Data Center Systems Administrator

About the role

The Leidos Chief Information Office, reporting through our Digital Modernization sector is seeking a highly skilled and motivated Data Center Administrator to join our team. You will be responsible for the deployment, configuration, maintenance, and optimization of enterprise data center infrastructure and systems. This role is critical to ensure the data center environment operates efficiently, securely, and reliably while meeting organizational performance and availability requirements. In this role, you will work independently to achieve operational objectives and drive measurable impact across project deliverables and operational outcomes. This position is responsible for managing complex technical processes and supporting data center design, modernization, and innovation initiatives. You may also be responsible for mentoring junior technical staff and reviewing work products to ensure adherence to quality and operational standards. As a Data Center Engineer/Administrator, you will contribute to maximizing system up time, improving scalability, and implementing industry's best practices to support current and future business technology needs. Location: This position requires work full-time, onsite, in Sterling, VA. Citizenship: US Citizenship is required. Primary Responsibilities Work alongside the senior data center systems engineer to design & implement secure infrastructure systems. Contribute to operational documentation, standard operating procedures, and continuous process improvement initiatives. Assist with capacity planning, infrastructure lifecycle management, and implementation of data center best practices. Support ongoing modernization, scalability, and reliability initiatives within the data center environment. Deploy, configure, maintain, and optimize data center infrastructure, including servers, racks, cabling, and supporting hardware. Respond to operational incidents impacting service availability and escalate issues to senior technicians or management as required. Serve as a primary point of contact for internal and external stakeholders, including engineers, software developers, vendors, contractors, and support teams. Support data center operations to ensure high availability, operational efficiency, and compliance with organizational standards and procedures. Perform server rack installations, structured cabling, hardware upgrades, and break/fix activities across a variety of data center components. Troubleshoot and resolve hardware, system, and network-related issues within enterprise and lab environments. Maintain accurate asset inventory records within Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) systems for both production and laboratory environments. Perform shipping, receiving, inventory tracking, and Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) activities. Complexity The role requires the development of advanced technical solutions through collaboration with experts and in-depth analysis. You will need to demonstrate understanding of systems architecture, integration, and engineering principles, applying them to develop solutions to complex and often unclear technical challenges within the data center environment. Communication Collaborate effectively with internal teams and client project teams to ensure alignment in solution design and processes. Provide technical guidance and influence team approaches to system integration, requirements, and security. Knowledge This role requires demonstrated understanding of principles, theories, and concepts of systems engineering and technical domains coupled with some systems administration duties. A broad understanding of related specialty areas such as automation, cybersecurity, and system integration is essential to success. Understanding of network design, protocols and OSI Model layer 1/2 troubleshooting Required Qualifications Bachelor's Degree and 2-4 years of prior relevant experience. Equivalent experience may be considered in lieu of a degree. Current DoD 8140/8570 IAT Level II certification (Security+ CE, CCNA-Security, GSEC, or SSCP) Experience managing complex systems throughout their life cycle, from design to implementation and maintenance. Experience connecting and integrating disparate systems into a cohesive and unified infrastructure. Demonstrated experience leading and coordinating projects from initiation to successful completion Knowledge of physical IT infrastructure (e.g. Servers, SANs, Networking, etc.). Experience managing and validating business & tech requirements, including functional non-functional elements. Hands on experience designing & implementing secure infrastructure systems to align with organizational policies. Demonstrated experience working with vendors (RMA processes, support interactions) Hands on experience creating blueprints for designing and maintaining scalable, secure, and reliable systems. Experience with Incorporating enterprise security measures and managing secur