Principal IT Systems Administrator

Title:

Principal IT Systems Administrator

BELONG. CONNECT. GROW. with KBR.

Around here, we define the future. We are a company of innovators, thinkers, creators, explorers, volunteers, and dreamers. But we all share one goal: to improve the world responsibly and safely.

KBR is seeking a Senior Systems Engineer to lead technical initiatives for our NASA Virtual Multi-Mission Operations Center (vMMOC).

In this role, you will design scalable, mission-critical solutions—leveraging Kubernetes and Cloud technologies—while evaluating existing systems for reuse. Collaborating with cross-functional teams of network engineers, security specialists, and flight ops, you will bridge the gap between high-level requirements and technical execution. Your focus will be on driving innovation and resiliency, ensuring our mission services are secure, compliant, and future-proof.

As a lead contributor, you will drive the design, implementation, and quality control of the hosting infrastructure to ensure a secure, highly available environment for critical mission operations. You will define technical standards and baselines for our technology stack while overseeing system maintenance and configuration management. Working collaboratively across support groups, you will ensure all deliverables meet rigorous operational and compliance requirements.

U.S. citizenship or U.S. person status is required to be considered for this role.

Objectives and responsibilities of this Role 

• As a System Engineer, you will manage the full lifecycle of Linux servers and Kubernetes containers in a heterogeneous environment, overseeing everything from initial configuration and installation to ongoing monitoring, patching, and security.
• As a SE technical lead, you will handle complex troubleshooting, performance tuning, and repairs to ensure the stability and integrity of the mission-critical infrastructure.
• The SE is responsible for end-to-end operations, collaborating closely with a high-performing engineering team to meet shared goals.
• As a core member of the engineering team, you will serve as the primary point of contact for all Linux-related activities while providing exceptional customer service. You will act as a proactive advocate for the environment, constantly identifying and implementing opportunities for system improvement, containerization, cost avoidance and cost savings.
• Deliver technical expertise across the full system lifecycle, including design, installation, and configuration. You will drive performance through precise tuning, proactive capacity planning, and rapid problem resolution for complex technical issues.
• Establish high-level technical guidance and enforce rigorous operational standards across the team to ensure consistency and performance.
• Serve as an independent validator within the matrix, testing and verifying solutions to ensure they meet all business requirements, regulatory compliance standards, and quality benchmarks.
• Drive the end-to-end lifecycle of the infrastructure, oversee the architecture, deployment, and continuous management of both legacy and next-generation systems.
• Proactively monitor and analyze data center infrastructure and system applications to optimize resource utilization and ensure peak performance.
• Design and manage comprehensive backup and redundancy strategies to ensure data integrity and continuous system availability.
• Take full ownership of the security posture for all managed infrastructure, ensuring systems are hardened, compliant, and protected against vulnerabilities.
• Lead the development and collaboration of comprehensive policies, technical documentation, and standardized procedures—including design reports, maintenance guides, and operational support protocols—to ensure organizational consistency.
• Drive the continuous development and evolution of automation strategies to streamline operations and enhance system efficiency.
• Act as a primary liaison to management and key stakeholders, effectively communicating technical requirements, delivering progress reports, and highlighting team achievements and activity summaries.

Daily and Monthly Responsibilities 

• Stakeholder Engagement: Consult with stakeholders to translate their vision and operational needs into technical requirements.
• System Optimization: Apply expert-level administration to optimize hosts and servers, ensuring maximum high availability and efficient resource management.
• Automation & Standardization: Streamline operations by standardizing processes and implementing advanced automation and monitoring via data center technologies and scripting.
• Deployment & Documentation: Lead the installation and configuration of OS, software, and hardware; produce clear design and maintenance documentation to enable seamless handoffs to IT support staff.
• Security & Validation: Perform routine software testing to identify bugs, eliminate redundancies, and resolve security vulnerabilities.
• Incident Management: Conduct deep-dive root-cause analysis for service interruptions and implement robust preventive measures.
• Reporting & Data Integrity: Generate detailed reports outlining system findings and solutions; oversee the global backup strategy, ensuring secure daily operations and regular restore testing.

Must Have Skills and Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree in technology or computer science and at least 7 years of industry experience.
• Strong interpersonal, written, oral communication skills.
• Strong time management and priority management skills.
• Strong RHEL/Linux/Unix background.
• Scripting experience (Shell/Perl/Python, or related language).
• Strong understanding of network protocols and principles (OSI network layers, TCP/IP).
• Experience with designing/managing virtual infrastructures (VMWare/Nutanix/Hyper-V).
• Strong reasoning, problem solving, and troubleshooting skills.
• Expertise in creating, analyzing, and maintaining large-scale infrastructure deployments.
• Experience with private-cloud backup and recovery.

Preferred Qualifications 

• Proven ability to think outside-of-the-box.
• Technical documentation skills 
• Familiar with HA environments 
• Infrastructure migration experience 
• RedHat Satellite
• CloudWatch (ECS, EC2, Cloud Formation), and knowledge of data storage
• Configuration Management (CM) experience (Ansible/Puppet/Chef) 
• Familiar with Containers (Docker/Kubernetes) 

Nice to have Qualifications 

• Innovative Problem-Solving: Proven ability to develop creative, "outside-the-box" technical solutions.
• Technical Documentation: Strong skills in creating clear, detailed documentation for complex systems.
• High Availability (HA): Practical experience managing and maintaining high-availability environments.
• Infrastructure Migration: Demonstrated experience successfully executing large-scale infrastructure migrations.
• Enterprise Linux Tools: Proficiency with Red Hat Satellite for system management.
• Cloud Infrastructure: Hands-on experience with AWS CloudWatch (ECS, EC2, CloudFormation) and a solid understanding of cloud data storage.
• Configuration Management (CM): Practical experience with automation tools such as Ansible, Puppet, or Chef.
• Containerization: Familiarity with Docker and Kubernetes for container orchestration.
• Kubernetes Expertise: Experience with CKA-level knowledge, including cluster management and troubleshooting.
• Nutanix Infrastructure: Proficiency in managing AOS and Prism Central, including networking configuration (CIDRs, VLANs), LDAP/OIDC integration, and Load Balancer setup.
• CLI & Tools: Mastery of the NKP command-line interface, kubectl, and container technologies.
• Storage Management: Familiarity with the Nutanix CSI Volume Driver as the default storage provider. 

Basic Compensation:

$137,000.00 - $205,500.00

The offered rate will be based on contract affordability and the selected candidate's working location, knowledge, skills, and/or experience and in consideration of internal parity.

KBR Benefits​

KBR offers a selection of competitive lifestyle benefits which could include 401K plan with company match, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, AD&D, flexible spending account, disability, paid time off, or flexible work schedule.  We support career advancement through professional training and development.​

Click here to learn more:  KBR Benefits

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Belong, Connect and Grow at KBR

At KBR, we are passionate about our people and our Zero Harm culture.  These inform all that we do and are at the heart of our commitment to, and ongoing journey toward being a People First company.  That commitment is central to our team of team’s philosophy and fosters an environment where everyone can Belong, Connect and Grow. We Deliver – Together. 

KBR 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.