System Administrator Expeditionary Systems (OpAI)

About the role

Pmat is currently seeking a dedicated System Administrator to join the Expeditionary Systems team within the OpAI organization. This role focuses on maintaining and operating the computing infrastructure that underpins expeditionary operational AI capabilities across all deployed environments. The administrator will be responsible for ensuring system reliability, performance, and availability across all expeditionary systems environments. The position is a full-time role based in San Diego, California, where the incumbent will collaborate with engineering and operations teams to support mission-critical AI systems deployed in field conditions.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Manage and maintain servers, workstations, and networking equipment that support expeditionary AI system operations on a daily operational basis.
• Monitor system health, performance metrics, and uptime across all expeditionary infrastructure components to ensure continuous operational readiness at all times.
• Perform routine maintenance tasks including patching, updating, and hardening operating systems and supporting software packages on a regular schedule.
• Troubleshoot hardware and software failures promptly and coordinate resolution efforts with engineering teams to minimize any system downtime.
• Configure and administer user accounts, access controls, and authentication systems for all OpAI staff members and relevant stakeholders.
• Maintain comprehensive documentation of system configurations, network topology, and standard operational procedures for reference and audit purposes.
• Support the deployment and provisioning of new expeditionary system hardware and software as operational needs continue to evolve.
• Collaborate closely with developers to debug and resolve environment-specific issues that affect AI workload performance and overall stability.
• Implement and enforce security policies, backup procedures, and disaster recovery protocols across all expeditionary infrastructure assets and resources.
• Participate in on-call rotations to provide off-hours emergency support for expeditionary operations and any system incidents that arise.
• Conduct capacity planning and resource allocation activities to meet growing operational demands and anticipated projected system requirements.
• Assist with migration and integration projects as expeditionary systems are upgraded, replaced, or reconfigured to meet evolving operational needs over time.

Requirements

• Demonstrated experience in a system administration role supporting complex, multi-node computing environments in a professional setting.
• Strong working knowledge of Linux or Unix operating systems including installation, configuration, and ongoing system management duties.
• Solid familiarity with networking fundamentals including TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, routing protocols, and firewall configuration and troubleshooting.
• Proven ability to diagnose and resolve hardware and software issues in a timely and methodical manner under pressure.
• Hands-on experience managing user access, permissions, groups, and security policies within a multi-user computing environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills are needed for documenting procedures, writing runbooks, and coordinating with cross-functional teams.
• Willingness to participate in on-call duties and support expeditionary operational schedules including nights and weekends when needed.
• Strong attention to detail and a methodical, disciplined approach to system configuration, change management, and version control.

Nice to have

• Prior experience with containerization technologies such as Docker or comparable platforms for managing application deployments efficiently.
• Familiarity with major cloud infrastructure providers and their respective administrative consoles and service offerings.
• Background in supporting artificial intelligence or machine learning workloads and understanding their unique infrastructure requirements.
• Working knowledge of configuration management and infrastructure-as-code tools for automating repetitive system administration tasks efficiently.

Skills & tools

• Proficient operating system administration for Linux and Unix-based server environments including package management and service control.
• Network configuration and troubleshooting using standard protocols and diagnostic utilities for connectivity and performance validation.
• Scripting and automation skills for streamlining repetitive administrative tasks and improving overall system management efficiency.
• Physical server hardware management including rack mounting, cabling, component identification, and hands-on component replacement procedures.
• Hands-on experience with backup and recovery tooling for data protection, restoration testing, and business continuity planning.
• Familiarity with security tooling for access control management, vulnerability scanning, log analysis, and compliance monitoring activities.

Practical notes

• This position is based in San Diego, California, and requires regular on-site presence at the Pmat office location during standard business hours.
• Full-time employment with standard business hours, supplemented by on-call availability for expeditionary system support and incident response.
• The role reports directly to the OpAI operations leadership within the Expeditionary Systems division at Pmat.
• Candidates should expect to work in a fast-paced environment with shifting operational priorities and occasional weekend coverage for critical systems.