System Administrator Lead

The System Administrator Lead provides technical leadership for administration, operations, and maintenance of Agency Windows and Linux server environments and supporting infrastructure services. This role ensures system availability, performance, and secure configuration; coordinates patching and vulnerability remediation; and maintains documentation and evidence needed for compliance and audit readiness under the strategic oversight of the Agency CIO/PMO. The System Administrator Lead partners with cybersecurity, help desk, and engineering stakeholders to implement secure baselines, manage change, and support incident response.

Lead administration of Windows/Linux servers, including build, configuration, hardening, maintenance, and lifecycle management in accordance with approved standards.
• Implement and sustain secure configuration baselines; coordinate with cybersecurity stakeholders to validate control implementation and reduce misconfiguration risk.
• Plan and execute patching and maintenance windows; ensure timely remediation of vulnerabilities and track actions to closure with appropriate evidence.
• Support continuous monitoring by ensuring server logging, time synchronization, and security telemetry requirements are implemented and operating as intended.
• Own and enforce configuration management and change control for server/infrastructure changes, including technical impact analysis, implementation planning, rollback procedures, and documentation.
• Maintain audit-ready documentation for server administration activities (e.g., inventories, baseline configurations, patch/maintenance records, access lists, and change records) to support internal reviews and external audits.
• Provide technical input to RMF/SA&A artifacts by supplying control evidence and system configuration details that support authorization package requirements.
• Support incident response activities by assisting with containment actions, system-level triage, log collection, preservation of evidence, and post-incident remediation.
• Coordinate with help desk and user support teams on escalated issues, root-cause analysis, and implementation of preventative measures.
• Collaborate with systems engineering and enterprise architecture stakeholders to align server/infrastructure designs with modernization plans, performance needs, and compliance requirements.
• Provide technical leadership to system administration staff, including task assignment, peer review, mentoring, and standardization of procedures and runbooks.

• Bachelor's degree in IT or related field.
• 5+ years of experience in Windows/Linux server administration.
• Certifications: CompTIA Server+, Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator, or equivalent.
• Demonstrated ability to lead technical teams and coordinate across stakeholders to deliver stable, secure, and supportable infrastructure services.
• Strong documentation and communication skills to support audit-ready evidence, change control, and stakeholder reporting.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience administering systems in regulated federal environments with formal compliance and audit requirements.
• Familiarity with NIST security controls and secure hardening guidance (e.g., CIS benchmarks/STIG concepts) and how they map to operational procedures.
• Experience with identity and access management processes, privileged access governance, and access review support.
• Experience with virtualization, backup/recovery, and monitoring tooling; ability to integrate operational telemetry with security monitoring.
• Experience supporting RMF/ATO evidence collection and participating in assessment activities.

Core Competencies and Deliverables

• Server build standards, hardening checklists, and administration runbooks for Windows/Linux environments.
• System inventories and configuration baseline documentation maintained in an audit-ready state.
• Patch and vulnerability remediation plans and completion evidence, including exception tracking where approved.
• Change control records (implementation plans, rollback procedures, approvals, and post-change validation).
• Operational metrics and recurring status inputs related to availability, patch compliance, and risk remediation progress.
• Incident support artifacts (log collections, containment/remediation actions, and lessons learned inputs).

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear.

• Possess the ability to fulfill any and all office activities normally expected in an office setting, to include, but not limited to: remaining seated for periods of time to perform computer entry, participating in filing activity, lifting and carrying office supplies.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to fifteen (15) pounds.
• May require more than 40 hours per week to perform the essential duties of the position.
• Fine hand manipulation (keyboarding).

Work Environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• May work prolonged or irregular hours.
• Frequent local travel; occasional statewide or out-of-state travel.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
• Exposure to general office conditions while conducting office duties.

Working at Edgewater Federal Solutions:

Edgewater Federal Solutions is a privately held government contracting firm located in Frederick, MD. The company was founded in 2002 with the vision of being highly recognized and admired for supporting customer missions through employee empowerment, exceptional services, and timely delivery. Edgewater Federal Solutions is ISO 9001, 20000-1, 270001 certified, appraised at CMMI Level 3 Maturity for Development and Services, and has been named in the Top Workplaces in the Greater Washington Area Companies since 2018.

Edgewater Federal Solutions is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It has been and continues to be our policy to provide equal employment to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status and/or other status protected by applicable law.