Senior Systems Administrator at Bigbear.ai

, District of Columbia, United States -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

30 Jun, 26

Salary

0.0

Posted On

01 Apr, 26

Experience

10 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Linux Systems Administration, Team Management, Incident Response, Troubleshooting, Security Controls, Apache HTTPD, Apache Tomcat, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, OracleDB, Java, Bash Scripting, Cloud Computing, System Hardening, Performance Tuning, Automation

Industry

Software Development

Description

Overview BigBear.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 have Clearance: 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.ai BigBear.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 https://bigbear.ai/ 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.

Responsibilities

Administer and sustain Linux-based operating environments while managing a team of systems administrators. Lead technical activities, coordinate incident response, and ensure systems are stable, secure, and mission-ready.