System Administrator Jobs
System Administrator jobs are open across healthcare, finance, education, government, and managed services, at every level from entry-level helpdesk-adjacent roles to senior and principal, with specializations in Windows Server, Linux, and cloud infrastructure administration. Find a role that fits from the openings below and apply directly.
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This is a journeyman-level position working on-site at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory's Naval Center for Space Technology in Washington, DC
Key Responsibilities:
- Administer desktop, server, storage, network, and mobile systems connected to local and wide area networks.
- Monitor user accounts, system security, operating system installations, and other local-area system administration functions.
- Support the implementation, troubleshooting, operation, and maintenance of IT systems
- Manage IT infrastructure and the technical processes associated with those systems.
- Provide day-to-day operational support, monitoring, and problem resolution for client, server, storage, network, and mobile devices.
- Provide Tier I help desk and Tier II advanced troubleshooting support, including problem identification, diagnosis, escalation, and resolution.
- Track system and hardware problems and remain involved through final resolution.
- Communicate system status, incidents, and resolution activities to agency management and internal customers.
- Configure and administer UNIX, Linux, Windows, Wintel, VxWorks, and VMware environments.
- Install and load operating systems, application software, patches, updates, and system enhancements.
- Isolate and resolve problems involving applications, operating systems, hardware, communications infrastructure, or combinations of these components.
- Configure and troubleshoot network components and implement operating system enhancements to improve reliability, security, and performance.
- Integrate new technologies into existing and newly developed systems, including system transition and migration activities.
- Define hardware, server, workstation, and network requirements for the NCST spacecraft and payload development environment.
- Design, implement, test, and maintain server and workstation system services.
- Manage the virtual machines required by the division using VMware, VMPlayer, or comparable virtualization technologies.
- Manage licenses, renewals, installations, and administrative support for third-party software, including Jira, VxWorks, Crucible/Fisheye, Klocwork, Red Hat, Jama, GitLab, and related development tools.
- Provide database design and administration support for SQL-based spacecraft interface databases.
- Maintain databases used to define software communication protocols, packet formats, data fields, field constraints, and embedded flight-software interfaces.
- Support automated generation of flight-software source code, ground-system data structures, data-handling procedures, interface specifications, and interface control documents.
- Continue the growth, maintenance, and adaptation of the existing spacecraft interface database for current and future space missions.
- Provide configuration management and defect-tracking support for software, procedures, documentation, plans, deliverables, and other program components.
- Maintain and improve configuration management and problem-reporting systems supporting multiple spacecraft programs, common software baselines, and mission-unique processing.
- Support configuration management requirements applicable to NCST personnel, subcontractors, and other Government customers.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Education: Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Computer Science, Mathematics, or a closely related technical discipline.
- Experience Level: Level III, with senior-level experience administering complex technical environments supporting spacecraft, payload, engineering, scientific, research, or mission-critical systems.
- Demonstrated experience supporting the infrastructure, database, configuration management, and defect-tracking requirements
- Ability to support both stable production systems and rapidly changing research and development environments.
- Experience operating within DoD cybersecurity, information assurance, and system-security requirements.
- U.S. citizenship is required for this position.
Clearance:
Active, final DoD-granted Top Secret security clearance with SCI eligibility.
Personnel must be able to maintain TS/SCI access throughout performance.
Required Skills:
- In-depth systems administration experience with UNIX, Linux, Windows/Wintel, VxWorks, and VMware.
- Experience administering desktop, server, storage, network, and virtualized infrastructure.
- Experience with system monitoring, account administration, cybersecurity controls, patching, operating system installation, and incident resolution.
- Experience providing Tier I and Tier II technical support.
- Experience troubleshooting integrated hardware, software, operating system, application, and network problems.
- Strong knowledge of network routing, service distribution, shared file systems, and NFS.
- Experience with multisite and multivendor network environments.
- Experience with relational and non-relational database technologies, including SQL and MongoDB.
- Experience administering configuration management, issue-tracking, requirements-management, and development tools such as Jira, Jama, GitLab, Crucible/Fisheye, and Klocwork.
- Experience managing software licenses, renewals, and third-party technical products.
- Experience supporting software-development environments using C, C++, Python, Bash, Java, or assembly languages.
- Ability to document technical requirements, system configurations, operating procedures, incidents, and corrective actions.
Preferred Skills:
- Experience supporting spacecraft, satellite, payload, embedded, or flight-software development programs.
- Experience with embedded processor architectures such as PowerPC, R3000, 8051, I960, and MIPS 3081.
- Experience with embedded software development, device control, and system operations.
- Experience designing and administering databases used to define spacecraft communication protocols, command and telemetry packets, software interfaces, and message structures.
