LEAD IT SPECIALIST - SR. IT SPECIALIST - Linux System Administrator - Boulder, Colorado at Southwest Research Institute

Who We Are:

Our team, the Space Mission Directorate within Division 19, is looking for Linux IT Systems Administrator with an enthusiasm for spacecraft operations.

Objectives of this Role:

• Formal knowledge of Linux required, with RedHat Enterprise Linux/CentOS specific experience a plus.
• Experience with servers and networking. Experience with Apache HTTP, LVM, clustered filesystems, DRBD, high availability computing.
• Network and server management in a US Government regulated environment (e.g. NIST SP 800-171 or NIST 800-53).
• Hands on experience with SQL database servers and virtualization environments. Additional Linux certifications (e.g. RHCE) will be considered an advantage.
• Solid knowledge of enterprise Linux services and protocols such as NFS, CIFS, NTP, HTTP, LDAP, and SMTP. Proficiency in Python or Perl and shell scripting.
• Experience with managing containerized networking (TCP/IP, DHCP, DNS, firewalls) through Ansible.

Daily and Monthly Responsibilities:

• Be part of an on-site team that proactively maintains and develops Linux infrastructure to support a 24x7x365 uptime service that includes research scientists and science and mission operations for various NASA spacecraft missions.
• Engineering of systems administration-related solutions for operational needs.
• Maintain best practices on managing systems and services across all environments.
• Continuous fault finding and analysis of logging information for reporting for audit requirements.
• Proactively monitoring system performance and capacity. Manage, coordinate, and implement software upgrades, patches, and hot fixes on servers in production and dev/test environments.
• Create and modify Ansible and shell scripts to perform tasks.
• Provide input on ways to improve the stability, security, efficiency, and scalability of the computing environment.
• Collaborate with other teams and team members to develop automation strategies and deployment processes.
• Troubleshoot issues for local and remote users.
• Maintain/patch systems and resolve security issues within a federal research environment.
• Support and actively participate in audits. Utilize ticketing system to log system administration actions and collaborate with other IT staff in resolving issues.

Requirements:

• Requires a high school diploma or equivalent or a Bachelors degree in Information Technology or directly related degree field.
• 6 years: Those with a Bachelors degree in an IT related field require experience as a Linux administrator; Expert level knowledge of enterprise Linux services and protocols related to user access rights, high-availability storage networks, virtualization and system automation through Ansible.
• 10 years: Those with a HS diploma require professional level experience as a Linux administrator. Knowledge of enterprise Linux services and protocols related to user access rights, high-availability storage networks, virtualization and system automation through Ansible.
• Strong analytic and problem-solving skills, as well as accuracy and attention to detail. Proven ability to diagnose an issue effectively (via monitoring tools and logs) and implement a solution in real-time. Ability to deliver auditable technical documentation on schedule.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to achieve the desired outcome in a positive and constructive manner. Solid delivery track record, both long-term projects and under short-term deadline pressure. Strong problem solving and written and verbal communication skills.