OverviewBigBear.ai is seeking a Senior Systems Administrator to join a mission-focused engineering team supporting the sustainment, reliability, and security of two critical operating environments. This is a full-time, onsite role based in Washington, D.C., ideal for a hands-on technical leader with proven experience managing a team in a high-availability environment. You will combine deep Linux systems administration expertise with day-to-day people leadership-driving priorities, ensuring consistent execution, and developing administrators while keeping systems stable, secure, and mission-ready.
What you will do- Administer and sustain Linux-based operating environments supporting critical applications and services
- Manage a team of systems administrators, including work planning, task assignment, prioritization, and quality control of deliverables
- Provide coaching, mentoring, and technical guidance; support onboarding, skills development, and knowledge transfer across the team
- Support people-management responsibilities such as performance feedback, goal setting, and contributing to staffing needs (interviews, hiring recommendations) as applicable
- Plan and lead major technical activities (upgrades, patching, hardening, automation, performance tuning) and drive work through completion
- Coordinate incident response, lead troubleshooting bridges as needed, and drive root-cause analysis and corrective actions to reduce repeat issues
- Monitor system health, analyze trends, and troubleshoot complex issues across OS, web/application tiers, and databases
- Implement and maintain security controls and configuration baselines (including FIPS mode, SELinux, firewall configurations, and access controls)
- Support web/application infrastructure components such as Apache HTTPD and Apache Tomcat and troubleshoot service-level issues
- Manage change execution by ensuring readiness (communications, approvals, rollback planning, validation, and post-change documentation)
- Improve operational maturity through runbooks/SOPs, standardization, and automation to reduce operational toil and increase reliability
- Serve as a technical expert across multiple assignments; ensure the team meets operational commitments and timelines
What you need to haveClearance: Active TS/SCI and CI Poly eligible (must be able to obtain/maintain) - Education / Experience:
- Minimum 10 years of systems administration experience, with at least a portion of that experience in the last 2 years, and
- Master's degree in a systems administration-related field OR a Bachelor's degree in a related field plus 2 additional years of senior experience (for a total of 10 years) in lieu of a Master's degree
- People Management Experience:
- Demonstrated experience managing a team (e.g., assigning work, setting priorities, coaching, accountability for outcomes) in an operations/sustainment environment
- Experience providing performance input/feedback and driving team execution through competing priorities
- Operating Systems / Platforms:
- Experience administering Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7/8/9
- Working knowledge of FIPS mode, SELinux, firewalld, fapolicyd, and core Linux administration
- Certifications / Privileged Access:
- Ability to obtain a Privileged User Access (PUA) account
- CompTIA Security+ or equivalent certification (required for privileged access eligibility)
- Demonstrated proficiency administering Linux-based systems
- Web / Application Infrastructure: Familiarity supporting Apache HTTPD and Apache Tomcat
- Databases: Working knowledge of PostgreSQL, MongoDB, and OracleDB
- Principal technologies (environment-facing): Exposure to ecosystems that may include Java, JCE, Java Web Services, Hibernate, Spring, JavaScript, Apache Ant, and Apache Solr
What we'd like you to have- Prior experience as a people manager for system administration, platform operations, or infrastructure teams (including hiring support, onboarding, and talent development)
- Experience creating and managing on-call/coverage schedules and operational handoffs (as applicable)
- Experience tracking and reporting team operational metrics (incident trends, backlog, system availability, risks/mitigations)
- Proficient experience with cloud computing environments and operational best practices
- Strong Linux administration depth (automation, hardening, troubleshooting at scale)
- Proficient digital security experience (system hardening, compliance, access controls, audit readiness)
- Working knowledge of SQL and strong Bash scripting/automation skills
- Ability to debug Java web applications in partnership with development teams (logs, configs, runtime behavior, dependencies)
About BigBear.aiBigBear.ai is a leading provider of AI-powered decision intelligence solutions for national security, supply chain management, and digital identity. Customers and partners rely on Bigbear.ai's predictive analytics capabilities in highly complex, distributed, mission-based operating environments. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, BigBear.ai is a public company traded on the NYSE under the symbol BBAI. For more information, visit and follow BigBear.ai on LinkedIn: @BigBear.ai and X: @BigBearai.
BigBear.ai is an Equal opportunity employer all protected groups, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.
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