Linux System Administrator

Job Title: Linux System Administrator
Location: Richmond, VA
Work Model: Hybrid (4 days onsite/week; 40 business hours/week)
Travel Requirement: None

The Government Client is hiring a Linux System Administrator to enhance, configure, deploy, and maintain system activities in support of a complex IT environment.

• Administer and monitor Linux systems, Open Shift container platform, and other IT infrastructure.
• Install, configure, and maintain Linux operating systems, middleware, application software, and system management tools.
• Develop and maintain Ansible playbooks, including inventory management, roles, and group configurations.
• Proactively ensure maximum system uptime, reliability, and availability.
• Monitor system and application performance, identify bottlenecks, and collaborate with development teams to implement fixes.
• Maintain and enforce security standards, access controls, backup routines, and disaster recovery strategies.
• Automate routine or complex tasks to improve efficiency and reduce manual intervention.
• Coordinate with vendors and IT staff to troubleshoot and resolve infrastructure issues.
• Respond to and resolve day-to-day tickets and service requests from development and other IT teams.
• Support deployments, configurations, and patching activities as needed.
• Document troubleshooting steps, solutions, and known issues to support knowledge sharing.
• Participate in after-hours support as needed.

• 8+ years of hands‑on experience in Linux administration.
• 2+ years working with and administering Open Shift platforms.
• A bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.
• Extensive experience installing, configuring and managing Linux servers including SLES, RHEL, and other distributions.
• Experience in Open Shift administration (use of Open Shift CLI), including understanding of architecture, containerization, and Git Ops using ArgoCD.
• Ability to create and maintain CI/CD pipelines in Open Shift, streamlining maintenance and deployment processes.
• Proven working experience in troubleshooting Linux‑based environments (analyze system logs, dumps, and other diagnostic information).
• In‑depth understanding of and experience with Ansible.
• Experience with other automation tools and scripting languages (Bash, Power Shell, Python) to manage large numbers of servers.
• Experience configuring and administering web servers (Apache HTTP, NGINX, etc.).
• Experience with monitoring systems (Nagios, Icinga, etc.).
• Deep understanding of virtualization concepts and technologies, including knowledge of virtual machine (VM) management, virtual networking, storage virtualization, and resource pooling.
• Understanding of network protocols and configurations (TCP, UDP, etc.).
• Some data center experience or willingness to learn.
• Self‑driven learner that embraces automation and new technologies as they mature.

• 12+ years of hands‑on experience in Linux administration.
• 4+ years working with and administering Open Shift platforms.
• 2+ years in data center operations.
• A master’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.
• Knowledge of how to manage container images, including building, pushing, and pulling images.
• Experience in the administration of Java J2EE application stacks (Web Sphere, Tomcat, Open Liberty, etc.).
• In‑depth knowledge of Linux file systems (NFS, ext3, Ceph, etc.).
• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server experience on IBM mainframe.
• Experience with SUSE Manager.
• Knowledgeable of Open Shift Virtualization.
• Familiar with IBM Storage Protect (Tivoli Storage Manager/TSM).
• Expertise in installing, configuring, and maintaining z/VM and z/VSE operating systems.
• Expertise in mainframe storage management (DASD, virtual tape, physical tape).