Senior Linux System Administrator

ASEC•Patuxent River, MD

1d•Onsite

About The Position

As the Senior Linux System Administrator, you will be responsible for ensuring secure configurations, producing accreditation artifacts, and maintaining hardened baselines, all with a focus on reliability and long-term system assurance. The ideal candidate is not only technically strong, but also thoughtful, process-oriented, and one who takes a careful, methodical approach to systems management.

Requirements

7 years of experience as a system administrator/IT technician supporting DoD classified networks is required.
Must have a deep level of knowledge and experience with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL).
Demonstrated experience with Confluence and Jira, required.
Qualified candidates will have the MS Certified Solutions Associate (Windows Server 2016 or later), Red Hat Certified System Administrator, or VMware Certified Professional and one of the following industry certifications: SecurityX/CASP+, CCNA, CCNP Security, CCSP, GCED, GCIA, GCLD, GDSA, GFACT.
Ability to build positive, collaborative relationships across teams and with external partners.
Effective communicator with strong verbal and written skills.
Proactive, self-directed work style with the ability to operate independently.
Analytical thinker with proven problem-solving capabilities.
Highly organized, with the ability to balance competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
This position requires U.S. citizenship and an active DoD Top Secret clearance.
Selected candidate will be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.

Nice To Haves

A bachelor's degree in a STEM related area of study may be considered in lieu of the full 7 years of experience.
Familiarity with SolarWinds monitoring and auditing tools, preferred.
Familiarity with the Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform, preferred.
A master's degree or Ph.D. in Engineering, Cybersecurity, Data Science, Information Systems or Information Technology, or Software Engineering may be considered in lieu of one of the listed certifications, however Security+ will be required.

Responsibilities

Ensuring secure and compliant Linux operating system configurations by applying Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs) to prevent misconfiguration and audit issues.
Managing vulnerability assessments with Assured Compliance Assessment Solution (ACAS) and EvaluateSTIG, producing accreditation artifacts to maintain Authorization to Operate (ATO) compliance and demonstrate security assurance.
Maintaining and securing VMware ESXi hypervisors, including patching and hardening host systems to ensure platform reliability.
Automating all routine administrative tasks — including provisioning, configuration management, patching, compliance checks, and reporting — using Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform, improving consistency and reducing manual error.
Applying Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) updates on a monthly basis to maintain a secure, up-to-date environment.
Refining processes to align with policy, reduce overhead, and collaborating with DevOps and security teams to support modern automation practices.
Releasing RHEL hardened system templates on a quarterly basis with required documentation and ATO submission, ensuring standardized and compliant deployments.
Monitoring Linux and ESXi environments for performance, availability, and security issues to sustain system health and resilience.
Supporting Risk Management Framework (RMF) compliance (FISMA, NIST 800-53, DoD SRG), ensuring alignment with policy and accreditation requirements.
Maintaining accurate technical documentation in Confluence and using Jira Software for task tracking, ensuring procedural clarity and reducing knowledge gaps.
Operating and maintaining SolarWinds monitoring and auditing tools to proactively detect anomalies and maintain system integrity.