Lead Systems Administrator - Secure, Mission-Critical Ops

Position Overview The Systems Administrator Lead provides technical and leadership oversight for the administration of servers, operating systems, and core infrastructure services that support mission‑critical operations in a federal IT environment. The role directs day‑to‑day systems administration activities across Windows, Linux, and virtualization platforms, ensuring high availability, performance, and security for on‑premises and cloud workloads. The Systems Administrator Lead coordinates ITIL‑aligned incident, problem, and change management processes, leads planning and execution of upgrades and patch cycles, and mentors junior administrators while enforcing documentation and compliance standards. Key Responsibilities Administer and optimize enterprise server platforms across Windows Server, Linux distributions, and virtualization technologies such as VMware, ensuring capacity, performance, and resilience. Implement standardized build configurations, automation scripts, and configuration management practices to streamline provisioning and reduce configuration drift. Lead troubleshooting and root‑cause analysis for complex operating system, virtualization, and infrastructure issues affecting mission‑critical services, driving permanent fixes for recurring problems. Coordinate with change management to plan and execute patching, upgrades, maintenance windows, and lifecycle management activities with minimal service disruption. Implement and monitor system‑level security controls, including hardening, access management, vulnerability remediation, and logging, in collaboration with cybersecurity teams. Oversee monitoring and alerting for system‑level events, ensuring timely incident response and alignment with incident and problem management processes. Develop and maintain comprehensive system documentation, including build guides, configuration records, inventories, topology diagrams, and recovery procedures to support audits, compliance, and continuity. Lead and mentor systems administration staff, providing technical guidance, enforcing standards, and supporting professional development in a highly regulated environment. Required Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent relevant work experience. 8+ years of experience in systems administration for Windows, Linux, or VMware environments, with several years in a lead or senior capacity. Excellent knowledge of relevant operating systems (e.g., Windows Server, Red Hat, CentOS) and virtualization technologies (e.g., VMware vSphere, ESXi) in enterprise environments. Proficiency in scripting languages such as PowerShell, Bash, or Python, and experience with system monitoring, patch management, and performance tuning. Strong troubleshooting, problem‑solving, communication, and teamwork skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks and coordinate across infrastructure, network, and security teams. Familiarity with ITIL‑aligned practices for incident, problem, and change management in support of mission‑critical services. Ability to obtain and maintain a SECRET clearance; U.S. citizenship required. Preferred Qualifications Advanced platform certifications such as Microsoft Certified: Windows Server, RHCSA/RHCE, or VMware Certified Professional (VCP). Experience leading systems administration teams or mixed on‑premises and cloud infrastructure operations in defense or other highly regulated environments. Experience with regulatory and data security best practices applicable to federal IT environments. Compensation Ranges Compensation ranges for ASM Research positions vary depending on multiple factors; including but not limited to, location, skill set, level of education, certifications, client requirements, contract-specific affordability, government clearance and investigation level, and years of experience. The compensation displayed for this role is a general guideline based on these factors and is unique to each role. Monetary compensation is one component of ASM's overall compensation and benefits package for employees. EEO Requirements It is the policy of ASM that an individual's race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation or national origin are not and will not be considered in any personnel or management decisions. We affirm our commitment to these fundamental policies. All recruiting, hiring, training, and promoting for all job classifications is done without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, or age. All decisions on employment are made to abide by the principle of equal employment. Physical Requirements The physical requirements described in "Knowledge, Skills and Abilities" above are representative of those which must be met by an employee to successfully perform the primary functions of this job. (For example, "light office duties' or "lifting up to 50 pounds" or "some travel" required.) Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with qualifying disabilities, who are otherwise qualified, to perform the primary functions. Disclaimer The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job. $97,000 - $164,900 EEO Requirements It is the policy of ASM that an individual's race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, gender identity, veteran status, sexual orientation or national origin are not and will not be considered in any personnel or management decisions. We affirm our commitment to these fundamental policies. All recruiting, hiring, training, and promoting for all job classifications is done without regard to race, color, religion, sex, veteran status, disability, gender identity, or age. All decisions on employment are made to abide by the principle of equal employment. #J-18808-Ljbffr