Senior Systems Administrator

Why This Role Matters

At Bluestaq, mission success depends on systems that are secure, reliable, and always ready. As a Senior Systems Administrator, you'll keep critical infrastructure running - maintaining, monitoring, and troubleshooting the applications and systems our teams and customers depend on around the clock. Your work directly strengthens the technical backbone behind Bluestaq's most important missions.

What You'll Own

• Maintain and support the integrity of system networks through technical support and configuration management
• Perform daily maintenance, monitoring, and troubleshooting of applications, networking problems, and systems issues across both cloud-hosted and on-premises platforms
• Serve as a primary escalation point (Tier 2/3) for infrastructure incidents, outages, and performance degradation
• Administer Active Directory including GPO, role-based access controls, and user/group policy management
• Support cloud identity and access management (IAM) tools and practices
• Build and maintain automation workflows using Ansible, Terraform, Docker, and Kubernetes to reduce manual effort and improve reliability
• Perform software and system installations, upgrades, routine automation, and cybersecurity risk mitigation tasks
• Provide responsive, solutions-oriented support to system users, ensuring reliable access to tools and systems
• Maintain accurate, thorough documentation in Confluence - system configurations, change records, runbooks, and SOPs
• Track and manage work through Jira, communicating scope and status effectively to the team and stakeholders
• Coordinate with security and compliance teams to ensure systems meet DoD standards and hardening requirements
• Support 24/7 operations including shift work and on-call rotations as mission requires
• Contribute to team knowledge sharing and support the mentorship of junior administrators (L1/L2)
• Proactively identify issues, anticipate roadblocks, and escalate appropriately when needed
• Take responsibility for personal development and demonstrate a growth mindset
• You use modern AI tools with judgment: integrating them into workflows where they're impactful, reviewing their outputs, and handling proprietary or sensitive data responsibly

Must-Have

• Willing to support 24/7 operations and shift work.
• Active DoD Secret or Top Secret security clearance
• Proficient understanding of Linux systems administration in production environments
• Hands-on Active Directory administration experience
• Experience with cloud identity and access management (IAM) tools
• Working knowledge of system vulnerabilities and security issues
• Solid networking fundamentals - DNS, DHCP, VLANs, firewalls, and routing
• Working experience with automation and infrastructure-as-code tools (Ansible, Terraform, Kubernetes, Docker, or Packer)
• Experience with cloud computing concepts and the AWS component stack
• Strong troubleshooting and debugging skills - curious and investigative approach to problem-solving
• Hands-on experience with Atlassian tools - Confluence and Jira
• Experience with help desk/ITSM systems and ticketing workflows
• Strong collaboration skills - comfortable working across multiple teams and sharing knowledge
• Strong written and verbal communication skills - comfortable working directly with customers, end users, and engineering teams
• Active CompTIA Security+ certification (DoD Directive 8140/8570.01-M)
• Ownership mindset - you follow through, document your work, and find the right balance between persevering and asking for help

Bonus

• CISSP or CEH certification
• Advanced Ansible, Terraform, or Kubernetes usage in classified or production environments
• Linux certifications (RHCSA, RHCE, LPIC, or equivalent)
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines or DevSecOps practices

Additional information

Required Education: 2+ years of systems administration/information technology experience with a Bachelor's degree OR an Associate degree with 2 additional years of experience beyond the minimum required OR a High School Diploma/GED with 4 additional years of experience beyond the minimum required may be substituted in lieu of a degree.

Clearance Requirement

• This position may require an active TS/SCI Clearance.
• Current clearance holders are strongly encouraged to apply.
• If you don't currently hold one, Bluestaq will sponsor eligible candidates through the clearance process based on program needs.

Relocation: Relocation assistance is available for full-time positions.

What We Offer

For full-time positions

• 100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision for you and your dependents
• Up to 6% match to 401(k) contributions with additional discretionary 4% profit share on day one. Roth options available; no vesting period.
• Every role is eligible for an annual performance bonus
• $200,000 employer-paid life insurance, plus short- and long-term disability coverage
• $5,000 annual professional development budget per employee
• 20 days PTO, plus 8 paid holidays
• Pet insurance, onsite gym, and flexible schedule

Applications will be accepted for 60 days beyond the posting date, or until the position is filled, whichever comes first.