Systems Administrator

Systems Administrator

Clearance : None

At Aquila Technology, you will see our team’s passion every day, whether we are building a robust, policy-compliant IT system or stress-testing a system to identify gaps and security vulnerabilities.

To own the advantage, we ensure our team owns results and gets the work done right the first time by deploying smart, purposeful solutions that work.

Aquila is the right people with the right skills driving the right outcomes. We call this the Aquila Advantage.

About the Role :

Aquila is seeking a Systems Administrator to join our team in supporting one of the country’s premier defense research organizations.

The System Administrator will help oversee all aspects of the system lifecycle including new system image creation and delivery, systems management including OS patching, third party application patching, security and systems agent management, and advanced troubleshooting.

There are a few requirements for the position :

• Must be a U.S Citizen (Green Cards / Visas do not qualify)
• Willingness to undergo a comprehensive background investigation and maintain a personal security clearance. (Aquila would sponsor you for the security clearance.)
• Must be within commutable distance of Lexington, Massachusetts.

What You'll Do :

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.

Responsibilities :

• Build, test, and deploy software update packages to the organization's Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh enterprise platform
• Apply customizations to deployed applications to enable settings for it to comply with organization's security stance
• Ensure solutions meet organization's security and compliance requirements requiring knowledge / experience with security standards including NIST-800-171
• Outstanding communication skills including written, verbal with focus on ability to synthesize technical content for delivery to non-technical staff / executives
• Perform troubleshooting of application install / update issues
• Demonstrate fundamentals of emotional intelligence including empathy, active listening, accountability and building professional networks across different functional teams
• Create system administration efficiencies including automating / scripting tasks, vulnerability and patch management as appropriate
• Create metrics on package creation, distribution as necessary
• Participate in system administration where applicable and provide tier 3 support for incident and solution management
• Embrace creative thinking and technical change as part of researching planned changes to organization's identity environment and work to introduce new updates and features while maintaining the organization's security best practices and data protections
• An ability to work autonomously with appropriate guidance and report on progress at regular intervals
• Critical thinking and analytical approach towards problem solving and ability to triage issues to ensure a timely return-to-service for customers
• Understanding of project management fundamentals and experience working as part of a team within projects

What You'll Bring :

• Strong knowledge of Windows Desktop (11)
• Experience with security compliance and best practices especially centered around NIST 800-171 / 800-53
• Knowledge of key scripting technologies include PowerShell, Batch, and Python
• Knowledge of project management and ITSM fundamentals
• Knowledge of Apple Macintosh
• BigFix HCL
• JAMF
• MacOS
• Bash
• PowerShell
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Strong interpersonal skills, organizational and time management skills
• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or applicable field, or five years of equivalent relevant work experience

Must Have :

• Bachelor's Degree
• 5 years IT Service Management (ITSM)
• 5 years Regression Testing
• 5 years Software Deployment
• 5 years Bash
• 5 years PowerShell
• 5 years NIST 800-171
• 5 years BigFix HCL
• 5 years JAMF
• 5 years MacOS
• 5 years Windows 11

And These Skills are a Bonus :

• Linux real-time kernel support experience is a bonus
• Juniper and / or Cisco experience is a plus
• Python / PyPI experience is a plus
• Docker and / or Podman is a plus

Nice to Have :

Experience with Apple iOS platforms is a plus

Applicable Education and Professional Accreditation :

• Degree in one of the following disciplines : Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, or a related technical discipline
• Certification(s) in one or more of the following disciplines : Solaris administration, Red Hat, VMWare, Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP);

CompTIA Security+; Linux Professional Institute Certification

Any prior military experience is a plus. They will modify the years of experience or the required Bachelor's Degree if someone has the majority of the technical skills and a military background.

Our interview process is designed to let you get to know us as much as for us to get to know you!

• You’ll meet with someone from our Recruiting team so we can learn more about you and answer some of your questions.
• You’ll meet with the Hiring Manager to learn more about the team, and the role, and get to tell us more about what you’d bring to the team
• You’ll meet team members who will be your peers to help you get a feel for a real day in the life at Self.

Benefits and Perks :

Aquila team members experience the opportunity to be part of a fast-paced, customer-focused, and technically innovative work environment.

Aquila strives to deliver the best of the best in technical services to our customers. Candidates that possess a love for technical challenges, a desire to constantly learn, and the desire to establish themselves as critical players within a team will enjoy calling Aquila Technology home.

Our Perks Include :

• PTO - 15 days (vacation / sick) 10 paid holidays - 6 standard (New Year’s, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas) - 4 floating holidays prorated based on your day of hire
• 1.5 paid days, or 12 hours, for approved volunteer work
• 1 week of paid maternity / paternity LOA after 1 year of Full-time employment
• Tuition & Training Reimbursement - 5K annually for pre-approved, job-related tuition, certification, or professional conferences
• 401K with Fidelity 100% immediate vesting; Plan eligibility begins 90 days following the date of hire. Aquila matches 50 cents on the dollar, up to 6%.
• Cell Phone & Internet Reimbursed up to $150 monthly to cover cell phone, data, and home internet expenses.
• Buy Your Own Device (BYOD) Allowance Reimbursed up to $1500 for the purchase of a qualified technology device. Eligible after 90 days of employment, and benefit renews every three years.

Location : Lexington, MA

Work Schedule : This position is REMOTE. The candidate is able to work remotely from any location. They may be asked to take up to 4 trips per calendar year to Lexington if the program / project requires it.

Must be able to support an EST schedule.

Travel : None

Clearance : An interim clearance is sufficient for the start of this position.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer.