Systems Administrator, Lead

Systems Administration Lead

Location: Bethesda, MD (Onsite with some Hybrid flexibility)

Job Overview: The System Administration Lead requires deep technical expertise in enterprise systems, cloud environments, and storage/backup management. The Lead will design, implement, and maintain Client's complex IT infrastructure, ensuring operational reliability, security, and compliance with federal standards. The successful candidate will bring a blend of hands-on engineering experience, leadership skills, and federal IT program knowledge.

Key Responsibilities

Systems Engineering & Administration

• Analyze client's system needs and translate them into secure and scalable IT solutions.
• Install, configure, and maintain operating systems, virtualization platforms, and supporting infrastructure.
• Ensure systems (on-premises and cloud) are operating efficiently, performing necessary upgrades, patches, and repairs.
• Monitor and optimize system performance, capacity, and availability.
• Assign, update, and manage security permissions for networks and systems in compliance with federal IT security standards.
• Configure and manage virtualization environments, including RedHat, CentOS, and SPARC Solaris, as well as cloud (AWS, Azure).

Storage & Backup Operations

• Manage SAN, NAS, ISCSI, and shared storage technologies.
• Lead backup and recovery operations, ensuring compliance with NIH policies.
• Develop, test, and implement backup strategies to ensure disaster recovery and continuity of operations (COOP).

Security & Compliance

• Plan, design, and implement strategies to maintain system security across all servers, desktops, and cloud services.
• Ensure compliance with FISMA, NIST, NIH, and HHS security frameworks.
• Conduct system security audits, monitoring, and reporting to ensure Authority to Operate (ATO) requirements are maintained.

Cloud & Virtualization Support

• Support hybrid-cloud environments including AWS, Azure, IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS solutions.
• Oversee virtual servers and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) deployments.
• Develop and manage integration solutions across cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments.

Technical Leadership & Stakeholder Engagement

• Serve as the technical advisor to Client IT leadership on system administration, storage, and virtualization issues.
• Mentor and guide system administrators and engineers.
• Provide regular reports on system status, performance, risks, and recommendations.
• Work directly with government stakeholders (CO, COR, OIT) to align operations with NIH mission needs.

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience designing, developing, and integrating hardware/software systems in enterprise IT environments.
• 10+ years hands-on system administration, including SAN/NAS operations, backups, and virtualization.
• Experience scripting with PowerShell, Bash, or equivalent scripting languages.
• 5+ years supporting AWS, Azure, and other cloud environments.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field.
  
  (7 years of directly relevant experience may substitute for degree requirements.)
• Experience as a Unix Engineer with regular customer engagement to assess and fulfill needs.
• 5+ years desktop, server, network, and security support (Windows Server 2003/2008/2012, VDI environments).
• 5+ years configuration and management of shared storage (ISCSI, SAN, NAS).
• 3+ years configuration/management of WINS, DNS, DHCP, IIS, SharePoint 2010/2013, Oracle, SQL Server.
• Familiarity with switches, routers, load balancers, EqualLogic devices.
• Experience designing and maintaining backup policies and recovery procedures.
• Knowledge of performance monitoring tools and ability to provide documented recommendations.
• Strong knowledge of cloud technologies (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS).
• Certifications such as VMware, Microsoft (MCSA/MCSE), RedHat, AWS, or Azure highly desirable.
• Strong oral and written communication skills with proven ability to interact with both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Demonstrated ability in strategic thinking, multi-tasking, time management, and execution to defined schedules.

Compensation and Benefits

The projected compensation range for this position is $100,000 to $200,000 per year benchmarked in the Washington DC Metro area. The salary range provided is a good faith estimate representative of all experience levels. Salary at LCG is determined by various factors, including but not limited to role, location, the combination of education/training, knowledge, skills, competencies, certifications, and work experience.

LCG offers a competitive, comprehensive benefits package which includes health insurance options (medical, dental, vision), life and disability insurance, retirement plan contributions, as well as paid leave, federal holidays, professional development, and lifestyle benefits.

Devoted to Fair and Inclusive Practices

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law.

If you are interested in applying for employment with LCG and need special assistance or an accommodation to apply for a posted position, contact our Human Resources department by email at hr@lcginc.com.

Securing Your Data

Beware of fraudulent job offers using LCG's name. LCG will never request payment-related details or advancement of money during the application process. Legitimate communication will only come from lcginc.com or system@hirebridgemail.com emails, not free commercial services like Gmail or WhatsApp. If you receive suspicious emails asking for payment or personal information, contact us immediately at hr@lcginc.com.

If you believe you are the victim of a scam, contact your local law enforcement and report the incident to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.