Systems Administrator

Peraton•Washington, DC

14d•$104,000 - $166,000

About The Position

Join Peraton in advancing the safety, efficiency, and modernization of the National Airspace System (NAS) through the FAA’s Brand New Air Traffic Control System (BNATCS) contract. As a trusted partner to the Federal Aviation Administration, Peraton helps deliver the systems and services that keep our nation’s skies safe and connected. We’re looking for innovative professionals who thrive in mission-critical environments and are passionate about shaping the future of air traffic management. This is your chance to make an impact on one of the world’s most vital transportation infrastructures, working alongside leaders in aviation, engineering, data science, and systems integration. At Peraton, you won’t just support the mission — you’ll define it. Help shape the future of U.S. airspace safety and efficiency. We are seeking a Systems Administrator to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals. The ideal candidate will provide installation, configuration, monitoring, and troubleshooting of operating systems, servers, and applications to ensure FAA systems remain reliable, secure, and compliant. This position offers an excellent opportunity to gain in-depth experience in federal contracting while supporting high-visibility aviation programs. In this position, you will: Install, configure, and maintain Windows, Linux, or UNIX operating systems and servers. Monitor system performance and availability to ensure optimal uptime. Apply patches, upgrades, and security hardening in compliance with FAA and federal standards. Manage user accounts, permissions, and access controls. Troubleshoot and resolve system, hardware, and application issues. Support backup, recovery, and disaster recovery planning. Maintain accurate system documentation, diagrams, and standard operating procedures. Conduct log monitoring, auditing, and incident response support. Collaborate with cybersecurity teams to ensure compliance with NIST RMF, FISMA, and FAA IT security requirements. Participate in system integration, modernization efforts, and configuration planning. Support modernization initiatives and day-to-day operations that keep the FAA’s systems running smoothly. Support multi-site enterprise systems with high availability requirements. Prepare and maintain audit-ready system documentation. Why This Role Matters The FAA is the cornerstone of aviation safety and innovation. As a Systems Administrator, you will directly contribute to the resiliency and security of infrastructure that supports air traffic operations, FAA modernization programs, and mission-critical services. Your work ensures the continuity and reliability of aviation systems that millions of passengers depend on daily.

Requirements

U.S. Citizenship Required.
Must have the ability to obtain / maintain a Public Trust clearance.
Bachelor’s degree and 8 years of experience; or Masters degree and 6 years; or Associate’s degree and 10 years’ experience; or HS diploma/equivalent and 16 years experience.
Experience as a systems administrator in enterprise environments.
Hands-on experience managing Windows Server, Linux distributions, or UNIX systems.
Knowledge of Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, and group policies.
Familiarity with system monitoring tools (e.g., Splunk, Nagios, SolarWinds).
Understanding of federal IT compliance standards (NIST 800-53, RMF, FISMA).
Experience managing virtualized environments (VMware, Hyper-V, or KVM).
Familiarity with cloud services (AWS, Azure, GCP) in hybrid or federal environments.
Strong knowledge of backup and recovery.

Nice To Haves

Direct FAA or NAS configuration management experience.
Certifications such as CompTIA Security+, Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA/MCSE), Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA), or VMware Certified Professional (VCP).
Experience supporting FAA, DOT, DHS, DoD, or other federal IT environments.
Familiarity with FAA modernization programs (e.g., NextGen).
Experience with automation and Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) tools like Ansible or Terraform.
Knowledge of Zero Trust architectures, identity and access management (IAM), and endpoint security integration.
Experience supporting safety-critical or mission-critical IT systems in federal or aviation environments.

Responsibilities

Install, configure, and maintain Windows, Linux, or UNIX operating systems and servers.
Monitor system performance and availability to ensure optimal uptime.
Apply patches, upgrades, and security hardening in compliance with FAA and federal standards.
Manage user accounts, permissions, and access controls.
Troubleshoot and resolve system, hardware, and application issues.
Support backup, recovery, and disaster recovery planning.
Maintain accurate system documentation, diagrams, and standard operating procedures.
Conduct log monitoring, auditing, and incident response support.
Collaborate with cybersecurity teams to ensure compliance with NIST RMF, FISMA, and FAA IT security requirements.
Participate in system integration, modernization efforts, and configuration planning.
Support modernization initiatives and day-to-day operations that keep the FAA’s systems running smoothly.
Support multi-site enterprise systems with high availability requirements.
Prepare and maintain audit-ready system documentation.