Associate Linux Systems & Datacenter Infrastructure Engineer

Associate Linux Systems & Datacenter Infrastructure Engineer

Innovative Defense Technologies (IDT), a leading defense software company, is seeking an Associate Linux Systems & Datacenter Infrastructure Engineer to support our Fall River, Massachusetts office. The Associate Engineer will have a foundational exposure to technology through a degree or dedicated personal technical projects but is ultimately defined by an aggressive drive for knowledge. Technical proficiency can be taught, but a relentless motivation to understand how systems work under the hood cannot. If you are someone who actively seeks out complex technical challenges, builds out home labs, pushes past surface-level answers, and is highly motivated to kickstart a career in enterprise-scale cloud infrastructure, you are the right fit for this team. In this role, you will bridge the gap between academic/personal technology projects and advanced datacenter engineering. You will support the day-to-day operations of our private cloud services under the direct mentorship of senior engineers, handling immediate tactical infrastructure needs. While your ultimate career path here will involve deep-dive software development, kernel optimization, and advanced architectures, you will immediately execute daily operations—ranging from physical server deployments to basic workflow automation—while actively absorbing the advanced skills required to design, secure, and maintain complex, diskless VMware and centralized storage environments.

Key Responsibilities

What You Will Do:

• Datacenter Operations & Systems Deployment: Assist with building, racking, stacking, and bringing new enterprise physical server systems online. Learn cabinet physical layouts, including running and terminating high-density network and power cabling.
• Systems Administration & Support: Handle daily operational sysadmin tasks, including account provisioning, access controls, permissions management, and infrastructure triage.
• Hardware Diagnostics & Triage: Learn to troubleshoot and resolve physical hardware component failures (drives, memory, power supplies) across enterprise server stacks.
• Basic Network Connectivity: Troubleshoot localized physical and logical connection issues (checking links, verifying IP assignments, basic ping/traceroute diagnostics).
• Automation & Scripting: Identify repetitive manual tasks and build out automated solutions using shell scripting (Bash) or Python to streamline routine administrative workflows.
• System Security Compliance: Assist with system hardening, vulnerability remediation, and applying security patches to maintain strict system integrity.
• Technical Upskilling: Actively shadow senior engineering staff to master the Linux boot process, custom image generation, enterprise virtualization (VMware), and central storage architectures.
• Team Dynamics: Contribute to a vibrant team atmosphere built on camaraderie, mutual support, and a shared commitment to excellence, balancing hard work with community and fun.

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

Who You Are (Required):

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, information technology, information systems, computer engineering, or related field of engineering, or equivalent hands-on technical background.
• 0–2 years of experience (relevant internships, dedicated university lab work, or complex personal technical projects will be heavily considered).
• Ability to travel up to 10% of the time as needed
• Physical capability and willingness to work hands-on in a physical datacenter environment (racking equipment, lifting servers, running cable runs).
• Demonstrated ability to shift from one project to another in an agile work environment.
• Ability to communicate technical approaches and details within small project teams.
• Ability to capture technical approaches, designs, block diagrams, and implementations in written and graphical form

What Makes You Stand Out:

• High Motivation & Curiosity: A strong internal drive to learn advanced infrastructure concepts and apply them practically.
• Personal Technical Projects: Experience building home labs, setting up personal servers, exploring open-source tools, or tinkering with Linux environments outside of classwork.
• Ownership & Urgency: A clear sense of responsibility for system availability and operational execution.
• Analytical Troubleshooting: Solid analytical abilities, coupled with the ability to methodically deconstruct a complex problem down to its root cause.
• Exposure to virtualization hypervisors (VMware ESXi, Proxmox, KVM) via academic labs or home projects.
• Familiarity with configuration management tools like Ansible or version control like Git.
• Basic classroom understanding of enterprise storage concepts (iSCSI, NFS) or networking concepts (VLANs, firewalls).
• Security+ or equivalent level I or II IAT/IAM certification (DoD Directives 8140/8570), VMware, or Red Hat certifications highly encouraged.

If you see yourself reflected in this role and are excited about the impact you could make, we encourage you to apply! If you know someone who may be a great fit, please feel free to share this opportunity with your network.

Pay Range*: $70,000-$116,000 or $90,000 - $150,000 This amount may not be reflective of actual compensation that may be earned as pay is dependent on a candidate's experience, skills, and education. The posted range does not include bonuses, commissions, tips, or other benefits. IDT is often looking to place multiple candidates at various levels. Therefore, more than one pay range has been included, commensurate with experience.

Job Benefits

Why Work at Innovative Defense Technologies (IDT): IDT is a growing company with a vibrant, entrepreneurial culture. We are headquartered in Arlington, VA with additional offices in Fall River, MA; Mount Laurel, NJ; and San Diego, CA. At each location, our employees work together in a modern, snack-filled, and social office space, designing innovative solutions for our defense industry customers. We offer employees competitive pay and benefits including:

• Generous benefits package
• Competitive PTO
• Paid holidays
• 401(k) with immediate vesting and matching
• 9/80 optional schedule (2nd and 4th Friday off every month)
• Tuition Assistance Reimbursement Program
• Professional Development Resources
• Pre-Tax Commuter Benefits
• Organization-Wide Monthly Tech Connect Events
• Annual Employee Recognition Awards
• Regular Social Events and Catered Lunches

EEO Statement:

IDT is an Equal Opportunity employer.

About Innovative Defense Technologies

Innovative Defense Technologies (IDT) is a leading defense technology company focused on rapidly delivering mission-critical software and systems solutions to the U.S. government. The company specializes in automation, digital engineering, and enabling the rapid integration of advanced capabilities into complex weapon and combat systems. These essential solutions empower the warfighter to field, operate, and sustain decisive capability at speed and scale. At IDT, our employees are developing advanced mission-critical outcomes by consistently delivering high-quality results, fostering innovation, applying rigorous problem-solving, and effectively collaborating across multifaceted teams and stakeholders. Grounded in these competencies, IDT translates complex customer priorities into robust software solutions. Apply Now

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