- Experience supporting automated source-code and technical-document generation from structured database content.
- Experience maintaining common software baselines used across multiple programs and mission-unique implementations.
- Experience with MS Access, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, VMware, GitLab, Jira, Jama, SQL, and MongoDB.
- Familiarity with Navy, NRL, or other DoD research and development environments.
- Experience supporting highly available mission-critical systems while maintaining compliance with Government security requirements.
Location:
On-site at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, 4555 Overlook Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20375.
System Administrator Jobs by Experience Level
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Who's Hiring
- Raytheon23R
- Carson Solutions15C
- Lockheed Martin14L
- American Heart Association13
- General Dynamics Information Technology11
Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software27
- Consulting & Professional Services13
- Non-Profit & Social Services12
- Education9
- Manufacturing7
What Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in system administrator jobs.
- 3-5 years of experience administering Windows Server or Linux in a production environment
- Proficiency with Active Directory, Group Policy, and user account lifecycle management
- Experience with virtualization platforms such as VMware vSphere or Microsoft Hyper-V
- Familiarity with backup, disaster recovery, and patch management tools and processes
- CompTIA Network+, CompTIA Security+, or equivalent vendor certification preferred
- Associate or bachelor's degree in information technology, computer science, or a related field
Tips for Your System Administrator Job Search
Tailor your resume to environment size
Hiring managers care whether you've administered 50 machines or 5,000. Specify your environment scale on your resume, including the number of servers managed, user counts, and whether you supported on-premises, cloud, or hybrid infrastructure.
List certifications in a dedicated section
CompTIA A+, Network+, Security+, Microsoft MCSA, and Red Hat RHCSA are screened by applicant tracking systems before a human reads your resume. Put certifications in their own labeled section near the top so they're never buried.
Apply early to roles that fit
Migrate Mate lists system administrator openings from across the United States in one place, so you can find roles that match and apply directly to each listing.
Filter openings by your primary OS stack
A Windows Server shop and a Linux-first environment hire for different muscle memory. When searching for roles, filter by keywords like 'Active Directory', 'Group Policy', 'RHEL', or 'Ansible' to surface openings that match your actual daily-use skill set.
Prepare a live troubleshooting walkthrough
Many system administrator interviews include a scenario round where you diagnose a failing service or a permissions issue out loud. Practice narrating your diagnostic steps for common failure types, such as DNS resolution failures, storage alerts, and account lockouts, before your interview.
Negotiate scope, not just pay
In your final interview round, clarify on-call rotation frequency, change-window schedules, and ticket queue ownership. These details directly affect workload and burnout risk, and they're easier to negotiate before you accept than after you start.
System Administrator Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies are hiring the most system administrators?
The companies hiring the most system administrators right now include Raytheon, Carson Solutions, and Lockheed Martin, with the largest share of openings in Maryland, Virginia, and Texas, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. Healthcare networks, managed service providers, and state and local government agencies consistently account for a large portion of total openings.
How many system administrator jobs are remote?
About 31% of system administrator openings are fully remote or hybrid as of August 2026, though the share varies widely by employer type and industry. Cloud infrastructure and monitoring-focused roles are the most likely to be fully remote, while positions requiring hands-on hardware support, data center access, or on-site end-user support are almost always on-site or hybrid.
How do you become a system administrator?
Start by building a foundation in networking fundamentals, operating system administration, and basic scripting, either through a formal IT degree, a community college program, or self-study combined with home lab practice. Earn at least one vendor-neutral certification such as CompTIA Network+ or CompTIA Server+. Then target a junior role such as IT support specialist or desktop administrator to gain production environment experience before moving into a full system administrator position.
Can you get hired as a system administrator with little experience?
Yes, entry-level system administrator roles exist, and employers filling them prioritize demonstrated hands-on ability over years of experience. Build a home lab running Windows Server or a Linux distribution, document what you've configured and why, and bring that documentation to interviews. Certifications like CompTIA A+ and Network+ signal baseline competency to hiring managers screening resumes without much professional history to evaluate.
What does the system administrator interview process look like?
Most system administrator interviews follow a two-to-three stage process. The first stage is a recruiter or HR screen focused on your background and availability. The second is a technical interview with the IT manager or a senior administrator covering OS administration, networking concepts, and scenario-based troubleshooting. Some employers add a third stage that includes a practical exercise or a deeper conversation about the specific tools and infrastructure the team runs.
Where can I find and apply to system administrator jobs?
You can find and apply to system administrator jobs on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from employers across the United States. Search by role, location, or specialization to narrow down the listings, then apply directly to each role that fits your background.
See All 801+ System Administrator Jobs
Find roles that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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