Senior Systems Administrator (Email Operations)

Peraton•Washington, DC

12h•$112,000 - $179,000

About The Position

We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Systems Administrator – Email Operations to lead the reliability, security, and performance of our enterprise messaging environment. This role serves as the technical expert for Microsoft Exchange, Exchange Online, and email security platforms, ensuring high availability, secure message flow, and compliance across the organization. The ideal candidate excels at troubleshooting complex messaging issues and driving operational excellence in hybrid and cloud‑based environments.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in IT or a related field, and 8 years of experience. 4 years of additional experience may be substituted in lieu of a degree.
5 years administering enterprise email systems.
Strong hands‑on experience with Microsoft Exchange and/or Exchange Online.
Deep understanding of SMTP, DNS (MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and email authentication protocols.
Experience with email security gateways and compliance tools.
DoD 8140 IAT Level II certification (e.g., Security+).
Active TS/SCI clearance

Nice To Haves

Microsoft certifications (Exchange, Microsoft 365, Security).
Experience with advanced message hygiene platforms (e.g., Proofpoint, Mimecast, Microsoft Defender for Office 365).
Familiarity with Zero Trust messaging security models.

Responsibilities

Messaging Platform Administration Lead daily operations of enterprise email systems (Exchange, Exchange Online, Microsoft 365).
Monitor service availability, performance, message queues, and mail flow.
Support hybrid Exchange environments, directory synchronization, and identity integration.
Troubleshooting & Advanced Support Diagnose and resolve complex email delivery, routing, and authentication issues.
Provide tier‑3 support and serve as the escalation point for messaging‑related incidents.
Perform root‑cause analysis and implement long‑term corrective actions.
Email Security & Compliance Administer email security solutions (spam/malware filtering, phishing protection, message encryption).
Manage policies for retention, archiving, journaling, and regulatory compliance.
Implement and maintain SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and other authentication standards.
Operations, Maintenance & Lifecycle Management Perform upgrades, patches, and configuration changes following change management processes.
Maintain operational documentation, runbooks, and disaster recovery procedures.
Ensure high availability and resilience of messaging infrastructure.
Collaboration & Continuous Improvement Work closely with security, networking, and service desk teams to improve reliability and user experience.
Mentor junior administrators and contribute to knowledge sharing across the team.
Recommend enhancements to messaging architecture, security posture, and operational workflows.