IT System Administrator – NASA Support at Pearl River Technologies

Job Title:  IT System Administrator – NASA Support 

 Job Location: Greenbelt, MD (Hybrid) 

 Description  

The IT System Administrator is responsible to help employ standards, methodologies, and technical solutions for a team maintaining Windows, Linux, VMware, on-prem and AWS cloud environments, networking, and a strong security posture.  

This position supports a group of flight dynamics engineers in the GSFC Flight Dynamics Facility (FDF). The FDF is a NASA Mission Essential Infrastructure facility that provides multi-mission navigation services for a wide range of robotic and human space flight spacecraft missions.  

Responsibilities  

• Provide technical knowledge and analysis of specialized tools and technologies. 

• Provide high-level functional systems analysis, design, integration, documentation, and implementation guidance. 

• Ensure system availability, reliability, and performance. 

• Assess the current infrastructure state, identify areas of improvement, and make recommendations regarding technology, processes, and documentation. 

• Support VMware to include Cloud Foundations 

• Directly support all system administration activities.  

• Support evaluation of system subscriptions and licenses and work with Procurement Analyst to get quotes for submitting renewals. 

• Maintaining, building, upgrading the organizations VMware infrastructure.  

• Participate in training other personnel on how to use, manage, and troubleshoot the VMware environment. 

• Design, implement, and maintain a Hybrid VMware/AWS solution. 

• Sharing in an onsite support role as Goddard Space Flight Center supporting critical mission activities including launch, docking, and landing for crewed and uncrewed missions. 

• Support Microsoft Windows Active Directory and server environment. 

Required Skills 

• Must have a strong understanding of computer hardware, operating systems (e.g., Windows, Linux), networking protocols, and server administration. Ability in scripting languages (e.g., PowerShell, Bash) is also beneficial. 

• Must be able to diagnose and resolve hardware and software issues efficiently.  

• Must be able to troubleshoot network connectivity problems, system errors, and performance bottlenecks. 

• Must be able to configure and manage network devices such as routers, switches, firewalls, and load balancers. 

• Must be able to establish and maintain backup strategies to ensure data integrity and develop disaster recovery plans to minimize downtime during system failures. 

• Must be able to monitor system performance, analyze system logs, and proactively optimize system resources (e.g., CPU, memory, storage) to ensure optimal performance and availability. 

• Must be able to maintain accurate and up-to-date documentation of system configurations, procedures, and troubleshooting steps.  

• Must be able to communicate effectively with team members, end-users, and other stakeholders. 

• Must be able to automate routine tasks using scripting languages and configuration management tools to streamline administrative processes and improve efficiency.  

• Must be able to provide effective support and guidance to end-users, resolving technical issues and ensuring user satisfaction. 

• On occasion may be required to be available to provide mission support, such as for launches, which at times may include after hours, overnight, or weekends. 

 Desired Skills 

• One or more of the following certifications: CompTIA A+, CompTIA Server+, GCWN, RHCSA, CISA, or VCP-DCV, VCAP Deploy, VCAP Design, VCDX, or any certification demonstrating advance knowledge in system administration or VMware. 

• One or more of the following AWS certifications: Solution Architect Professional, DevOps Engineer Professional, or Advanced Networking Specialty. 

• Experience working at a NASA facility. 

• Have the ability to execute Infrastructure-as-Code, using tools such as Ansible, Terraform, Chef, or Puppet, to automate and manage infrastructure deployments in the cloud and on-prem. 

• 1+ years of experience with VMware vSphere 8 in a production environment. 

• 1+ years of experience with VMware Cloud Foundations (SDDC Manager, NSX, Tanzu, Aria) in a production environment. 

• Experience working with vSAN in a production environment. 

• 3+ years of experience with VMware vSphere 7 or greater. 

• 1+ years of experience with AWS. 

 Required Experience 

• 1 - 3+ years professional experience.  

• 1 - 3+ years of System Administration experience. 

 Required Degree 

Bachelor’s degree in IT, Computer Science or related discipline, or equivalent work experience.