Linux Systems Administrator

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory•Laurel, MD

3d•Onsite

About The Position

We are looking for someone to apply and join our team at APL! We are ranked as one of Computerworld 's Top Places to Work in IT for 6 years running, and seek a Linux Systems Administrator with experience working in a classified environment to join our team and help protect APL's information technology infrastructure. As a Linux System Administrator, you will play a vital role designing and deploying robust scalable physical and virtual systems, managing security, consulting on projects and maintaining the performance of our on-premise classified Linux systems and infrastructure.

Requirements

Possess a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, related field or equivalent professional experience.
Have in-depth knowledge of Linux operating systems (Red Hat, CentOS, or similar) and their administration, including system installation, configuration, maintenance, and troubleshooting.
Hands-on experience administering/maintaining classified computer networks.
Have 5+ years Linux systems administration experience.
Possess a demonstrable understanding of Linux firewalls and SELinux.
Can work independently and as part of a team to identify and resolve issues, both at a system and network level, minimizing downtime and customer impact.
Relevant certifications such as Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA).
Have working knowledge of Linux Single Sign-on (SSO) utilizing realm, adcli, sssd tying into Active Directory.
Have familiarity with virtualization technologies (VMware, KVM, or similar) and containerization (Docker, Podman, Kubernetes).
Have familiarity with hosting and administrating software packages such as Gitlab, Confluence, Jira.
Experience administering and maintaining network license servers
Possess Backup and Recovery experience using Legato/Networker utilizing both tape library and storage as media
Experience utilizing NPE certificates, public/private keys, SSL/TLS communications and protocols.
Automation experience to automate manual efforts.
Experience configuring and troubleshooting layer 2 networks.
Experience applying STIGs to operating systems, applications and network peripherals.
Experience with monitoring software such as Nagios and Thruk.
Superb communication and collaboration skills effectively working and interacting with a team.
Current DoD 8570 certification (Security+ or CISSP), or ability to obtain DoD 8570 certification within 6 months of employment required.
Have an active Top Secret SCI w/poly security clearance. If selected, you will be subject to a government security investigation and must meet the requirements for access to classified information. Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship.

Nice To Haves

A Master’s degree in Information Systems/Technology, Cybersecurity or Computer Science or related field.
Possess an active G2/G3 clearance with active poly.
Experience working with configuration management tools such as Salt-Stack, Puppet, Ansible, or Chef.
DevOps experience integrating CI/CD pipelines.
Experience implementing NAS/SAN enterprise storage solutions.
Experience with Linux HPC’s utilizing Slurm.
Experience working with Windows Servers and Server functions such as Group Policy, Active Directory, DNS etc.
Working Experience with Exchange, RSA, Radius a plus

Responsibilities

Manage, configure, and maintain classified Linux-based systems. This includes OS installation and configuration management, deploying security patches, system monitoring and performance management, troubleshooting hardware and software issues, and completing daily system administration health checks.
Implement security measures to protect classified information, following relevant compliance policies, guidelines, and regulatory requirements. Perform security audits, vulnerability assessments, apply necessary security patches and updates.
Work closely with ISSO/ISSM’s to validate systems, maintain network security posture and verify security vulnerabilities are addressed. Ensure enhanced security requirements balance with project requirements and functionality.
Provide technical support to end-users in a classified environment, lead problem root cause analysis and resolution. Assist on projects, software installation and responding to customer inquiries. Provision user accounts, enable permissions, and verify access controls comply with security protocols.
Respond to and resolve system-related incidents and issues promptly, engaging IT peers and external resources, when necessary, to ensure minimal downtime and disruption to operations.
Develop and maintain comprehensive documentation, including standard operating procedures (SOPs), system configurations, troubleshooting guides, and knowledge base articles. Continuously improve processes and procedures to enhance system reliability, efficiency, and security.