System Administrator I - CIPM

About the role

The National Science Foundation Center for Integrated Pest Management (CIPM) seeks an IT System Administrator I to support the secure operation, maintenance, monitoring, and compliance activities associated with the CIPM datacenter environment and federally supported application hosting infrastructure.

Responsibilities

• Infrastructure Systems Administration and Operations Support
  • administration, configuration, maintenance, and monitoring of Linux and Windows server environments supporting CIPM-hosted systems and applications.
  • Coordinate infrastructure updates, system maintenance activities, and operational changes in accordance with established change-management and compliance processes.
  • Troubleshoot infrastructure, server, authentication, and operational issues across hosted environments and coordinate resolution activities as needed.
• Support backup, recovery, operational continuity, and infrastructure resiliency activities associated with CIPM-hosted systems.
• Security, Compliance, and Continuous Monitoring
  • Secure operation and maintenance of infrastructure systems operating under a FISMA Moderate authorization boundary.
  • Capture vulnerability scanning, remediation tracking, patch validation, and related continuous monitoring activities across infrastructure environments.
  • Aid in implementation and maintenance of infrastructure security controls, hardened configuration standards, and security-related operational procedures.
  • Support centralized logging, monitoring, and audit log management processes to maintain operational visibility and incident response readiness.
• Compliance Documentation, Audit Support, and Remediation Tracking
  • Maintain System Security Plans (SSPs), configuration baselines, operational procedures, and other security and compliance documentation.
  • Aid in preparation and maintenance of audit artifacts, assessment evidence, remediation documentation, and Plans of Action and Milestones (POA&M) activities associated with recurring compliance reviews.
  • Maintain technical and operational documentation to support continuity, compliance, and knowledge sharing.
• Identity, Access, Application Support, and Technology Improvement
  • Support identity and access governance activities including privileged access reviews, account lifecycle management, authentication configuration, and multi-factor authentication support.
  • Work with developers and technical staff to support secure deployment and operation of hosted applications and supporting services.
  • Support evaluation and implementation of infrastructure improvements, operational enhancements, and security-related technologies consistent with operational and compliance requirements.

Qualifications

• Minimum Education and Experience:
  • Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology, or a related field; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
  • At least two years of relevant professional, academic, or applied operational experience following completion of the degree, demonstrating systems administration, infrastructure support, or information security experience.
  • Experience supporting Linux or Windows server environments in operational, research, enterprise, or regulated environments.
  • Experience supporting infrastructure operations, vulnerability remediation, system monitoring, or compliance-oriented operational activities.
  • Experience working under general supervision while independently supporting assigned operational or technical responsibilities.
  • Experience working under general supervision and following established technical standards, development workflows, and project priorities.
• Other Required Qualifications:
  • Demonstrated ability to support Linux and Windows systems administration activities, including server configuration, maintenance, patching, monitoring, and operational troubleshooting.
  • Working knowledge of infrastructure security principles, authentication systems, access management, logging, and operational security practices.
  • Ability to support vulnerability remediation, configuration management, and operational compliance activities within established technical and procedural standards.
  • Ability to work collaboratively with technical and non-technical stakeholders including developers, administrators, compliance personnel, and project staff.
  • Ability to prepare and maintain clear technical and operational documentation.
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to independently support operational infrastructure activities.
• Preferred Qualifications:
  • More than three years of relevant professional work experience outside of an academic degree program, including experience supporting production or regulated infrastructure environments.
  • Experience supporting systems operating under compliance or regulatory frameworks such as FISMA, NIST SP 800-53, RMF, or similar security standards.
  • Experience supporting centralized logging, monitoring, vulnerability management, or security scanning processes.
  • Experience supporting authentication and access-control technologies including multi-factor authentication and directory-based identity systems.
  • Experience supporting server virtualization, containerization, or infrastructure automation technologies including Docker or related platforms.
  • Experience supporting cloud or hybrid infrastructure environments including Amazon Web Services (AWS) or similar platforms.
  • Experience supporting web application hosting environments and infrastructure supporting technologies such as ColdFusion, Python/Django, Java, Angular, PostgreSQL, or Microsoft SQL Server.
  • Experience supporting backup, disaster recovery, operational continuity, or incident response activities.
  • Familiarity with scripting or automation technologies used for infrastructure administration or operational support.
  • Experience supporting research, university, government, or federally funded operational environments.