LEAD IT SPECIALIST - SR. IT SPECIALIST - Linux System Administrator - Boulder, Colorado

$84,344 - $161,699/Yr

Southwest Research Institute - Boulder, CO

Full-time - Mid Level

Boulder, CO

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

About the position

The Linux IT Systems Administrator will be part of the Space Mission Directorate, focusing on maintaining and developing Linux infrastructure to support 24/7 operations for NASA spacecraft missions. This role requires a strong background in Linux systems, networking, and server management, particularly in a regulated environment. The administrator will work collaboratively with teams to enhance system stability, security, and efficiency while ensuring compliance with audit requirements.

Responsibilities

• Maintain and develop Linux infrastructure to support 24x7x365 uptime service for NASA spacecraft missions.
• Engineer systems administration-related solutions for operational needs.
• Maintain best practices on managing systems and services across all environments.
• Conduct continuous fault finding and analysis of logging information for audit reporting.
• Proactively monitor 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 improving stability, security, efficiency, and scalability of the computing environment.
• Collaborate with teams 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 participate in audits.
• Utilize ticketing system to log system administration actions and collaborate with IT staff.

Requirements

• High school diploma or equivalent or a Bachelor's degree in Information Technology or a directly related field.
• 6 years of experience as a Linux administrator for those with a Bachelor's degree; expert level knowledge of enterprise Linux services and protocols.
• 10 years of professional level experience as a Linux administrator for those with a high school diploma.
• Strong analytic and problem-solving skills, accuracy, and attention to detail.
• Proven ability to diagnose issues effectively and implement solutions in real-time.
• Ability to deliver auditable technical documentation on schedule.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to achieve desired outcomes positively.
• Solid delivery track record under both long-term projects and short-term deadlines.
• Strong problem-solving and written and verbal communication skills.

Nice-to-haves

• Additional Linux certifications (e.g., RHCE) considered an advantage.
• Experience with SQL database servers and virtualization environments.
• Proficiency in Python or Perl and shell scripting.
• Experience with managing containerized networking through Ansible.

Benefits

• Competitive salary range of $84,344.00 - $161,699.00.
• Diversity and inclusion commitment in the workplace.