Appian System AdministratorFull Time, RemotePublic Trust ClearanceSign-on bonus- $2,500Referral bonus- $1,000We are seeking a self-sufficient professional with Appian System Administration skills to join our small, nimble platform team. This role is pertinent to maintaining, enhancing, and growing our internal Appian environment hosted on AWS GovCloud. You must be a hands-on problem solver who thrives on troubleshooting complex issues independently, continuously learning, and adapting to platform changes.
Core Responsibilities:Appian Administration
- Continuously enhance our internal Appian platform site by adding features, improving performance, and implementing best practices
- Perform comprehensive Appian system administration including user management, security configurations, site optimization, and health monitoring
- Execute Appian hotfixes and upgrades using custom shell scripts developed by our team
- Proactively troubleshoot and resolve Appian application and platform issues with minimal guidance
- Read, interpret, and apply Appian documentation to solve emerging challenges as the platform evolves
- Adapt platform configurations and custom scripts as Appian releases new versions and deprecates older functionality
- Monitor and report operating efficiency, performance, and reliability of Appian applications
AWS Infrastructure & System Administration (Supporting Role)
- Provide hands-on support for AWS GovCloud infrastructure including EC2 instances, S3 buckets, RDS databases, and related services as needed
- Perform system administration tasks across Windows and Linux environments supporting the Appian platform as needed
- Monitor system capacity, health indicators, and performance metrics; troubleshoot infrastructure issues end-to-end as they arise
- Support environments with a focus on availability, durability, and uptime
- Maintain working knowledge of Application Servers (JBoss, Tomcat) as part of installation and troubleshooting
- Collaborate with the platform team on capacity planning and analytics for forecasting
Security & Compliance
- Maintain security controls in compliance with VA requirements and conduct remediation from security scans
- Assist the platform team in obtaining and maintaining Authority to Operate (ATO)
- Ensure VA security and architecture policies are implemented so that the system meets governing VAEC architectural, security, data, and interoperability standards
Automation
- REQUIRED: Proficiency with Git and GitHub for version control and configuration management
- Participate in CI/CD pipelines and deployment automation (Jenkins)
- Troubleshoot and enhance existing automation scripts as requirements and platform capabilities change
- Drive continuous improvement in deployment processes and operational efficiency
Operations & Support
- Provide break-fix support and incident resolution for all environments
- Quickly and efficiently troubleshoot simple and complex issues to provide outstanding support for internal service level objectives
- Demonstrate strong pattern recognition to identify recurring issues and implement preventative solutions
- Perform detailed troubleshooting across the full stack-from end-user issues through middleware, application servers, and backend infrastructure
- Execute both repetitive operational tasks (routine maintenance, monitoring) and sporadic platform projects (feature additions)
- Create and maintain runbooks, operating procedures, and system documentation
- Ensure all necessary operational processes and procedures are carried out with a high level of attention to detail, expediency, and on-time delivery
Required Qualifications:Education & Experience
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field preferred
- 5+ years of combined technical experience in production support, site reliability engineering, system administration, or DevOps roles
- 2+ years of Appian development experience (process models, interfaces, integrations, data structures) and, or 1-2+ years of hands-on Appian administration experience (system configuration, upgrades, troubleshooting)
- 2-3 years of proven, hands-on AWS experience
- Experience may overlap across these areas
Technical Skills (Non-Negotiable)
- Appian Administration: Demonstrated ability to independently troubleshoot and resolve Appian platform and application issues
- AWS Expertise: Hands-on experience with AWS services such as EC2, S3, RDS, IAM, Cloudwatch, in all environments (you'll work alongside our AWS team, but must have foundational knowledge)
- Git/GitHub: Proficient in using Git for version control and GitHub for collaboration and configuration management
- System Administration: Foundational hands-on Linux administration skills (including shell scripting, user management, package management, system updates and maintenance)
- Self-Sufficiency: Proven ability to work independently, critically analyze problems, and execute solutions without detailed step-by-step instructions
Required Competencies
- Critical Thinking: Ability to read requirements, analyze problems, and determine solutions autonomously
- Pattern Recognition: Identify trends, recurring issues, and opportunities for improvement
- Troubleshooting: End-to-end debugging skills across application, middleware, and infrastructure layers
- Continuous Learning: Commitment to staying current with Appian platform changes, reading documentation, and adapting practices accordingly
- Attention to Detail: High level of precision in operational tasks and documentation
- Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills for documentation and team collaboration
- Pressure Management: Ability to work well under pressure within a technically challenging environment
- Mission-Critical Mindset: Experience in working in mission-critical environment
- Must be able to obtain Public Trust clearance
Desired Skills & Experience:- Appian Development Skills: If coming from an admin background, development experience (process models, interfaces, integrations) is highly valuable for understanding the platform deeply and contributing to feature development
- Cross-Functional Background: Appian expertise (development or administration) with willingness to learn infrastructure is equally valuable as a Linux/AWS system administration background with willingness to learn Appian, we prioritize depth in Appian with the ability to grow into infrastructure responsibilities
- Monitoring Tools: Experience with CloudWatch or similar monitoring/logging tools
- Agile Experience: 3+ years working in Agile/Scrum/Kanban environments; highly team-oriented and practices collaboration as a key to success
- Federal Experience: Prior work on a software development project in a federal government setting
- DevOps Tooling: Familiarity with modern DevOps tools and practices
- Self Sufficient: High capability to learn, retain knowledge and work independently under minimal supervision
What Success Looks Like:- You can independently execute, and troubleshoot Appian hotfixes and upgrades using our operations
- You proactively identify improvements to our platform and implement them
- You maintain comprehensive documentation that enables knowledge sharing
- You adapt quickly to Appian platform changes and update our processes accordingly
- You balance routine operational tasks with strategic platform enhancements
- You contribute to maintaining our ATO and security compliance posture
- You effectively collaborate with the Platform team to ensure seamless integration and support for the Appian platform
Work Environment:- Small, collaborative platform team where your contributions directly impact the product
- Mix of repetitive maintenance tasks and innovative platform improvement projects
- Requires reading Appian documentation and staying current with platform evolution
- Fast-paced environment supporting mission-critical government operations
