Senior VDI Administrator

Leidos•Alexandria, VA

About The Position

Leidos is seeking a Senior System Administrator to support a large enterprise IT contract for the Department of Defense. The role provides operations and maintenance support for existing virtual desktop environments across multiple enclaves, supports implementation of new solutions, and helps expand adoption of trusted thin-client platforms and virtual desktops. The administrator focuses on system reliability, functionality, and user experience while working with a team to meet mission needs for internal and external customers across multiple geographic locations. The position includes remote administration of servers in offsite data centers and Tier 2 and Tier 3 operations support for Citrix technologies—including XenDesktop, XenApp, NetScaler, and StoreFront—and Microsoft M365 Azure Virtual Desktop. The administrator monitors infrastructure health and capacity, troubleshoots incidents, supports system changes and upgrades, coordinates with engineering and other support teams, and maintains operational documentation. Mission-critical after-hours outages and scheduled maintenance outside standard hours may be required. The role requires U.S. citizenship and a TS/SCI clearance with polygraph, or TS/SCI clearance and willingness to obtain and maintain a polygraph. Candidates must meet DoDM 8140.03 (previously DoD 8570) IT System Administrator Intermediate certification requirements. Education and experience combinations accepted are a bachelor’s degree with 8 years of relevant experience, a master’s degree with 6 years, an associate degree with 10 years, or a high school diploma with 12 years.

Requirements

Experience interacting with customers to handle service inquiries and problems.
Experience working as a Tier 2 and Tier 3 system administrator.
Familiarity with desktop software applications, including web browsing and client software, and IT service management software such as ServiceNow.
Knowledge of IC IT standards and best practices.
Extensive knowledge of Citrix XenDesktop, XenApp, NetScaler, and StoreFront.
Experience managing Microsoft M365 Azure Virtual Desktops (AVD).
Extensive experience with patching and upgrade methodology for front-end and back-end systems based on Citrix technology.
Experience with rapid testing, validation, and deployment of new baseline images.
Extensive experience conducting incident and trend analysis through log review, performance baselining and review, and other incident/problem management techniques to resolve ongoing customer-impacting issues.
Experience with scripting and automation.
Experience troubleshooting issues in a growing environment.
Time-management skills.
Strong oral and written communication skills.
Ability to work effectively on a team and support peers toward improved processes and results.
Experience with support ticket management systems.
Experience mentoring or supervising others.
Meet DoDM 8140.03 (previously DoD 8570) IT System Administrator Intermediate certification requirements; listed qualifying certifications include Cloud+, GICSP, SSCP, Security+ CE, GSEC, or higher.
Bachelor’s degree with 8 years of relevant experience, master’s degree with 6 years, associate degree with 10 years, or high school diploma with 12 years.
U.S. citizenship is required.
TS/SCI clearance with polygraph, or TS/SCI clearance and willingness to obtain and maintain a polygraph.

Responsibilities

Provide remote administration of servers located in offsite data centers.
Provide Tier 2 and Tier 3 operations support for Citrix technologies and Microsoft M365 Azure Virtual Desktop.
Distinguish isolated user problems from service outages involving Citrix services and AVD.
Monitor infrastructure for anomalies, including storage availability and capacity, network connectivity, database health, and other daily health checks.
Work with engineering staff to plan modernization efforts that meet customer and administrator requirements.
Collaborate on network latency analysis to address slow connections and user experience issues.
Implement approved version and architectural changes to maintain system operability and security.
Implement major system upgrades as designed and approved.
Coordinate testing and deployment of Group Policy modifications with other Tier 2 and Tier 3 teams.
Perform periodic server backups and restorations.
Monitor desktop capacity and size the environment based on typical usage trends.
Monitor system licenses and certificates and coordinate renewals and installation.
Work with customers and stakeholders to gather data, analyze requirements, and implement solutions for incident tickets and other requirements.
Establish availability and capacity management solutions using lessons learned.
Develop solutions to technical issues and provide follow-up reports covering findings, feedback, and resolution steps for root-cause analysis, engineering assessment, and process improvement.
Periodically review, update, and generate standard operating procedures for systems and services under the administrator’s control.
Update operations and monitoring documentation for 24/7/365 IT Operations Center personnel.
Respond to after-hours outages when deemed mission-critical by the ITOC government representative.
Conduct routine maintenance during customer-prescribed maintenance windows, which may include evenings or weekends.
Mentor and train junior team members.