Linux Systems Administrator

Joint Activities

$104K — $166K *
Aerospace & Defense
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 3+ years with a Bachelor's degree or 1+ year with a Master's/PhD in a related field, or equivalent experience
  • Strong focus on Linux systems administration
  • Familiarity with Windows OS in mixed environments
  • Proven experience in IT systems similar in scope and complexity
  • Competence in Linux installation, configuration, and troubleshooting
  • Proficient in scripting with Python, Bash, or similar languages
  • Good knowledge of basic networking concepts like TCP/IP and DNS

Responsibilities

  • Administer and maintain Linux-based IT systems
  • Manage the installation and configuration of servers and storage devices
  • Provide Tier 1 and Tier 2 support for technical issues
  • Diagnose and resolve a variety of systems and user access problems
  • Oversee user account management and basic security controls
  • Develop and execute scripts for system automation and monitoring
  • Support operation in both classified and unclassified environments

Benefits

  • Opportunity for increased sign-on bonus
  • Work alongside innovative teams in a research and development setting
  • Exposure to classified and cutting-edge technologies
  • Potential for professional growth and skill development within a secure environment
Full Job Description
Responsibilities

Peraton Labs is seeking a poly cleared Linux Systems Administrator to support the infrastructure team for a cleared research and development program in Maryland. This role will support the implementation, maintenance, troubleshooting, and daily operations of Linux-based systems used across classified and unclassified research environments.

 

The ideal candidate for this role is a hands-on systems administrator with strong Linux experience, solid troubleshooting skills, scripting ability, and the ability to support users, researchers, engineers, and customer stakeholders in a fast-paced R&D environment. This position will help ensure research systems, servers, storage, networking components, and supporting infrastructure remain reliable, secure, and available for mission-focused prototype development and experimentation.

 

This position requires full-time on-site work at a customer site near College Park, MD.

 

Key responsibilities may include

  • Provide day-to-day administration, maintenance, monitoring, and troubleshooting for Linux-based IT systems
  • Support implementation, configuration, operation, and sustainment of servers, workstations, storage, network-connected devices, and research infrastructure
  • Provide Tier 1 and Tier 2 support for system access, user issues, software problems, hardware issues, and operational incidents
  • Diagnose and resolve Linux system, application, storage, network, and user access issues
  • Manage user accounts, permissions, authentication, system access, and basic security controls
  • Install, configure, patch, and update Linux operating systems, software packages, tools, and system services
  • Support Windows systems administration as needed within mixed Linux/Windows environments
  • Develop scripts and automation using Bash, Python, or similar tools to improve system operations, monitoring, reporting, and repeatable administration tasks
  • Monitor system performance, availability, logs, storage utilization, and resource consumption
  • Support system capacity analysis, resource planning, and performance optimization
  • Support backup, recovery, log management, archive, and system restoration procedures
  • Assist users, researchers, and engineers with accessing and using IT systems in classified and unclassified environments
  • Escalate issues, communicate system status, and coordinate problem resolution with internal teams, customer stakeholders, and subcontractor personnel
  • Maintain system documentation, operational procedures, configuration records, and troubleshooting notes
  • Support security posture activities, including patching, vulnerability remediation, endpoint protection, and audit support

 

*This position may be eligible for an increased sign-on bonus. Eligibility, bonus amount, and applicable terms and conditions will be discussed during the recruiting process*

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

  • Minimum of 3+ years of experience with a Bachelors degree, 1+ years of experience with a Masters degree, or a PhD in Computer Science, Information Systems, Computer Engineering, Cybersecurity, or a related technical discipline. In lieu of a Bachelors, an additional 4 years of experience is required for a total of 7+ years relevant experience.
  • Strong experience with Linux systems administration
  • Experience with Windows system administration in mixed operating system environments
  • Experience supporting IT systems in programs or environments of similar scope, scale, and complexity
  • Experience with Linux installation, configuration, patching, troubleshooting, user support, and system maintenance
  • Experience with scripting/automation using Python, Bash, or similar
  • Understanding of basic networking concepts, including TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, routing, switching, firewalls, ports, and network troubleshooting
  • Experience support client/server systems, storage devices, network-connected devices, and user workstations
  • Ability to provide Tier 1 and Tier 2 support, diagnose issues, and communicate status clearly
  • Strong communication skills and ability to work as part of an integrated team with customers, subcontractors, and Peraton personnel.
  • US Citizenship is a requirement for this position
  • This position requires an active/current TS/SCI w/ Polygraph

Desired Additional Qualifications

  • Experience supporting classified research environments, DoD/IC customers, or national security programs
  • Experience with Linux distributions such as RHEL, CentOS, Rocky Linux, Ubuntu, Debian, or similar platforms
  • Experience with system hardening, patch management, vulnerability remediation, audit support, STIGs, ACAS/Nessus, SCAP, or RMF-related activities
  • Experience with virtualization platforms such as VMware, KVM, Proxmox, Hyper-V, OpenStack, or similar tools
  • Experience with storage technologies such as NAS, SAN, RAID, NFS, SMB, iSCSI, object storage, or backup appliances
  • Experience with configuration management or automation tools such as Ansible, Puppet, Chef, SaltStack, or Terraform/OpenTofu
  • Experience with monitoring, logging, and alerting tools such as Splunk, ELK/OpenSearch, Prometheus, Grafana, Zabbix, Nagios, or similar tools
  • Experience with network troubleshooting of complex issues, such as IPSec, VXLan, FWs, Load Balancing and DNS
  • Expertise with Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) and thin client architectures
  • Experience with Security administration to include enterprise antivirus, malware detection, intrusion detection, and audit solutions
  • Experience with open source tools, such as Snort
  • Experience with containers or DevOps environments such as Docker, Podman, Kubernetes, GitLab, GitHub, Jenkins, or CI/CD pipelines
  • Knowledge of cloud or private cloud technologies such as OpenStack, AWS, Hadoop, Cloudera, or similar platforms
  • Experience supporting operational mission partners, research teams, software developers, or cyber/network experimentation environments
  • Ability to establish and maintain strong working relationships across technical teams, customer stakeholders, and program leadership
Target Salary Range$104,000 - $166,000. This represents the typical salary range for this position. Salary is determined by various factors, including but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the individual’s experience, education, knowledge, skills, and competencies, as well as geographic location and business and contract considerations. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay.

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