Senior Linux Systems Engineer – Infrastructure & Operations

Nationwide IT Services•Fairfax, VA

7d•$100,000 - $140,000•Remote

About The Position

Nationwide IT Services (NIS) is seeking a hands-on Linux Systems Engineer to support mission-critical scientific systems and infrastructure for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). This role focuses on Linux systems administration and technical operations, encompassing applications, databases, networking, automation, monitoring, security, and messaging systems. The ideal candidate is comfortable taking ownership of technical problems, investigating them across multiple layers, identifying root causes, and resolving issues or providing detailed information for resolution. While DevOps tools are used, success hinges on strong Linux fundamentals, technical curiosity, and troubleshooting ability.

Requirements

Strong hands-on Linux systems administration experience, preferably in enterprise or production environments.
Demonstrated ability to independently troubleshoot complex technical problems and perform root-cause analysis.
Strong understanding of Linux services, processes, logs, filesystems, permissions, packages, configuration, and general system operations.
Experience performing system maintenance, patching, configuration, troubleshooting, and operational support.
Experience using monitoring and logging information to investigate system or application behavior.
Hands-on scripting or automation experience.
Ability to read and follow application or automation code sufficiently to support troubleshooting, identify relevant logic, and communicate effectively with software developers.
Working knowledge of networking fundamentals, including TCP/IP, DNS, ports and protocols, routing concepts, firewalls, and connectivity troubleshooting.
Practical familiarity with relational databases, including database installation/configuration, connectivity, basic administration, and SQL queries.
Familiarity with system security concepts such as patching, access controls, host firewalls, vulnerability remediation, and secure system configuration.
Ability and willingness to investigate unfamiliar technologies rather than stopping troubleshooting when an issue crosses into another technical domain.
Ability to communicate technical findings clearly and work collaboratively with specialists in other technical areas.
High school diploma or equivalent.
Must reside and perform work within the United States.
Must be able to complete Government Public Trust suitability requirements and obtain and maintain required Government credentials, including a PIV card.
Must be able to maintain a work schedule beginning between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time, regardless of U.S. location.
100% Remote within the United States.

Nice To Haves

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), Rocky Linux, or similar enterprise Linux distributions.
Python, Bash, or other scripting/programming languages.
PostgreSQL administration and troubleshooting.
Ansible or comparable configuration-management and automation technologies.
Nagios, including creating or modifying monitoring checks or plugins.
Prometheus and Grafana or comparable metrics and visualization platforms.
NATS or ActiveMQ.
Other message brokers or event/messaging platforms such as RabbitMQ, Kafka, or similar technologies.
SELinux and Linux host firewall configuration.
DISA STIGs, FISMA, vulnerability remediation, or experience operating systems within Federal or other regulated environments.
AWS or other cloud infrastructure.
CI/CD pipelines and automated deployment processes.
Git/GitLab and source-control-based operational workflows.
Experience supporting distributed systems where applications, databases, messaging, networks, and infrastructure interact.
Additional networking experience beyond basic systems-administration networking knowledge.

Responsibilities

Administer, maintain, troubleshoot, and support Linux-based production, development, test, and supporting infrastructure.
Investigate system and application problems using logs, configuration, monitoring data, network behavior, application code, database activity, and other evidence.
Perform root-cause analysis of technical issues and drive problems toward resolution.
Determine when an issue can be resolved directly and when it should be escalated or routed to other technical specialists.
Perform Linux system maintenance, patching, configuration, software installation, service management, performance troubleshooting, and operational support.
Support system security and hardening activities, including vulnerability remediation, access controls, host firewalls, security configuration, and compliance-related changes.
Use and maintain automation and configuration-management capabilities.
Work with monitoring systems to understand system health, investigate alerts, and create or modify monitoring checks.
Support relational databases at an operational level, including installation, configuration, connectivity, access, basic SQL queries, and troubleshooting.
Support messaging and event-driven infrastructure.
Read application and automation code as part of troubleshooting, trace program logic, identify relevant functions, test components, and communicate findings.
Develop or modify scripts and lightweight automation for administration, troubleshooting, monitoring, and operational activities.
Troubleshoot connectivity and system communication issues using networking fundamentals.
Work with technical staff across systems, software development, networking, security, and scientific operations to resolve cross-boundary issues.
Document technical findings, configurations, troubleshooting steps, and operational procedures.