Senior Cloud Systems Administrator Active Secret (TS Eligible)

At GDIT, people are our differentiator. As a Senior System Administrator supporting a federal law enforcement customer, you will be trusted to lead the design, security, and operations of complex AWS, Linux, and Windows environments that enable investigative, intelligence, and case management missions. You will work on highly visible, mission‑critical systems where reliability, security, and performance directly impact public safety. 

The Senior System Administrator ensures systems meet stringent security, availability, and compliance requirements; leads major infrastructure initiatives; and provides technical guidance to peers and stakeholders across the law enforcement mission space at DOJ Homeland Security Task Force. Due to the sensitivity of information and systems involved, this position requires an active Secret clearance and the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret clearance. 

HOW A SENIOR SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR WILL MAKE AN IMPACT 

• Architect, implement, and maintain secure, highly available AWS, Linux, and Windows Server environments supporting federal law enforcement mission systems. 

• Lead modernization and migration efforts from legacy/on‑prem platforms to AWS and updated OS architectures, ensuring data integrity, evidentiary requirements, and chain‑of‑custody are maintained. 

• Administer core enterprise services including Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS, DHCP, file/print, and Linux-based services in classified and sensitive environments. 

• Implement and maintain security controls and hardening aligned with NIST RMF, DISA STIGs, CJIS, FISMA, and agency-specific requirements; support ATO, audits, and continuous monitoring. 

• Develop and maintain automation and infrastructure‑as‑code (e.g., Terraform, CloudFormation, Ansible; Bash, PowerShell, Python) for provisioning, configuration, patching, and compliance. 

• Design and manage monitoring, logging, backup, and disaster recovery/COOP solutions (e.g., CloudWatch, CloudTrail, SIEM) to ensure high availability, resiliency, and rapid incident response. 

• Troubleshoot complex system and infrastructure issues, perform root cause analysis, and drive corrective actions for mission‑critical outages or degradations. 

• Collaborate with security, network, application, and program teams to translate law enforcement mission requirements into secure, scalable technical solutions and implementation plans. 

• Prepare and maintain technical documentation, runbooks, and audit artifacts to support security assessments, inspections, and operational readiness. 

• Serve as a senior technical escalation point and mentor for other system administrators, promoting best practices in security, automation, and reliability across the team. 

WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO SUCCEED 

Education & Experience 

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, Engineering, or related field; or equivalent combination of education and experience. 

• 6+ years of hands-on system administration experience with both Linux and Windows Server environments. 

• 3+ years architecting and managing AWS infrastructure, preferably in federal, defense, or law enforcement environments. 

Clearance 

• Active Secret clearance required. 

• Eligibility and willingness to obtain and maintain a Top Secret clearance per customer requirements. 

Required Technical Skills 

• Advanced Linux administration (RHEL including SELinux), including system hardening, services, and automation. 

• Strong, hands-on experience with AWS services such as EC2, VPC, IAM, S3, RDS, CloudWatch, security groups, NACLs, and AWS networking. 

• Proficiency in scripting (Bash, PowerShell; Python preferred) for automation, orchestration, and tooling. 

• Experience with infrastructure-as-code tools (Terraform, CloudFormation, Ansible, or similar). 

• Solid understanding of networking (TCP/IP, VPNs, firewalls, load balancers, DNS) in secure, segmented environments. 

• Experience implementing security baselines and frameworks (DISA STIGs, CIS Benchmarks, NIST controls) and working with continuous monitoring tools. 

• Familiarity with SIEM platforms and centralized logging solutions used to support investigations and incident response. 

• Knowledge of secure handling, storage, and transmission of sensitive and classified information. 

Required Soft Skills 

• Ability to work effectively with law enforcement stakeholders and leadership, translating mission needs into technical outcomes. 

• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, especially under time‑sensitive or high‑pressure circumstances. 

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including documentation and briefings for both technical and non‑technical audiences. 

• Proven ability to lead complex technical initiatives, prioritize multiple demands, and maintain focus on mission outcomes. 

• High level of integrity, professionalism, and discretion in handling sensitive and classified data. 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS 

• Certifications such as: 

• AWS Certified SysOps Administrator, Solutions Architect, or DevOps Engineer 

• RHCSA/RHCE or equivalent Linux certification 

• Microsoft certifications in Windows Server or Azure 

• Security certifications (Security+, CISSP, CISM, CASP+, or equivalent) 

• Experience with: 

• CJIS Security Policy implementation and compliance 

• Containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes, ECS/EKS) in secure environments 

• Configuration management tools (Ansible, Puppet, Chef) 

• Applying CIS Benchmarks and DISA STIGs for OS and cloud services 

• ITIL-based service management, change control, and ticketing systems in federal environments 

• Supporting systems at Secret and Top Secret levels, including segmentation and cross‑domain considerations