Senior Sys Admin (SWIL/HWIL Operations)

Cortina Solutions is seeking a high-impact Senior System Administrator (Lab Operations) to support the execution of a complex contract supporting the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division (NSWC PCD). You must be ready to own your technical domain, managing classified/unclassified labs and ensuring Software-in-the-Loop (SWIL) and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HWIL) environment readiness to shape the future of naval warfare technology. The ideal candidate will be expected to engineer with Excellence, serve with Integrity, and approach every problem with a drive to Get Things Done.

The Senior System Administrator provides advanced infrastructure engineering, network design, and systems leadership for Department of the Navy modeling and simulation (M&S), training, and other information systems ensuring maximum uptime, scalability, and operational readiness. This role architects and oversees Software-in-the-Loop (SWIL) and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HWIL) environments, driving configuration control and mentoring junior technical staff.

Responsibilities include installing, configuring, and maintaining servers, operating systems, network switches, and storage arrays; managing user access and virtualization environments; and overseeing configuration control for complex lab baselines. While system uptime and readiness are the primary focus, the role also ensures systems meet necessary DOD and Navy security baselines by applying operating system patches, implementing DISA STIGs, and maintaining required CSWF certifications.

• 10+ years of relevant civilian or military system administration experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or other relevant field of study.
• Advanced Operating System / Computing Environment (CE) certification (e.g., Windows Server, RedHat/Linux, or Cisco CCNP/CCNA).
• Expert-level experience architecting, configuring, and troubleshooting physical/virtual servers, enterprise network devices, and shared storage architectures (SAN/NAS).
• Proven track record leading configuration management, disaster recovery, and hardware lifecycle planning across complex classified and unclassified lab environments.
• CompTIA Security+ certification.
• Active DOD Secret clearance.

Preferred Requirements

• Advanced degree in a relevant field of study.
• Direct experience architecting or leading SWIL/HWIL environments, tactical systems, or Navy/DoD simulation and experimentation labs.
• Deep expertise in deploying and managing enterprise virtualization platforms (e.g., VMware vSphere/ESXi clustered environments).
• Experience with infrastructure-as-code, automated deployment tools, or advanced scripting (PowerShell/Bash) to streamline lab operations.
• Experience with executing system patching/STIG compliance verification.
• Experience working within a DOD DevSecOps or Agile-based development environment.

Pulled from the full job description

• Parental leave
• Health insurance
• 401(k) matching
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance
• Health savings account
• Dental insurance, Cortina Solutions is committed to offering comprehensive and affordable benefits to employees and their families.
• BCBS Medical and Dental Insurance
• VSP Vision
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and Dependent Care Reimbursement
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Company-paid Life Insurance
• Company-paid Short and Long Term Disability Insurance
• Voluntary Term Life Insurance
• Matching 401(k) Plan
• Flexible PTO
• Maternity and Paternity Leave
• Federal Holidays
• Company Match on Employee Non-Profit Donation
• Professional Development

Background Check Requirement

As our team members work on government sites, all potential candidates are subject to a background screening that fully complies with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Position contingent on contract award.

Be a part of a winning team that provides technical solutions with integrity. Cortina is a government contractor providing technical professional services. But we are so much more than that! For approximately every three employees brought on to support the government, we hire an individual from an under-resourced, developing community and train them to enter the professional job market.

Cortina is very proud of the reach-back it offers to the local community. Not only that, we LOVE our employees and do all we can to ensure they have a great work experience. Come join a company that believes in being a part of something bigger than themselves!