Senior Systems Administrator

Senior Systems Administrator

Application Deadline: 30 June 2025

Department: Systems Engineering

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Headquarters

Reporting To: Shivani Sharma

Description

Aireon deployed the world’s first global space-based air traffic surveillance system, providing real-time aircraft monitoring capabilities around the world, including over the poles, over the oceans and in remote areas.  

Aireon data enables safer, more efficient and more environmentally friendly aviation travel, resulting in significant CO2 emission reductions. More than 20 Air Navigation Service Providers representing more than 40 countries – including NAV CANADA, NATS (UK), Air Traffic and Navigation Services (South Africa), Airports Authority of India (AAI), and ASECNA (Africa) -- rely on Aireon data to navigate aircraft in their airspaces.  

We are committed to offering an employment experience and benefits package that enables you and your family to grow with us and to share in our success. 

Position Summary, Job Requirements & Responsibilities

Job Description
Operating within the Aireon Network Engineering Group, the Senior Systems Administrator is responsible for helping to set up, maintain and manage Aireon’s on-premise infrastructure as an integral part of the team implementing, and maintaining Aireon’s operational networks for distributing data to customers.  The administrator refines requirements, processes and solutions to deploy systems that meet stringent security requirements for maintaining a robust security posture from network, OS and application-level security framework. 

They install systems, configure automation to ease system administration, setup and administer centralized authentication solutions and help roll out and maintain a wide range of IP network and Server Security Controls.  The administrator works closely with Aireon’s internal and external security teams, software design, systems engineering, test, and subcontractors to validate and improve system security designs and implementations. They are a subject matter expert providing Tier III support for responding to escalated security incidents at the system administration and network layers. They determine root cause and work quickly with vendors, engineering, and subcontractors to resolve problems when they occur.  They ensure that the continuous monitoring of system resources is maintained to include patch updates and hardware/software configurations as related to maintaining a high level of operational security across the deployed architecture.

The Senior Systems Administrator also collects and evaluates performance data to identify potential systemic problems, help tune systems for better performance, and to ensure sufficient capacity to support Aireon’s operational needs.

Effective communication and adeptness at working with a variety of personalities and skillsets across multiple organizations, multiple time zones and willingness to contribute broadly in a fast-paced, start-up environment will be a key part of this role.

What You’ll Do

• Responsible for design, implementation, and maintenance of operational, test, and development systems with a goal of maintaining system operations
• Reviews and approves subcontractor hardware and software, changes, and implementations for required system or OS security updates
• Conducts or assists with both network and system level network penetration tests
• Contributes to trade studies for evaluating alternative designs based upon IT security risks
• Creates systems administration manuals and procedures for existing and new system developments.
• Manages the patching and upgrades for the current system and formulates new systems administration approaches to automate tasks and centralize management.
• Provides operational Tier II/III support for analyzing and resolving system-level security issues
• Manages backups, off-site archives, and disaster recovery system readiness
• Helps implement, administer, and maintain centralized user authentication systems
• Helps maintain deployed hardware and system configuration inventory, licenses, and asset data.
• Helps develop and refine procedures for identifying and mitigating common system issues
• Supports system-level testing for resilience, redundancy, and performance 
• SysAdmin-Security Tasks
  • Responsible for hands-on installation, administration and patching of Linux (RHEL/CentOS/Ubuntu) and Windows operating systems
  • Works with user level applications to help instigate and manage change requests and incidents related to security or authentication issues
  • Uses tools like Ansible, Puppet, etc. to implement automation of sysadmin tasks
  • Conducts or assists with both network and system level network penetration tests
  • Represents Aireon with external vendors for responding to system monitoring for security incidents

