Server Administrator III

The Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) provides Information Technology (IT) support to PAE FIRES which is a Continental United States (CONUS) organization. The OCIO provides centralized life cycle management, direction, guidance, and support for the acquisition, sustainment, maintainability, supportability, and implementation of the PAE, Information Mission Area (IMA). PAE FIRES is an approved Data Center providing hosting to multiple organizations throughout the US Army Acquisition community.

We are seeking an experienced Senior Systems Administrator to design, deploy, administer, secure, and maintain enterprise infrastructure and mission-critical applications across hybrid Windows, Linux, virtualization, and containerized environments.

The ideal candidate will possess advanced technical expertise in Red Hat OpenShift, Kubernetes, GitOps automation, VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF), enterprise application deployment, authentication technologies, and infrastructure lifecycle management.

This position requires a highly technical, hands-on engineer capable of independently troubleshooting complex infrastructure and application issues, implementing enterprise solutions, and collaborating with cybersecurity, networking, development, and server teams.

Primary Focus: Enterprise Applications, OpenShift, Kubernetes, GitOps, VMware, and Infrastructure Engineering

JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

OpenShift, Kubernetes, and GitOps

· Design, deploy, administer, and troubleshoot Red Hat OpenShift and Kubernetes environments.

· Implement and maintain GitOps workflows using Argo CD, Git repositories, and declarative configuration management.

· Deploy, configure, upgrade, and troubleshoot OpenShift Operators, including Operator Lifecycle Manager (OLM) and OperatorHub integrations.

· Manage containerized applications, deployments, StatefulSets, services, routes, ingress, ConfigMaps, Secrets, and persistent storage.

· Implement and maintain Helm charts, Kustomize configurations, and Kubernetes manifests.

· Troubleshoot container networking, DNS, certificates, storage, resource utilization, and application availability.

· Manage cluster upgrades, Operator compatibility, and application lifecycle processes.

· Implement role-based access control (RBAC), security contexts, and enterprise authentication integrations.

 

VMware and Enterprise Virtualization

· Administer and maintain VMware vSphere, ESXi, vCenter Server, and VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) environments.

· Perform virtual infrastructure provisioning, upgrades, patching, performance optimization, and capacity management.

· Troubleshoot complex virtualization, storage, networking, and high-availability issues.

· Support VMware vSAN, distributed networking, resource allocation, and virtual machine lifecycle management.

· Coordinate infrastructure maintenance, backup, disaster recovery, and service restoration.

· Maintain infrastructure compliance with applicable security baselines and organizational requirements.

Enterprise Application Deployment and Administration

· Design, install, configure, integrate, and maintain enterprise applications hosted on Windows, Linux, virtual machines, and container platforms.

· Administer Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS), including application pools, HTTPS bindings, certificates, and application authentication.

· Deploy and support enterprise applications such as GitLab, Jira, Confluence, and other commercial or custom software platforms.

· Configure application connectivity, reverse proxies, load balancing, DNS, TLS/SSL, and backend service integrations.

· Troubleshoot application availability, performance, connectivity, dependencies, and compatibility.

· Coordinate application upgrades, vulnerability remediation, vendor support, and release management.

· Support application database connectivity, configuration, backup, and recovery.

 

Identity, Authentication, and Access Management

· Design, implement, and troubleshoot enterprise authentication and authorization solutions.

· Configure and support SAML 2.0, OpenID Connect (OIDC), OAuth 2.0, LDAP, and Active Directory integrations.

· Integrate enterprise applications with centralized identity providers and single sign-on (SSO) platforms.

· Manage Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), X.509 certificates, certificate chains, and TLS configurations.

· Troubleshoot authentication failures, SAML assertions, identity claims, token validation, and access-control issues.

· Implement role-based access control, multifactor authentication, and least-privilege access principles.

 

Systems Administration, Security, and Patching

· Administer Windows Server and Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) environments.

· Plan, test, and execute operating system, hypervisor, application, and infrastructure patching.

· Maintain Red Hat Satellite repositories, content views, software packages, and lifecycle environments.

