Linux Engineer

Location: Bethesda, Maryland, United States

Department: Information Technology

Workplace: on_site

Employment Type: full

Description

Seeking a Linux Systems Administrator to provide day-to-day operations, deployment support, and system maintenance for enterprise Linux systems within Department of Defense (DoD) secure programs. This role focuses on maintaining system availability, implementing DISA STIG compliance, executing routine patching, supporting virtualized infrastructure, and writing baseline automation scripts across classified and air-gapped environments.

Key Responsibilities

• System Administration: Install, configure, and maintain Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL 8/9) and Rocky Linux servers across physical and virtual environments.
• Security & STIG Compliance: Apply DISA Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs) to Linux endpoints and assist with vulnerability remediation based on ACAS/Nessus scan reports.
• Patching & Maintenance: Execute scheduled software updates, errata, and IAVA patches across air-gapped enclaves using tools like Red Hat Satellite.
• Scripting & Automation: Utilize existing Ansible playbooks and write basic Bash or Python scripts to automate repetitive administrative and user-management tasks.
• Virtualization Support: Assist in deploying, provisioning, and monitoring virtual machines within VMware vSphere or KVM environments.
• Core Services & Access: Manage user accounts, directory bindings (SSSD, LDAP, Active Directory), and system access controls (PAM, sudo, PKI/CAC authentication).
• Troubleshooting & Operations: Monitor system performance, audit logs, and hardware health; resolve routine operational tickets and escalate complex architectural issues.

Requirements

• Security Clearance: Active DoD Top Secret clearance required to start.
• Experience: 3 to 6 years of hands-on Linux administration experience in enterprise or defense-oriented computing environments.
• Certifications (DoD 8140 / 8570): Active DoD 8570/8140 IAT Level II certification (e.g., CompTIA Security+, CySA+, CCNA Security, or equivalent).
• Operating Systems: Solid foundation in administering, configuring, and maintaining RHEL 7/8/9 systems.
• Security Hardening: Familiarity with DISA STIG requirements and implementing SCAP compliance benchmarks.
• Scripting: Working knowledge of Bash scripting and exposure to Ansible execution and configuration management.
• Education: Associate or Bachelor’s degree in IT, Computer Science, or equivalent years of direct professional experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA) certification.
• Familiarity with centralized logging and monitoring tools (Splunk, Syslog-ng, or Prometheus).

Benefits

At RMC, we're committed to your career growth! RMC differentiates itself from other firms through its investment in our employees. We invest our resources to train, certify, educate, and build our employees. RMC can offer you a great place to work with a small company feel and give you the experience, tuition assistance, and certifications that will take your career to the next level. This includes a competitive paid vacation package with 11 paid federal holidays. We also offer high-quality, low-deductible healthcare plans, pet insurance, and a competitive 401K package.

Salary at RMC is determined by various factors, including but not limited to location, a candidate's specific combination of education, knowledge, skills, competencies, and experience, as well as contract-specific requirements. The current salary range for this position will be $125,000 to $155,000 (annually).

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