Systems Administrator

Job Title: Systems Administrator
Duration: 4+ years
Client: Defense Research Lab
Location: Westford, MA 01886

Description: Maintains operation of multi-user computer systems, including coordination of infrastructure and cloud responsibilities. Develops and designs core operating system builds. Responsible for coding, virtualization, and automation of systems. Sets up administrator and service accounts, maintains an active directory of users and system documentation, tunes system performance, installs system-wide software, and allocates mass storage space. Assesses and resolves user access problems related to security controls to minimize business impact and risk exposure. Identifies and evaluates vendor products and establishes vendor monitoring and tracking processes. Performs capacity planning and monitors/tunes systems. Recommends appropriate platforms for purchase, coordinates installation, and provides backup recovery. Serves as a point of escalation for major incidents that are unresolved at the helpdesk level. Develops and monitors policies and standards for allocation related to the use of computing resources. May draft general IT communications to end-users including notifications of outages/downtimes.

Background/Need: The mission of the group is to develop and demonstrate tactically relevant space situational awareness (SSA) in support of space control. The group focuses on the techniques, operational concepts, and advanced sensor systems that are needed to obtain timely and predictive information about space objects. IT support is needed to ensure the success of our mission critical operations and the development of our sensor systems.

A Systems Administrator is needed to support the Surveillance Center in Westford, Massachusetts. The team is responsible for upgrades, maintenance, and operations of three high-power radar systems including the recently upgraded Haystack Ultra-wideband Satellite Imaging Radar (HUSIR).

Other information relevant to the job requirement?

Responsibilities include but not limited to:

• Specify, design, implement, and test network and computer system configurations and upgrades in consultation with the staff
• Develop, coordinate, and implement network security plans and measures in accordance with government and Laboratory policies
• Identify system performance issues and assess user needs to recommend specific changes and upgrades Perform data backups and recoveries; assist staff with computer and network problems and tasks
• Research and recommend commercial hardware and software products to meet project and group requirements
• Order hardware and software products
• Renew software licenses to ensure continuity of service
• Interact with vendors, laboratory personnel, Security, and other system administrators to coordinate procurements, installations, upgrades, and other services.

Must Have:

• Strong interpersonal and organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple tasks with minimal supervision are required.
• Must be team-oriented, be able to create documentation on systems to satisfy certification, technical staff, and end user needs.
• Ability to diagnose and resolve hardware, software, and networking problems is required.
• Experience working in a Linux environment
• Systems Administration
• Basic scripting experience
• Experience with security plans (i.e., Risk Management Framework), procedures, and compliance with DoD directive 8140 is highly desired.

Nice to Have:

• Work experience in mission critical environments is highly desirable.
• Desired skill sets include enterprise level hardware and software applications like VMWare ESX, NetAPP, Networker, Nagios, and Ansible.
• Some working knowledge of programming languages such as Perl, python, C/C++, and scripting language

Others:

• Clearance: Candidate must have an active Secret clearance with the ability to acquire and maintain a Top-Secret clearance.
• Work Location: Main location will be at the Westford, MA 01886 site with occasional local travel to Lexington, MA
• Interview Process: 1st round interview will be a Zoom with the hiring manager. 2nd round interview will be a Zoom with additional team members as needed.
• Work Schedule: This position will be 100% onsite due to the nature of the work. There may be some remote flexibility on a case-by-case basis but there are no regular remote days.