Lead Windows System Administrator (Remote Opportunity)

Mind Computing

2d•Remote

About The Position

Mind Computing is seeking a full-time, fully remote Lead Windows System Administrator to support a Department of Veterans Affairs project. The role provides hands-on technical leadership for a team managing, maintaining, and securing enterprise Windows infrastructure that supports mission-critical applications and data platforms. The candidate must reside within the continental United States. The position covers Windows Server infrastructure, virtualization, high availability, system hardening, enterprise backup and recovery, monitoring, and infrastructure automation. The lead coordinates with program leadership, application developers, database engineers, cybersecurity personnel, and VA stakeholders, and supports operational and audit readiness through technical documentation and change management. Selected candidates must complete fingerprinting at a government facility and undergo a background check. The employer is unable to offer sponsorship.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electronics Engineering, or another engineering or technical discipline, or eight years of additional relevant experience in lieu of the degree.
At least five years of experience administering and engineering Windows Server environments in large-scale or enterprise settings.
Experience leading or serving as technical lead for systems administration or infrastructure engineering teams, including assigning work and reviewing technical deliverables.
Experience designing and managing enterprise Windows infrastructure, including high-availability configurations, server clustering, and SAN-attached storage.
Hands-on experience with Active Directory, Group Policy Objects, Windows clustering, sFTP configuration, and SAN-attached storage.
Proficiency in patch management, system hardening, and compliance with federal security standards.
Experience with virtualization technologies such as Microsoft Hyper-V and Virtual Machine Manager.
Familiarity with enterprise backup and monitoring solutions such as Commvault, SolarWinds, and SCOM.
Strong PowerShell scripting, troubleshooting, and technical documentation skills, including establishing scripting standards and reviewing others' work.
Strong leadership, communication, and collaboration skills, including presenting technical recommendations to engineering teams, non-technical stakeholders, and program leadership.
Ability to obtain a government clearance.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting the Department of Veterans Affairs or other federal healthcare environments.
Knowledge of Windows-based integration with Azure-hosted services.
Familiarity with Nessus vulnerability scans and remediation tracking for Authorization to Operate readiness.
Exposure to container-based platforms and hybrid cloud infrastructure.
Experience with ITIL-based change, incident, and problem management in enterprise environments.
Experience using AI-assisted tools such as GitHub Copilot to develop and maintain PowerShell scripts for server automation, patching, and Active Directory administration.
Experience establishing standards for responsible AI-assisted administration, including reviewing and testing AI-generated scripts and configurations in non-production before production use.
Familiarity with AI-assisted vulnerability remediation, including interpreting STIG and Nessus findings and developing remediation steps validated against applicable security requirements.
Experience using AI-driven monitoring and AIOps to identify anomalies, anticipate capacity issues, and support root cause analysis.
Experience using AI tools to analyze Windows event logs, troubleshoot system issues, and develop technical documentation, runbooks, and audit artifacts.
Knowledge of secure and responsible AI use in federal environments, including agency-approved tools and applicable VA and federal guidance for protecting sensitive information.
Relevant certifications such as Microsoft, CompTIA Security+, or ITIL v4 (for example, MCSA or Security+).

Responsibilities

Lead and mentor system administrators and engineers; assign work, set priorities, track deliverables, and coordinate maintenance.
Serve as the primary technical point of contact for program leadership, application developers, database engineers, cybersecurity personnel, and VA stakeholders.
Design, engineer, maintain, and plan capacity and lifecycle upgrades for Windows Server environments across development, staging, and production.
Architect and manage Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, SMB, RDP, and Group Policy Objects, and establish configuration and administration standards.
Design and maintain high-availability infrastructure, including server clusters, SAN-attached storage, MPIO, and NIC teaming.
Oversee physical and virtual server environments, including Hyper-V, HP ProLiant servers, firmware updates, and hardware diagnostics.
Lead implementation of VA/DoD STIGs, vulnerability remediation, patch management, and secure system configurations.
Manage Commvault backup and recovery, including scheduling, validation, and restoration testing.
Oversee monitoring with SCOM, SolarWinds, or equivalent tools; serve as the senior escalation point for complex incidents and root cause analysis.
Plan and coordinate deployments of enterprise software and development tools, including Visual Studio, Power BI, ER/Studio, JupyterLab, and SQL Server.
Lead infrastructure change management, including technical reviews, risk assessments, and rollback planning.
Establish PowerShell automation standards, review team-developed scripts, and guide responsible use of AI-assisted administration tools.
Maintain technical documentation, configuration guides, runbooks, and system topology diagrams for operational and audit readiness.
Support team development through mentoring, onboarding, training, and input on staffing and performance needs.
Perform additional duties as needed to support project objectives and organizational innovation initiatives.