System Administrator

Job no: 537267
Work type: Staff
Senior management: Vice President for Research
Department: Export & Secure Research Compliance
Location: Arlington, Virginia, Blacksburg, Virginia
Categories: Information Systems / Technology, Research / Scientific, Data Analytics / Security

Job Description

Virginia Tech's Office of Export and Secure Research Compliance (OESRC) seeks an experienced System Administrator with a background in NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) or CMMC (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification) to join its dynamic team of information technology and security professionals. The System Administrator will be responsible for the day-to-day management, maintenance, and security of the organization's systems and networks, ensuring they operate efficiently and securely in accordance with NIST or CMMC guidelines. This position will be expected to work collegially and collaboratively among team members as well as internal stakeholders.

Due to nature of work, the successful candidate must be a U.S. citizen and able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance with SCI eligibility and Counterintelligence (CI) or full-scope Polygraph. This posting is hiring for positions based in either Arlington, VA or Blacksburg, VA. The positions are fully onsite in-office and is ineligible for remote work. Positions are designated as Emergency Personnel - facility security related, as the position must be able to respond timely to emergencies within 60 minutes during evenings and weekends as needed.

The primary duties of this position include:
• Manage and maintain systems, servers, and cloud infrastructure.
• Implement and enforce security controls aligned with NIST frameworks, CIS benchmarks, and/or institutional policies.
• Conduct vulnerability management, patch management, and configuration hardening.
• Administer identity and access systems, ensuring least-privilege and compliance with audit requirements.
• Develop and maintain system documentation, standard operating procedures, and compliance artifacts.
• Support internal and external audits and assessments.
• Collaborate with research, academic, and administrative units to ensure secure system operations.
• Support incident response, digital forensics, and recovery operations.
• Automate system management and compliance checks using scripting/tools.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, collaborate on and lead multiple projects, as assigned, simultaneously, and take initiative to solve complex IT problems.
• Collaborates with system administration team to carryout initiatives.

Required Qualifications
• Must be eligible to obtain and maintain, a Top Secret security clearance with SCI eligibility and Counterintelligence (CI) or full-scope Polygraph as required to perform assigned duties.
• Must be a U.S Citizen.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, cyber security or a related field, or equivalent experience and training to include applicable certifications, and progressively advanced experience in lieu of a Bachelor's degree.
• Demonstrated working experience developing policies and procedures such as detailed documentation and/or training resources for end users.
• Demonstrated working experience with Windows and/or Linux operating systems administration.
• Demonstrated working experience with network and computer monitoring, data forensics, and data recovery.
• Demonstrated working experience with identity and access management tools.
• Demonstrated working knowledge of network architecture, network hardware, monitoring and management software, network protocols (TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, VPN), routing, switches, firewalls, web filters, and network security methodologies.
• Familiarity with virtualization technologies (e.g., VMware, Hyper-V).
• Familiarity with vulnerability scanning and remediation tools.
• Familiarity with scripting tools (PowerShell, Python, Bash).
• Knowledge of risk management frameworks for security and compliance (NIST, CMMC, CIS, FERPA,).
• Demonstrated effective communication skills with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail.
• Position is designated as Emergency Personnel - facility security related, as the position must be able to respond timely to emergencies within 60 minutes during evenings and weekends as needed.
• Must be able to lift and move 25 pounds or more of equipment, ability to stand, stoop, bend, squat, and be on feet for long periods of time.

Preferred Qualifications
• Advanced Degree or progressively advanced experience in lieu of degree in information technology, information security, cyber security, or other relevant field.
• Experience in higher education.
• Current field-relevant professional certifications for IAT Level I, such as A+, Network+, etc.
• Current field-specific professional certifications for IAT Level II, such as Security+, GIAC Security Essentials Certification (GSEC), A+ ce, Network+ ce, etc.
• Currently possess or recently debriefed (within 5 years) a security clearance at Secret level or higher.

Pay Band

5

Overtime Status

Exempt: Not eligible for overtime

Appointment Type

Regular

Salary Information

Arlington: starting at $100,000; Blacksburg: starting at $80,000; Commensurate with experience

Hours per week

40

Review Date

August 14, 2026

Additional Information

Due to the nature of the work, the position is restricted to U.S. Citizens and is not eligible for remote work. This position is considered emergency personnel and must be able to respond timely to emergencies at the facility within 60 minutes during evenings and weekends as needed.

The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.

Advertised: August 6, 2026
Applications close: August 14, 2026 Eastern Daylight Time

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