Operations Support Engineer / Systems Administrator

At Credence, we support mission-critical federal missions through technology, partnership, and trust. We provide solutions across cloud modernization, cybersecurity, enterprise infrastructure, and advanced technology for defense and health organizations.Credence is a privately held company recognized as a top place to work and listed on the Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies list for more than a decade. We believe in servant leadership and focus on the success of our clients, employees, and partners.Position Summary Credence is seeking an Operations Support Engineer / Systems Administrator to support systems engineering and hosting operations for federal customers.The primary responsibility of this position is to support recurring system patching requirements, including scheduled nightly patching activities outside normal business hours. The selected candidate will execute and monitor existing AWX/Ansible patching automation, validate results, troubleshoot failures, and coordinate remediation activities across Linux and Windows environments.The role will also support system administration, configuration management, vulnerability remediation, monitoring, troubleshooting, documentation, and other operational activities required to maintain secure and reliable hosting environments.Responsibilities Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:Execute and monitor scheduled patching jobs through AWX/AnsibleSupport scheduled nightly patching activities outside normal business hours, including patch preparation, execution, post-patch validation, and troubleshootingReview AWX job results, investigate failed or incomplete patching runs, resolve issues, and coordinate re-execution when necessaryReview patching requirements, repository content, maintenance schedules, and approved change requests before patch executionValidate system health, services, connectivity, and application availability after patching activitiesTroubleshoot patching failures, package conflicts, repository issues, dependency problems, service failures, and unexpected system behaviorMonitor patching progress and provide status updates, completion reports, and exception informationIdentify systems that cannot be patched and document the reason, impact, risk, and required remediationSupport Linux and Windows server administration, configuration, hardening, maintenance, and troubleshootingAssist with vulnerability remediation and compliance-related system maintenance activitiesSupport server provisioning, operating system upgrades, configuration changes, system retirement, and technical refresh activitiesTroubleshoot operating system, storage, networking, authentication, permissions, certificates, services, and application dependenciesCoordinate with Systems Engineering, Platform Engineering, application teams, cybersecurity personnel, and customer stakeholders to resolve technical issuesAssist with maintaining AWX job templates, inventories, variables, credentials, procedures, and related documentationUse existing automation and develop scripts or process improvements to improve patching efficiency, validation, reporting, and operational supportMaintain accurate system records, patching documentation, procedures, runbooks, and operational reportsFollow approved change-management, incident-management, security, and configuration-management processesParticipate in scheduled maintenance activities, incident response, and other operational support activities as requiredParticipate in a rotating on-call schedule, if assigned Requirements Ability to obtain and maintain a Public TrustAt least 3 years of experience in systems administration, systems engineering, infrastructure operations, cloud operations, or a related technical fieldHands-on experience administering Linux or Windows server environmentsExperience performing operating system patching, package management, system maintenance, and post-patch validationExperience using AWX/Ansible or a similar automation platform for patching, configuration management, or systems administrationExperience troubleshooting AWX/Ansible job failures, playbooks, inventories, variables, package dependencies, repository issues, and execution resultsAbility to support scheduled nightly patching activities outside normal business hours, as requiredExperience with Linux package-management tools such as DNF, YUM, RPM, or equivalent technologiesExperience with Windows patching or Windows Server administrationExperience using Shell, Python, PowerShell, or a similar scripting languageFamiliarity with system monitoring, logging, service management, and basic networking troubleshootingAbility to follow established procedures while applying sound technical judgment to resolve issuesStrong written and verbal communication skillsAbility to document technical issues, maintenance activities, exceptions, and resolution stepsCompTIA Security+ certification or the ability to obtain it within the first 60 daysAWS certification or the ability to obtain one within the first 90 daysPreferred Qualifications Experience supporting RHEL, Amazon Linux, Windows Server, or other enterprise operating systemsExperience supporting systems hosted in AWS, AWS GovCloud, or other cloud environmentsExperience with AWS Systems Manager, Red Hat Satellite, WSUS, repository mirrors, or similar patch-management and configuration-management toolsExperience with system hardening, STIGs, vulnerability remediation, or federal compliance requirementsExperience with EC2, EBS, S3, IAM, VPC, CloudWatch, and related AWS servicesExperience troubleshooting DNS, networking, storage, authentication, certificates, and application dependenciesExperience supporting production environments with formal change, incident, and problem-management processesExperience with enterprise monitoring, logging, ticketing, or configuration-management platformsExperience developing automation for patching, validation, reporting, or operational support. Compensation and Work Arrangement The anticipated salary range for this position is $85,000-$130,000, depending on experience, technical skills, certifications, and overall qualifications.This is a hybrid position. The work location is provided in the job posting. No regular travel is expected.The position does not have a dedicated evening shift; however, the selected candidate must be available to support scheduled nightly patching activities outside normal business hours. Benefits Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)Retirement Plan (401k, IRA)Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity)Short Term & Long Term DisabilityTraining & Development