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Linux System Administrator

Hill Air Force Base, Utah

Role Description:

Defense Unicorns is seeking a skilled System Administrator with a focus on Linux systems (RHEL or derivatives), hands-on experience managing Kubernetes clusters, and a background in on-premise or bare-metal infrastructure. This role is part of a high-impact team supporting mission critical environments in support of the Department of Defense. Beyond traditional system administration, this position provides a platform to actively contribute to the development lifecycle, offering a pathway to directly shape our products and solutions. Eligible candidates must possess an active security clearance.

Responsibilities:

  • Manage and support Kubernetes clusters in on-premises or hybrid environments.
  • Possess and maintain an active security clearance.
  • Administer, configure, and maintain Linux-based systems, especially Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL).
  • Perform system hardening and security patching in accordance with DoD STIGs and compliance frameworks (e.g., RMF, NIST).
  • Build and maintain automation scripts for system provisioning, patching, and configuration (e.g., with Ansible or shell scripting).
  • Support bare-metal infrastructure
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams on deployment and sustainment of infrastructure-as-code pipelines.
  • Maintain monitoring, alerting, and log aggregation systems for performance and security auditing.
  • Provide support for vulnerability scanning, remediation, and documentation required for security audits.

Travel Expectations: 10%-25%

The listed responsibilities are not exhaustive and additional responsibilities may be assigned based on the evolving needs of the organization. We are seeking a dynamic individual who is able to adapt and take on new responsibilities as they arise. 

Preferred Experience and Qualifications:

  • Expertise in Linux system administration, with emphasis on RHEL or derivatives.
  • Experience deploying and maintaining Kubernetes clusters (e.g., k8s, k3s, Rancher, OpenShift).
  • Familiarity with managing bare-metal environments and provisioning tools.
    Knowledge of infrastructure automation tools (e.g., Ansible, Terraform, Puppet).
  • Broad and deep technical experience with virtualization and cloud technologies, including: OpenStack, Red Hat Virtualization, VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure
  • Understanding of cybersecurity compliance in federal systems (STIGs, DoD RMF, NIST 800-53).
  • Strong problem-solving and scripting abilities (Bash, Python, or similar).
  • Certifications such as RHCSA, RHCE, Security+, or other DoD 8570-compliant certs.
  • Experience working in DevSecOps and CI/CD environments.

Who We Are

Defense Unicorns delivers mission value by streamlining software delivery so our customers can focus on the most important challenges. We share a vision of freedom and security for the advancement of progress and innovation. Our commitment to this vision, and to our mission-driven customers, means a commitment to speed, user experience and optionality, without compromising security. Our team is composed of innovators, software engineers, and veterans with decades of experience delivering technology programs across the federal market.

What We Do

We create and deliver secure solutions for continuous software integration and delivery. Defense Unicorns consolidates the best practices for security pipelines, testing, and deployment automation in order to meet the high security requirements valued by mission owners. Our solutions are agnostic by design and we believe that growing a robust ecosystem of secure, cloud-native software solutions can help enterprise customers inside and outside the federal market buy and integrate software more easily.

Who We Serve

Defense Unicorns’ customers are mission-focused leaders across public and private enterprises. We proudly support defense and civil agencies across the U.S. government and we work closely with the creators of leading-edge software solutions to deliver value to the mission-owner by improving the security and consumability of commercial software products.

What We Work On

  • Kubernetes
  • Cloud Environments (AWS/GCP and Azure)
  • Infrastructure-as-code (like Terraform/Pulumi)
  • Continuous Delivery and automation tooling
  • GitOps
  • Containers
  • CNCF projects and open source products and packages
  • Helm/Kustomize-Value Stream Mapping
  • Building and improving security delivery
  • Building Kubernetes and cloud native applications

Benefits Our Unicorns Enjoy

Health:

  • Medical/Dental/Vision
  • Premiums are 100% Company Paid
  • Health Reimbursement Account
  • Life Insurance
  • Disability Insurance

Financial:

  • 401k Retirement Plan
  • Company Stock Options
  • Home Office Budget

Leave:

  • Unlimited paid time off, with a mandatory 10 days off on top of 11 federal government holidays, week of Thanksgiving, last two weeks of December (including New Year’s Day)
  • Paid Parental Leave

Learning:

  • Reimbursement for approved trainings/subscriptions
  • Conferences (travel, lodging, and fees)

Don’t have all the preferred experience or qualifications? Studies show that underrepresented groups like women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs if they don't meet every requirement listed. 

At Defense Unicorns, we're committed to diversity. If you're enthusiastic about the role but don't match every criteria, we encourage you to apply. You could be the perfect fit for this or another role! Defense Unicorns is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, union status and/or beliefs, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

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