Systems Administrator - Intermediate

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory•Laurel, MD

About The Position

The Intermediate Systems Administrator provides administration, maintenance, and support for Linux and Windows systems, virtualization, storage, and related infrastructure in highly classified environments, including stand-alone systems, networked infrastructures, and secure cloud solutions in Special Access and SCI facilities. The role supports the reliability, security, and performance of information systems serving research programs. The administrator maintains systems in accordance with approved architectures and configuration baselines, troubleshoots operating systems and infrastructure, and supports virtualized environments and storage devices. The role also performs backup and recovery activities, manages accounts and access, applies patches and remediates security findings, monitors system health, and maintains technical and security documentation. Additional work includes supporting RMF and authorization activities, assisting with upgrades and technology transitions under senior technical direction, and applying cybersecurity, OPSEC, COMSEC, and classified-environment requirements. The position requires an Associate’s or Technical degree and at least five years of relevant experience, along with system administration expertise, security practices, and a current DoD 8140 Systems Administration certification. A Top-Secret clearance is required by the start date, with the ability to obtain TS/SCI clearance; U.S. citizenship is an eligibility requirement. The posted annual pay range is $100,000–$195,000. APL describes its benefits as including retirement plans, paid time off, medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, flexible spending accounts, education assistance, and training and development.

Requirements

Associate’s or Technical degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field, with at least 5 years of relevant experience.
Demonstrated success in roles requiring responsive technical support and proactive system administration.
Proficiency in Windows and/or Linux system administration, including user management through Active Directory or an equivalent and Group Policy configuration.
Hands-on experience with cloud or virtualization technologies such as AWS, Azure, VMware, Hyper-V, or QEMU, and network troubleshooting.
Familiarity with security practices, including patch deployment, firewall configuration, and applying STIG standards under JSIG or NISPOM guidance.
Experience with certificate management, including PKI, RSA, or Windows/Linux certificate services, and security tools such as ACAS, SCAP, Splunk, Ivanti, or McAfee.
Current DoD 8140 Systems Administration certification, such as Security+, SSCP, or CISSP-ISSE.
Top-Secret level security clearance by the start date and ability to ultimately obtain TS/SCI clearance; eligibility requires U.S. citizenship.

Nice To Haves

Cloud certifications or equivalent platform-specific credentials are highly desired.
Bachelor’s degree and at least 8 years of professional experience in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.
Certifications across multiple technologies, cloud platforms, or virtualization software.
NetApp or SAN experience.
Experience manually building physical systems.
Experience configuring managed switches.
Experience with endpoint protection applications, such as Splunk.
Practical experience with programming or scripting languages.
Working familiarity with Director of Central Intelligence Directives (DCID) or Intelligence Community Directives (ICD) security requirements.
Experience with HP Secure Print.

Responsibilities

Provide intermediate system administration, maintenance, and support for Linux, Windows, virtualization, and storage systems in highly classified environments.
Maintain and document systems using approved architectures and configuration baselines.
Troubleshoot Linux and Windows operating system issues.
Monitor, troubleshoot, and perform routine maintenance for virtualized environments using commercial off-the-shelf software.
Perform system backups, recovery activities, and scheduled continuity testing.
Administer and troubleshoot storage devices, including capacity monitoring and backups.
Perform basic network switch troubleshooting, including ports, VLANs, connectivity, and segmentation, in coordination with senior systems administrators.
Create and manage user and privileged accounts, access permissions, passwords, and periodic access reviews.
Apply patches, remediate findings, and maintain approved configuration baselines.
Monitor system health, capacity, availability, and security status; respond to alerts and document corrective actions.
Support RMF and authorization activities by maintaining configuration records, procedures, diagrams, control evidence, and assigned security documentation.
Apply cybersecurity, OPSEC, COMSEC, and classified-environment requirements in daily system administration.
Maintain technical documentation, SOPs, system records, and ticket updates in the approved IT service management system.
Assist with system upgrades, migrations, technology refreshes, testing, and operational transitions under senior technical direction.
Maintain current knowledge of applicable technologies, vulnerabilities, security requirements, and system administration practices.