Systems Administrator
Job description
About the role
The team protects these principles by maintaining secure, available infrastructure in the Washington, D.C.
Every role in this field shares a few habits: clear communication, structured thinking, and steady follow through. Teams hold regular meetings, review progress, and adjust plans. Success usually depends on how well you work with others, not just how hard you try. Successful professionals in any field share a few habits: they take notes, keep commitments, and communicate in writing. Teams value people who make their work easy to review and build on.
Key facts
What you'll do
Proactive monitoring, troubleshooting, and optimization of system performance with the team guarantees high availability and reliability for services.
Management of backup systems, regular recovery testing, and development and testing of disaster recovery plans safeguard business continuity during system failures or disasters.
Cooperation with the security team enforces systems that meet industry standards and compliance while protecting sensitive data and infrastructure from threats.
Preparation of reports on system performance, capacity, and health keeps management and stakeholders informed about infrastructure status.
Administration and optimization of Windows domain infrastructure, including Active Directory, Group Policy, user and group management, and security policies sustains stability and security.
Implementation and maintenance of cloud services, with a focus on Microsoft Azure, delivers modern platform capabilities.
Requirements
A Bachelor's degree in computer science, information technology, or a related field or equivalent experience is mandatory.
At least 3 years of systems administration or IT infrastructure experience is required.
Candidates must bring 2+ years of Tier I/II support experience in an office environment.
Strong knowledge of systems architecture, server networking principles, and virtualization in Microsoft and open-source environments is necessary.
In-depth expertise in Windows domain infrastructure, especially Active Directory, Group Policy, and DNS, including installation, configuration, tuning, and troubleshooting, is required.
Experience with cloud platforms, especially Microsoft Azure including Azure Active Directory, is required.
Hands-on familiarity with virtualization technologies such as VMware, Hyper-V, and KVM is required.
Familiarity with open-source server, directory, and storage systems is required.
Experience managing Apache Open Stack, Open Stack, and Kubernetes is required.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills enable diagnosis and resolution of complex system administration issues.
Solid project management skills are necessary.
Nice to have
Relevant certifications, such as Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer, are a plus.
Practical notes
office and includes tier I/II service desk responsibilities. The role operates under defined SLAs and expects clear communication during incident resolution. Typical interview steps
Hiring processes usually combine a screening conversation with one or more interview rounds. Candidates can expect questions about their experience, a scenario or case, and a chance to ask their own questions. Preparation and specific examples from past work carry the most weight. Whatever the role, preparation is visible. Reviewing the company's product, the job description, and your own past work before the conversation is the strongest step.
Career growth
Careers in this field grow through a mix of experience, responsibility, and demonstrated results. Early years build skills; later years build ownership. Many professionals switch focus areas or companies to keep growing. Growth in any career comes from scope, results, and reputation. Take on work that is slightly uncomfortable, and make sure others can see the outcomes.
Questions to ask
Worth asking in any interview: how the team measures success, who the role works with daily, what the onboarding looks like, and what the company is trying to achieve this year. Asking what past hires did well is a strong final question. Keep the list short and pick the questions that matter most to you.