· Implement and maintain DISA STIGs, security baselines, and vulnerability remediation requirements.

· Investigate application and operating system vulnerabilities and coordinate corrective actions.

· Troubleshoot system services, performance issues, logs, resource utilization, and network connectivity.

· Develop and maintain technical documentation, standard operating procedures, and recovery procedures.

 

Automation and Engineering

· Develop and maintain automation using PowerShell, Bash, YAML, and infrastructure-as-code tools.

· Implement repeatable infrastructure and application deployments using GitOps and automation frameworks.

· Build monitoring, logging, and alerting capabilities to improve system availability and troubleshooting.

· Provide technical guidance, escalation support, and mentorship to junior and mid-level administrators.

QUALIFICATIONS
Required Certifications

Security+ce at start

Education, Background, and Years of Experience

• High School Diploma/GED

• 7+ years of progressive systems administration, infrastructure engineering, or platform engineering experience.

ADDITIONAL SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS
Required Skills

• Active Secret Security Clearance 

• Advanced experience administering Windows Server and Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
• Hands-on experience with Red Hat OpenShift or enterprise Kubernetes environments.
• Experience implementing GitOps deployments using Argo CD and Git.
• Experience deploying and administering Kubernetes workloads and OpenShift Operators.
• Strong VMware vSphere administration experience, including ESXi and vCenter.
• Experience with VMware Cloud Foundation or equivalent enterprise virtualization architecture.
• Experience deploying and troubleshooting enterprise applications, including IIS-hosted applications.
• Working knowledge of SAML, OIDC, OAuth, LDAP, Active Directory, PKI, and TLS.
• Experience performing enterprise patch management, vulnerability remediation, and security hardening.
• Strong troubleshooting skills across operating systems, applications, networking, storage, and authentication.
• Experience developing automation using PowerShell, Bash, or similar scripting languages.
• Ability to independently lead technical implementations and resolve complex infrastructure problems.

Preferred Skills

• Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE), Red Hat OpenShift certification, or Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA).
• VMware VCP-VCF or equivalent VMware certification.
• CompTIA Security+, CASP+/SecurityX, CISSP, or equivalent security certification.
• Experience supporting DoD enterprise infrastructure and DISA STIG compliance requirements.
• Experience with F5 BIG-IP load balancing, TLS termination, reverse proxy, and application delivery.
• Experience with GitLab, Jira, Confluence, and enterprise DevSecOps platforms.
• Familiarity with Ansible Automation Platform, Terraform, Helm, Kustomize, and CI/CD pipelines.
• Knowledge of PostgreSQL, Microsoft SQL Server, and enterprise database integration.
• Experience supporting disconnected, restricted, or highly secured environments. 

Senior-Level Expectations

• The successful candidate must demonstrate the ability to independently own complex infrastructure and application solutions throughout their lifecycle, from initial architecture and implementation through sustainment, upgrades, security compliance, and troubleshooting.
• Candidates should possess strong technical judgment, the ability to identify architectural and operational risks, and the experience necessary to serve as a senior escalation resource across multiple enterprise technology platforms.

WORKING CONDITIONS
Environmental Conditions

100% Onsite Support Required. Contractor site with 0%-10% travel possible. Possible off-hours work to support releases and outages. General office environment. Work is generally sedentary in nature but may require standing and walking for up to 10% of the time. The working environment is generally favorable. Lighting and temperature are adequate, and there are not hazardous or unpleasant conditions caused by noise, dust, etc. Work is generally performed within an office environment, with standard office equipment available.

Strength Demands

Sedentary – 10 lbs. Maximum lifting, occasional lift/carry of small articles. Some occasional walking or standing may be required. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally, and all other sedentary criteria are met.

Typical Physical Requirements

Ability to remain in a stationary position (sitting/standing) for extended periods, up to [X] hours

Ability to operate a computer and other office equipment, including frequent use of hands for typing

Ability to communicate effectively in person, by phone, and in writing

Occasionally move about the office to access files, equipment, or attend meetings

Visual acuity sufficient to read printed and electronic documents, and to view a computer screen for extended periods.