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

Required Qualifications 

• Demonstrated hands-on experience installing, configuring and administering Linux and Windows systems
• Understanding of Internet protocols, OS security controls, and OS network configuration
• Experience collecting and evaluating OS performance data and identifying security level gaps and improvements
• Experience with network monitoring and configuration capture tools
• Experience administering centralized authentication services like AD or LDAP
• Experience with virtualization and containers is a plus
• Experience working in a configuration-managed operational environment with rigorous security controls is advantageous
• Experience with documenting system administration manuals, processes and procedures.
• Familiarity with ticketing systems, issue tracking, and collaboration tools
• Ability to handle multiple simultaneous assignments
• Ability to quickly learn and embrace Aireon’s Security and Safety culture
• Ability to work as part of a team comprised of internal and external resources located in multiple geo-graphic locations and time-zones
• Flexibility to take on additional roles related to technical system development, testing, and operations to help where needed
• Proactive communicator with strong written and verbal skills 
• General knowledge or experience with IP network operations to include network switching/routing (OSI Layer 2/3)
• General knowledge or experience with Cisco IOS and/or Juniper OS
• US Citizen or U.S. permanent resident

Desired Qualifications

• 2+ years of engineering or computer science degree
• 5+ years of professional sysadmin and/or IT engineering experience
• Desired certifications
  • Red Hat Certified System Administrator 
  • Red Hat Certified Engineer
  • Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate
  • CompTIA Server+
• Ability to obtain Public Trust clearance

About You

You are a self-starter. Sitting and waiting isn’t an option. You take the initiative to make things happen.

You are comfortable in multi-tasking.  Managing and juggling priorities across tasks seems to come naturally in your everyday workload.  You have a sense on how to balance priorities and communicate clearly when overloaded for assistance/help.

You love solving problems. You enjoy digging into problems and finding the most efficient ways to solve them.  You have a passion for understanding issues and tackling them in a logical fashion.

You are collaborative. You're a team player who puts the interest of the team above your own. You display a positive attitude, are open and enjoy contributing.

Technology is your passion. It doesn’t just provide a paycheck, you are genuinely interested in what you do and the impact that it has on others.

1-3-6-12 Month Plan
In the first month, we’ll expect you to…

• Get onboarded and train with your manager 
• Get acclimated into the role
• Understand the tools and different stakeholders
• Get to know our current system’s performance of our IT and Security Function. As well as, policies, and procedures in place

In 3 months, we’ll expect you to…

• Prioritize the next three to six months of organizational improvements
• Begin to document a strategic IT focused SysAdmin plan for a new system (Aireon 3.0) that prioritizes key initiatives for the next quarter
• Gather reporting from 3rd party vendors and advise and communicate findings to leadership
• Deliver actions to focus on improving the security standing in the organization.

At 6 months, we will expect you to…

• Start providing evidence of impact on installed systems
• Define a portfolio of operational metrics for both on-prem and cloud-based IT services
• Work closely with the Aireon Network and Security Team, develop an automated reporting process so that the team is aligned with expectations
• Lead the deployment of IT assets across multiple datacenters and address challenges as they emerge

At 12 months, we’ll expect you to…

• Set up a centralized management platform for the control and monitoring of IT assets across multiple datacenters
• Start to represent Aireon in matters relating to Information and Cyber Security with external partners and vendors
• Challenge existing practices and controls to drive the continual improvement of information, security, safety, and reliability across the organization

About the Team
The Aireon Network Engineering team is a small team that collaborates closely across both operational and internal test tasks.  The team also works closely with other teams and groups within Aireon to include Implementation and Test Engineering, Systems Engineering and Sales/Marketing and Operational groups.  Each member of the Network Engineering team draws upon the strengths and skills across the group in both their individual as well as larger projects.  Information sharing is encouraged as well as updating and maintaining shared document repositories in SharePoint and Confluence.  The team currently meets on both weekly and bi-weekly basis via MS Teams and video calls, with in office or lab sessions scheduled as required.  All the team members are currently locally located within the DC-MD-VA metro area and are available for on-site meetings activities associated with the Aireon Network Engineering group

Benefits

Perks and Benefits
• Premium medical, dental and vision plan
• Life Insurance and AD&D
• Short Term and Long Term Disability 
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• Retirement 401K plan with Employer Matching
• Education Assistance and Tuition Reimbursement
• Paid Time Off, Sick Leave, Floating Holidays
• Paid Parental Leave
• Company Sponsored Events
• Employee Referral Program

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