Senior Systems Administrator

Bluestaq US External • Colorado Springs, CO

2h • $80,000 - $105,000

About The Position

At Bluestaq, the Senior Systems Administrator maintains secure, reliable, and ready systems that support critical missions. The role maintains, monitors, and troubleshoots applications and infrastructure across cloud-hosted and on-premises platforms, serving as a Tier 2/3 escalation point for incidents, outages, and performance degradation. It supports 24/7 operations through shift work and on-call rotations as mission needs require.

The administrator manages Active Directory and cloud identity and access management, performs system installations and upgrades, mitigates cybersecurity risks, and builds automation workflows with tools such as Ansible, Terraform, Docker, and Kubernetes. The role also provides user support, maintains documentation in Confluence, tracks work in Jira, and contributes to team knowledge sharing and mentorship of junior administrators. The position requires the ability to obtain a U.S. government clearance and CompTIA Security+ certification. An active TS/SCI clearance may be required; eligible candidates may be sponsored through the clearance process based on program needs.

Bluestaq builds secure data platforms for space missions, national defense, healthcare systems, and commercial innovation. The company describes its approach as cloud-native, security by design, and focused on operational excellence and mission impact.

Requirements

• Willingness to support 24/7 operations and shift work.
• Ability to obtain a U.S. government clearance.
• Proficient understanding of Linux systems administration in production environments.
• Hands-on Active Directory administration experience.
• Experience with cloud identity and access management (IAM) tools.
• Working knowledge of system vulnerabilities and security issues.
• Solid networking fundamentals, including DNS, DHCP, VLANs, firewalls, and routing.
• Working experience with automation and infrastructure-as-code tools such as Ansible, Terraform, Kubernetes, Docker, or Packer.
• Experience with cloud computing concepts and the AWS component stack.
• Strong troubleshooting and debugging skills, with a curious and investigative approach to problem-solving.
• Hands-on experience with Atlassian tools, including Confluence and Jira.
• Experience with help desk/ITSM systems and ticketing workflows.
• Strong collaboration skills and comfort working across teams and sharing knowledge.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including comfort working directly with customers, end users, and engineering teams.
• Ability to obtain CompTIA Security+ certification.
• Ownership mindset, including following through, documenting work, and balancing persistence with asking for help.
• At least 2 years of systems administration/information technology experience with a Bachelor's degree; alternatively, an Associate degree with 2 additional years of experience beyond the minimum required, or a High School Diploma/GED with 4 additional years of experience beyond the minimum required, may be substituted in lieu of a degree.

Nice To Haves

• CISSP or CEH certification.
• Advanced Ansible, Terraform, or Kubernetes usage in classified or production environments.
• Linux certifications such as RHCSA, RHCE, LPIC, or equivalent.
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines or DevSecOps practices.
• Current TS/SCI clearance holders are strongly encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities

• Maintain and support the integrity of system networks through technical support and configuration management.
• Perform daily maintenance, monitoring, and troubleshooting of applications, networking problems, and systems issues across cloud-hosted and on-premises platforms.
• Serve as a primary Tier 2/3 escalation point for infrastructure incidents, outages, and performance degradation.
• Administer Active Directory, including GPO, role-based access controls, and user and group policy management.
• Support cloud identity and access management (IAM) tools and practices.
• Build and maintain automation workflows using Ansible, Terraform, Docker, and Kubernetes to reduce manual effort and improve reliability.
• Perform software and system installations, upgrades, routine automation, and cybersecurity risk mitigation tasks.
• Provide responsive, solutions-oriented support to system users to ensure reliable access to tools and systems.
• Maintain accurate documentation in Confluence, including system configurations, change records, runbooks, and SOPs.
• Track and manage work through Jira, communicating scope and status to the team and stakeholders.
• Support 24/7 operations, including shift work and on-call rotations as mission requires.
• Contribute to team knowledge sharing and support mentorship of junior administrators (L1/L2).
• Identify issues proactively, anticipate roadblocks, and escalate appropriately.
• Use modern AI tools judiciously, review their outputs, and handle proprietary or sensitive data responsibly.
• Take responsibility for personal development and demonstrate a growth mindset.

Benefits

• 100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision coverage for the employee and dependents.
• 401(k) contribution match of up to 6%, with an additional discretionary 4% profit share on day one; Roth options and no vesting period.
• Annual performance bonus eligibility for every role.
• $200,000 employer-paid life insurance and short- and long-term disability coverage.
• $5,000 annual professional development budget per employee.
• 20 days of PTO and 8 paid holidays.
• Pet insurance.
• Onsite gym.
• Flexible schedule.
• Relocation assistance is available for full-time positions.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior