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# Principal Systems Engineer

- **Company:** Cornerstone Defense
- **Location:** McLean, VA, United States
- **Experience:** Experienced
- **Contract:** Permanent contract
- **Skills:** Active Directory, Amazon S3, Software Applications, Application Performance Management, Systems Engineering, Bash Shell, Complex Networks, Information Systems, System Configuration, Data Centers, Linux, Perl (Programming Language), Monitoring of Systems, Python (Programming Language), Linux System Administration, Linux Servers, Log Files, Network Configuration and Change Management, Network Interface, Windows PowerShell, Ansible, Samba (Software), Scripting, Data Storage Management, Computer Network Operations, Kubernetes, Infrastructure Automation Frameworks, Information Technology, Performance Monitor, Puppet, Network Server, Vulnerability Analysis
- **Published:** June 16, 2026
- **Apply:** https://www.clearancejobs.com/jobs/8978542/principal-systems-engineer

## About the Role

The system administrator will have experience in at least one, preferably two, scripting languages (shell, Perl, Powershell, Python, etc.) and shall have proven experience administering Linux operating systems in the conduct of their duties. The right candidate will have proven experience in problem solving., Bachelor's degree in computer science, information systems, engineering, mathematics, or equivalent experience, and four (4) years of relevant experience (see below bullets).
Equivalent military training and/or experience in an information technology field will be considered in lieu of a degree.
Five (5) years or more of total intelligence community relevant work experience as a system administrator
Seven (7) years' experience as a system administrator

Optional Skills:

Experience with Kubernetes; upgrading Linux systems and transition to new configurations management environments; C2S/UC2S policies and procedures; familiarity with creation of S3/GLACIERS instances and with Rapid7 vulnerability scans and reports.

## Description

The System Administrators work both independently and as a member of an integrated product team supporting a wide variety of basic and complex computing and network configurations and must have proven Linux experience.

The on-site system administrator will support the installation, configuration, maintenance, failure analysis and recovery, performance monitoring, data storage management, and security management of the data center environment., Architecting, deploying, and managing large Linux networked environments including deployment and configuration
-Installing, configuring, updating and removing system and application software
-Hardening Linux server installations
-Installing, configuring, updating and removing system hardware (servers, workstations, transceivers, network interface cards)
-Configuring NFS, SAMBA, and SAN
-Monitoring and allocating system resources (CPU, memory, and storage space)
-Proven experience creating, implementing, and maintaining scripts for process automation, infrastructure monitoring, and proactive reporting
-Auditing system log files, to include compliance audits
-Diagnosing and troubleshooting hardware and software problems
-Documenting hardware and software configurations, maintenance history, and backup history
-Implementing up-to-date system policies and procedures
-Updating/patching system operating systems
-Proven experience in all aspects of managing large Linux environments including the use of configuration management tools like Puppet and Ansible for centralized management and configuration of systems to enforce security controls
-Ability to utilize analysis tools to resolve complex network, systems, and application performance problems
-Responding to inquiries concerning all aspects of computer and network operations
-Creating and managing user/group accounts (ex: Active Directory (AD))


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