Principal Systems Administrator/ Sr Principal Systems Administrator- Active Secret Clearance Required

  • Full-Time
  • Boulder, CO
  • Northrop Grumman
  • Posted 2 years ago – Accepting applications
Job Description

Requisition ID: R10038745

    Category: Engineering Location: Boulder, Colorado, United States of America Citizenship Required: United States Citizenship Clearance Type: Secret Telecommute: No- Teleworking not available for this position Shift: Days (United States of America) Travel Required: Yes, 25% of the Time Positions Available: 1

At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work — and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history.


At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work — and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history.

The Payload and Ground Systems organization within the Northrop Grumman Space Systems pushes the boundaries of innovation, redefines engineering capabilities, and drives advances in various sciences. Our team is chartered with providing the skills, innovative technologies to develop, design, produce and sustain optimized product lines across the sector while providing a decisive advantage to the warfighter. Come be a part of our mission.

Northrop Grumman is seeking a Principal Systems Administrator/ Senior Principal Systems Administrator in Boulder, CO.

Primary responsibility is to support the hardware design, development, and integration of ground processing stations of satellite data. These systems have a mix of Operating Systems (AIX, LINUX, and Windows) in both development lab environments and deployed operational environments. Perform new server builds using a Chef and NIM based provisioning environment, and perform level 2 support for system configuration, setup, and requested baseline configuration changes. Duties may include scripting for optimizing IT environment, project management for defining and implementing upgrades to the IT environment, and serving as consultant for computer problems beyond the knowledge of engineering staff. Communications Systems Engineers must demonstrate a blend of engineering, advanced technical skills and excellent communication abilities.

Qualified candidates must demonstrate aptitude commensurate with their level in the following areas:

  • Administration of classified network systems within strict security policies and procedures
  • Good understanding of seven-layer OSI model
  • Authentication and Name Service design, best-practices, configuration & maintenance (LDAP, DNS)
  • Proficient in the administration of and working with RedHat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and other common distributions
  • Defining, understanding & implementing computer lab requirements
  • Knowledge of and experience with virtualization technologies such as VMWare, ESXi, and vSAN
  • Knowledge of and experience with DoD security standards and systems hardening, such as DISA STIG.
  • Perform technical research leading to solutions for system
  • Provide troubleshooting and first level customer support
  • Creating accurate, detailed technical procedures & integration plans
  • Developing detailed documentation for Hardware Requirements Specification and High Level Design documents for deliverable systems

This requisition may be filled at a higher grade based on the qualifications listed below.

This requisition may be filled at either a level 3 or a level 4.

Basic Qualifications for a Level 3:

  • Bachelor's degree required in Engineering, Physical Science, Mathematics, or related field and 5+ years of experience
  • Experience working with AIX computing systems
  • Active DoD Top Secret clearance with the ability to obtain an SCI
  • Must be able to work in a fast-paced environment where multiple projects are being developed and deployed simultaneously
  • Must be able to work well within a team environment and able to adapt quickly to change

Basic Qualifications for a Level 4:

  • Bachelor's degree required in Engineering, Physical Science, Mathematics, or related field and 9+ years of experience
  • Experience working with IBM AIX computing systems, Red Hat Linux a plus.
  • Active DoD Top Secret clearance with the ability to obtain an SCI
  • Must be able to work in a fast-paced environment where multiple projects are being developed and deployed simultaneously
  • Must be able to work well within a team environment and able to adapt quickly to change

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Active DoD Top Secret/SCI clearance
  • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or Information Technology
  • Communications systems engineering and development experience in tactical military communications or equivalent operational experience using Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) Hardware components and/or Design and Integration experience for DoD mobile shelters or fixed site Command and Control facilities
  • Bash/Ruby/Python script writing experience
  • ESXi and VMWare experience (VM creation, vCenter/vSphere management)
  • vSAN configuration experience
  • CHEF automation experience (recipe creation, node management)
  • Familiarity with the requirements contained within DoD 8570.01-M is a plus
  • Familiarity with sensor processing and control systems is desired
  • CISSP certification
  • RedHat certification(s)


Salary Range: $1 USD - $1 USD

Employees may be eligible for a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives. In addition, Northrop Grumman provides a variety of benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business.

The health and safety of our employees and their families is a top priority. With the continuing impacts of COVID-19 around the world, we are taking action to protect the health and well-being of our colleagues and maintain the safety of the communities where we operate. As a federal contractor, and consistent with Executive Order 14042 (https://www.saferfederalworkforce.gov/contractors/) we require all newly hired employees in the United States to be fully vaccinated by their start date. Federal guidance allows for disability/medical and religious accommodations with respect to the vaccine requirement. Any requested accommodations must be reviewed and approved (if applicable) in advance of your start date.

Northrop Grumman is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. For our complete EEO/AA and Pay Transparency statement, please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for most positions.

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