Linux Systems Administrator

Peraton Overview

Peraton is a next-generation national security company that drives missions of consequence spanning the globe and extending to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. As the world’s leading mission capability integrator and transformative enterprise IT provider, we deliver trusted, highly differentiated solutions and technologies to protect our nation and allies. Peraton operates at the critical nexus between traditional and nontraditional threats across all domains: land, sea, space, air, and cyberspace. The company serves as a valued partner to essential government agencies and supports every branch of the U.S. armed forces. Each day, our employees do the can’t be done by solving the most daunting challenges facing our customers. Visit peraton.com to learn how we’re keeping people around the world safe and secure.

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*

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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.

Benefits Statement

Peraton offers eligible employees a variety of benefits including medical, dental, vision, life, health savings account, short/long term disability, EAP, parental leave, 401(k), paid time off (PTO) for vacation, and company paid holidays. A full listing of available benefits can be viewed at https://www.careers.peraton.com/benefits.

Application Statements

The application period for the job is estimated to be 30 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates. By applying to this job, you are expressing interest in the role and the Company. During the review of your application, you may be required to participate in an on-camera interview, as well as participate in a process to verify your identity. Use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools of any kind during Peraton interviews is strictly prohibited unless the candidate has obtained prior written authorization. All interview responses must be the candidate’s own.

EEO

EEO: Equal opportunity employer, including disability and protected veterans, or other characteristics protected by law.