NSA Hybrid Technical Specialist

***Due to NSA requirements for this role, all candidates must be US citizen or greencard holder and located in Naperville/Chicago area.  This position may require availability outside standard business hours, including nights, weekends, and holidays, to support 24/7 operational demands as needed***

The NSA Hybrid System Administrator is responsible for the secure design, implementation, maintenance, and optimization of critical IT infrastructure supporting National Security Agency (NSA) operations. This role requires expertise in managing both traditional on-premises systems and cloud-based platforms, ensuring high availability, performance, and strict adherence to NSA policies and compliance standards.

Key Responsibilities:

• Install, configure, maintain, and troubleshoot Windows/Linux servers, monitor performance/health, and perform patching and vulnerability remediation per NSA guidelines. 

• Provide end‑user support by diagnosing issues and translating them into technical solutions. 

• Administer and optimize cloud environments (AWS/Azure/GCP), including IaaS, PaaS, serverless, networking, and access controls; maintain IaC with Terraform. 

• Manage virtualization platforms (VMware/Hyper‑V) and deploy/operate containerized applications using Docker and Kubernetes. 

• Implement security policies, manage access controls, protect data, analyze logs, and support incident response activities.

• Maintain storage systems (SAN/NAS/object) and oversee backup and disaster recovery across hybrid environments. 

• Automate tasks and system provisioning using PowerShell, Bash, Python, and configuration management tools like Ansible, Puppet, or Chef. 

• Manage monitoring tools, documentation, NSA compliance, audit activities, and cover Data Center Manager duties including vendor coordination, capacity planning, physical security, and hardware lifecycle management.

  
   

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in IT/CS or equivalent hands‑on experience. 

• Experience in system administration in hybrid on‑prem/cloud environments. 

• Strong experience with Windows Server, Linux, virtualization (VMware/Hyper‑V), and at least one major cloud platform. 

• Solid understanding of networking fundamentals (TCP/IP, DNS, routing, firewalls). 

• Proficiency in scripting (PowerShell, Bash, Python) and familiarity with security frameworks (NIST, RMF). 

• Strong problem‑solving, analytical, and communication skills.

Desired Qualifications:

• Preferred: Certifications (Security+, CCNA, AWS/Azure/Kubernetes), configuration management tools, containerization, enterprise monitoring tools, and ITIL knowledge.