Systems Administrator

Xenith Solutions is a small family focused business where we focus on taking care of our employees and customers equally. We are focused on serving Federal / Civilian, Defense and Intelligence organizations with superior service. If you want to be a part of a rapidly growing business with an exceptional culture, then you want to be a part of the Xenith Solutions family.Xenith offers unmatched Benefits:100% of Medical, Dental, and Vision benefits paid by employerFSA or HSA availableUnlimited Paid Time Off (PTO)401(k) matching (100% up to the first 4%) with NO vesting periodTuition / Certification / Training reimbursementAccident / Disability / Universal Life InsuranceAnd much more…Job Description:Xenith Solutions is currently looking for a System Administrator with agile methodology experience to join our BEAGLE (Border Enforcement Applications for Government Leading-Edge Information Technology) Agile Solution Factory (ASF) Team supporting Customs and Border Protection (CBP) client located in Northern Virginia! Join this passionate team of industry-leading individuals supporting the best practices in Agile Software Development for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).As a member of the BEAGLE ASF Team, you will support the men and women charged with safeguarding the American people and enhancing the Nation’s safety, security, and prosperity. CBP agents and officers are on the front lines, every day, protecting our national security by combining customs, immigration, border security, and agricultural protection into one coordinated and supportive activity.ASF programs thrive in a culture of innovation and are constantly seeking individuals who can bring creative ideas to solve complex problems, both technical and procedural at the team and portfolio levels. The ability to be adaptable and to work constructively with a technically diverse and geographically separated team is crucial.What you’ll get to do:Leading technical efforts in directing and monitoring the operations of our information systems. This position is crucial for supporting the successful delivery of customer-defined systems, hardware refresh initiatives, and software projects, particularly those leveraging secure cloud technologies and designed to meet stringent government requirements; that encompass:Providing technical expertise in designing, implementing, and managing secure and compliant cloud-based solutions within a government or highly regulated environment, with a strong emphasis on AWS GovCloud or equivalent secure cloud offeringsResponsible for the support of a broad range of AWS services in a secure government context, including but not limited to:EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) within a secure VPC configurationS3 (Simple Storage Service) with appropriate encryption and access controlsVPC (Virtual Private Cloud) design and management for segmented networksRDS (Relational Database Service) with robust security configurationsIAM (Identity and Access Management) for granular privilege managementCloudWatch for monitoring and logging of security and performance eventsRoute 53 for secure DNS resolutionELB/ALB (Elastic Load Balancing/Application Load Balancing) for resilient application deliveryManage full lifecycle of system engineering, including design, build, configuration, deployment, maintenance, and decommissioning of mission-critical server infrastructure that supports critical operational functions Provide support with the administration and secure hardening of both Linux (specify distributions if relevant, e.g., RHEL, Ubuntu) and Windows Server operating systems, with a focus on implementing security controls and mitigating vulnerabilitiesSupport teams in planning and executing the migration of on-premises infrastructure to secure cloud environments, understanding the unique challenges of government data transitionsSupport teams in migrating and modernizing legacy applications and systems, particularly those supporting critical system functions, to current or cloud-based platforms. This includes understanding data integrity and operational continuity during migrationManage planning and executing SharePoint migrations, especially into secure government environments, ensuring data classification and access controls are maintainedSupport database administration for systems handling sensitive information, including installation, configuration, performance tuning, robust backup and recovery strategies, and security hardening for common database systems (e.g., SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL)Involved with teams in conducting security assessments, vulnerability analysis, threat modeling, and implementing security best practices to ensure adherence to federal cybersecurity and privacy regulationsEstablish and maintain strong, collaborative working relationships with diverse internal teams, stakeholders, other government agencies, and prime contractorsMeticulous approach to tasks, recognizing the critical nature of government systems and ensuring extreme accuracy in configuration, documentation, and problem resolution to maintain system integrity and complianceCommitment to providing exceptional service and support to government stakeholders, understanding their operational needs and the importance of reliable IT systemsClear, concise, and effective verbal communication skills, particularly when reporting technical status, risks, and solutions to a variety of technical and non-technical government personnelAbility to understand complex operational challenges, translate them into actionable technical problems, and devise and implement robust, secure, and compliant solutions that meet CBP mission requirementsServe as the primary technical point of contact and responder for a majority of system-related incidents and requests, with a focus on minimizing downtime and impact to mission-critical CBP functionsEvaluating and recommending hardware and software enhancements as needed, including managing and testing system updates and patches to maintain performance and securityTroubleshooting configuration and integration issues across development, test, and production environments, ensuring smooth transitions and minimal service disruptionCreating and maintaining a variety of scripts to automate routine tasks, improve system efficiency, and support operational needsMonitoring and optimizing system performance, identifying areas for improvement, and implementing recommended changesEnsuring backup procedures are in place, functioning correctly, and executed on a timely basis, including validating restore integrity when requiredInterfacing with vendor support service groups to ensure proper escalation during outages or periods of degraded system performance and following through to resolutionMaintaining existing systems by analyzing, designing, and implementing changes to system baselines so that updates meet customer requirements, and supporting upcoming technology refresh projectsYou have:Must be a U.S. Citizen with the ability to pass CBP background investigation, criteria will include:3 year check for felony convictions1 year check for illegal drug use1 year check for misconduct such as theft or fraudCollege degree (B.S.) in Computer Science, Information Management Systems, experience considered in lieu of degreeStrong technical background, with a minimum of five (5) solid years of experience providing system administration support for Windows and /or Linux Operating systems in cloud-based environmentsIn-depth knowledge and hands-on experience with a broad range of AWS services in a secure government context. Excellent written and verbal communication skillsHighly responsible, team-oriented individual with very strong communication skills and work ethic; self-starter and highly proactiveThorough knowledge of server and system administration principlesMust be available to work a hybrid schedule with on-site requirements in Ashburn, VAYou are good at:Familiarity with the general IT practices and terminologyExcellent written and verbal communication skillsHighly responsible, team-oriented individual with very strong work ethic; self-starterBonus would be having:Technical CertificationsExperience working with Linux and Windows operating systems in cloud-based infrastructuresStrong troubleshooting, analytical, and problem-solving skills in a high-pressure, secure environment