System Administrator

NextGen Federal Systems • Aberdeen, MD

7d

About The Position

NextGen has a role opening and is seeking a highly skilled, proactive, and dedicated System Administrator to join our team in directly supporting mission-critical U.S. Army defense engineering programs. In this essential role, you'll serve as a Lab System Administrator, responsible for maintaining and operating secure network enclaves across the Defense Research and Engineering Network (DREN), Closed Restricted Network (CRN), and NSA network. Your primary focus will be ensuring all division networks remain fully functional, highly available, and compliant to support top-priority Army research, development, test, and evaluation missions—safeguarding critical scientific computing, data transfer, and national security capabilities.

Requirements

• Security Clearance: Active TS/SCI with Poly (CI Preferred)
• Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology (IT), Cybersecurity / Information Assurance, Engineering, or a related technical field. (Years of experience may be accepted in lieu of degree).
• Certification: IAT Level II Certification (CompTIA Security+, SSCP, CCNA Security, CySA+, GICSP, GSEC)
• Proven Hands-on Experience: as a System Administrator in DoD, Army research lab, or cleared environments, with direct support for restricted/high-performance networks (e.g., DREN, CRN, or similar classified enclaves).
• Direct Experience: In-depth knowledge of Windows/Linux server administration, networking fundamentals, Active Directory, virtualization (e.g., VMware), and security hardening practices (STIGs, ACAS, SCC) in mission-critical settings.

Nice To Haves

• Proactive problem-solving mindset with excellent analytical, troubleshooting, and attention-to-detail skills; ability to thrive in fast-paced, high-stakes research lab environments.
• Strong communication and collaboration abilities to partner effectively with scientific/research teams, ISSOs, cybersecurity personnel, leadership, and government stakeholders (e.g., Army/DoD customers).
• RedHat / Linux certification
• NSANETWORK Account

Responsibilities

• Experience in installing, configuring, upgrading, and maintaining servers, workstations, operating systems, and network infrastructure across DREN, CRN, and NSA enclaves to ensure mission-critical uptime and performance
• Experience applying security patches, updates, STIGs, and configuration baselines; performing vulnerability scans (e.g., ACAS) and remediating findings to sustain compliance and operational integrity.
• Experience conducting routine system and network monitoring, performance tuning, backup/recovery operations, and disaster recovery planning/testing to protect data availability and integrity across lab networks.
• Troubleshooting hardware, software, and network issues in real time to minimize downtime and maintain seamless connectivity for research and engineering workflows.
• Conducting routine system and network monitoring, performance tuning, backup/recovery operations, and disaster recovery planning/testing to protect data availability and integrity across lab networks.

What This Job Offers

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