experience mentoring or providing technical knowledge transfer.