Data Center Systems Administrator

The Leidos Chief Information Office, reporting through our Digital Modernization sector is seeking a highly skilled and motivated Data Center Administrator to join our team.

Key responsibilities include the deployment, configuration, maintenance, and optimization of enterprise data center infrastructure and systems. The role ensures the data center operates efficiently, securely, and reliably while meeting organizational performance and availability requirements. The administrator works independently to achieve operational objectives and drives measurable impact across project deliverables and operational outcomes.

• Work alongside the senior data center systems engineer to design and implement secure infrastructure systems.
• Contribute to operational documentation, SOPs, and continuous process improvement initiatives.
• Assist with capacity planning, infrastructure lifecycle management, and implementation of data center best practices.
• Support ongoing modernization, scalability, and reliability initiatives within the data center environment.
• Deploy, configure, maintain, and optimize data center infrastructure, including servers, racks, cabling, and supporting hardware.
• Respond to operational incidents impacting service availability and escalates issues to senior technicians or management as required.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for internal and external stakeholders, including engineers, software developers, vendors, contractors, and support teams.
• Support data center operations to ensure high availability, operational efficiency, and compliance with organizational standards and procedures.
• Perform server rack installations, structured cabling, hardware upgrades, and break/fix activities across a variety of data center components.
• Troubleshoot and resolve hardware, system, and network-related issues within enterprise and lab environments.
• Maintain accurate asset inventory records within Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) systems for both production and laboratory environments.
• Perform shipping, receiving, inventory tracking, and Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) activities.

• The role requires developing advanced technical solutions through collaboration with experts and in-depth analysis. It demands understanding of systems architecture, integration, and engineering principles, applying them to solve complex and often unclear technical challenges within the data center environment.

• Collaborate effectively with internal teams and client project teams to ensure alignment in solution design and processes.
• Provide technical guidance and influence team approaches to system integration, requirements, and security.

• Understanding of systems engineering principles and technical domains with some systems administration duties. A broad understanding of related specialty areas such as automation, cybersecurity, and system integration is essential.
• Knowledge of network design, protocols, and OSI model layer 1/2 troubleshooting.

• Bachelor's Degree and 2-4 years of prior relevant experience. Equivalent experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
• Current DoD 8140/8570 IAT Level II certification (Security+ CE, CCNA-Security, GSEC, or SSCP).
• Experience managing complex systems throughout their lifecycle, from design to implementation and maintenance.
• Experience connecting and integrating disparate systems into a cohesive and unified infrastructure.
• Demonstrated experience leading and coordinating projects from initiation to successful completion.
• Knowledge of physical IT infrastructure (e.g., servers, SANs, networking).
• Experience managing and validating business & tech requirements, including functional and non-functional elements.
• Hands‑on experience designing and implementing secure infrastructure systems to align with organizational policies.
• Demonstrated experience working with vendors (RMA processes, support interactions).
• Hands‑on experience creating blueprints for designing and maintaining scalable, secure, and reliable systems.
• Experience incorporating enterprise security measures and managing security risks.
• Experience identifying risks and implementing measures to protect sensitive systems and data.

• Certifications such as CCNA, VMware, AWS Certified Solutions Architect, or related.
• Experience with DCIM tools.
• Experience implementing automated solutions to maximize efficiency.
• Expertise in designing and managing hybrid environments (data centers combined with cloud solutions such as AWS, Azure).
• Experience with multiple server operating systems (Windows, Red Hat, Ubuntu).
• Experience with automation tools and scripting languages (Power Shell, Python, Bash). Red Hat Ansible Automation platform.
• Strong knowledge and skills with enterprise virtualization technologies (VMware, Red Hat Open Shift).
• Strong commitment to cyber defense mechanisms and proactive threat detection.
• Experience working in an AGILE environment.
• Data Center…