IT Systems Administrator

Pearl River Technologies•Greenbelt, MD

17d•Onsite

About The Position

The IT Systems Administrator implements and maintains standards, methodologies, and technical solutions across a diverse IT environment that includes Windows, Linux, VMware, on-premises infrastructure, networking components, and security-focused operations. The role helps ensure stable, secure, high-performing systems that meet mission and organizational requirements. The position directly supports Flight Dynamics Engineers at the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Flight Dynamics Facility (FDF), a NASA Mission Essential Infrastructure facility providing multi-mission navigation services for robotic and human spaceflight missions. The administrator contributes to the reliability and readiness of systems that enable critical mission operations. The position includes onsite on-call support rotations at GSFC for mission-critical activities, which may include launch, docking, and landing operations.

Requirements

4 to 6+ years of Red Hat Enterprise Linux experience.
At least 4 years of professional experience.
At least 4 years of Linux system administration experience.
At least 4 years of VMware experience.
At least 2 years of Windows system administration experience.
Production-environment experience with VMware.
Strong understanding of computer hardware, Windows and Linux operating systems, networking protocols, and server administration.
Ability to script using PowerShell, Bash, Python, or similar languages.
Proficiency diagnosing and resolving hardware and software issues.
Ability to troubleshoot network connectivity problems, system errors, and performance bottlenecks.
Experience configuring and managing routers, switches, firewalls, and load balancers.
Ability to develop and maintain backup strategies and disaster recovery plans.
Experience monitoring system performance, analyzing logs, and optimizing CPU, memory, and storage usage.
Strong documentation skills for system configurations, procedures, and troubleshooting steps.
Effective communication skills for collaborating with team members, end-users, and stakeholders.
Ability to automate routine tasks using scripting or configuration management tools.
Ability to provide clear, effective technical support to end-users.
Willingness to support mission activities that may occur after hours, overnight, or on weekends.
Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related discipline, or equivalent work experience.
Must be eligible to obtain a DoD Secret Security Clearance.
U.S. citizenship required.

Nice To Haves

One or more certifications: RHCSA, CISA, VCP-DCV, VCAP Deploy, VCAP Design, VCDX, or other advanced system administration or VMware certifications.
Experience working at a NASA facility.
Experience with Infrastructure-as-Code tools such as Ansible.
4+ years of production experience with VMware vSphere 8.
3+ years of experience with VMware Cloud Foundation, including SDDC Manager and NSX.
Production experience with vSAN.

Responsibilities

Install, configure, and maintain Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) systems.
Use Ansible, Bash shell scripting, file management, and vi/vim text editing.
Create and manage Linux partitions, logical volumes (LVM), and file systems.
Manage security settings, firewalls, and SELinux policies.
Develop Ansible playbooks to automate system administration tasks and manage configurations.
Perform backup, restore, and other disaster recovery activities.
Provide technical expertise and analysis for specialized tools and technologies.
Deliver systems analysis, design, integration, documentation, and implementation guidance.
Ensure system availability, reliability, and performance across supported environments.
Assess current infrastructure, identify improvement opportunities, and recommend technology, process, and documentation enhancements.
Support VMware environments, including VMware Cloud Foundation.
Perform day-to-day system administration for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 and Windows servers and workstations.
Maintain, build, and upgrade organizational and VMware infrastructure.
Participate in onsite on-call support rotations at Goddard Space Flight Center for mission-critical activities, including launch, docking, and landing operations.
Support Microsoft Windows Active Directory and server environments.
Monitor system performance, analyze logs, and optimize resource usage.
Troubleshoot hardware, software, network connectivity, system errors, and performance bottlenecks.
Configure and manage routers, switches, firewalls, and load balancers.
Develop and maintain backup strategies and disaster recovery plans.
Document system configurations, procedures, and troubleshooting steps.
Provide technical support to end-users and collaborate with team members, end-users, and stakeholders.