System Administrator, Linux

IT Overland Park, Kansas


Description

The Linux System Administrator is responsible for the installation, configuration, maintenance, security, and performance of Linux-based servers and infrastructure. This role ensures system availability, reliability, and operational efficiency while supporting business applications, users, and IT initiatives.

This is a hybrid working role that requires 3 days onsite, in office, per week. 

Responsibilities

  • Administer Linux servers and operating systems across development, test, and production environments.
  • Monitor system health, performance, and availability.
  • Perform operating system installations, upgrades, and patching.
  • Implement and maintain security controls and compliance requirements.
  • Troubleshoot and resolve hardware, software, and infrastructure issues.
  • Manage user accounts, permissions, and authentication services.
  • Maintain backup and recovery processes.
  • Develop and maintain infrastructure automation solutions.
  • Create and update technical documentation, procedures, and system diagrams.
  • Participate in incident response, root cause analysis, and problem resolution.
  • Support change management and system maintenance activities.
  • Collaborate with application, network, security, and cloud teams.

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field; or equivalent work experience.
  • Relevant certifications preferred (RHCSA, RHCE, Linux+, LPIC, AWS SysOps, or equivalent).
  • 3+ years of experience administering Linux operating systems in enterprise environments.
  • Experience supporting physical, virtual, and cloud-hosted Linux servers.
  • Experience with enterprise monitoring, backup, and security tools.
  • Strong experience with Linux distributions such as:
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
  • Rocky Linux
  • AlmaLinux
  • Ubuntu
  • SUSE Linux Enterprise

System Administration

  • Installation, configuration, and maintenance of Linux servers.
  • User and group administration.
  • Filesystem management and disk provisioning.
  • Service management using systemd.
  • Performance tuning and system optimization.
  • Patch management and operating system upgrades.

Scripting and Automation

Proficiency in:

  • Bash shell scripting
  • Python (preferred)
  • Ansible or similar automation tools
  • Ability to automate routine administrative tasks.

Networking

Understanding of:

  • TCP/IP
  • DNS
  • DHCP
  • SSH
  • NFS
  • LDAP
  • VPN technologies
  • Experience troubleshooting network connectivity issues.

Virtualization and Cloud

Experience with:

  • VMware vSphere
  • Hyper-V
  • KVM
  • AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud
  • Managing virtual machines and cloud infrastructure.

Security

Knowledge of Linux security best practices.

Experience with:

  • SELinux/AppArmor
  • Firewall configuration (firewalld, iptables, nftables)
  • Vulnerability remediation
  • Access controls and auditing
  • Security compliance standards

Monitoring and Logging

Experience with monitoring and logging tools such as:

  • Nagios
  • Zabbix
  • Splunk
  • ELK Stack
  • Prometheus
  • Grafana

Storage and Backup

Knowledge of:

  • RAID configurations
  • LVM management
  • SAN/NAS environments
  • Backup and recovery procedures
  • Disaster recovery planning

Preferred Skills

  • Container technologies (Docker, Podman).
  • Kubernetes or OpenShift administration.
  • Configuration management tools (Ansible, Puppet, Chef).
  • DevOps practices and CI/CD pipelines.
  • Git version control.
  • Infrastructure as Code (Terraform).
  • Enterprise directory services integration.
  • Experience in highly available and clustered environments.

Soft Skills

  • Strong analytical and troubleshooting abilities.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  • Ability to work independently and within a team environment.
  • Strong organizational and time-management skills.
  • Customer service and stakeholder engagement skills.
  • Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Physical and Operational Requirements

  • Ability to participate in on-call rotations and after-hours support.
  • Ability to support maintenance windows during evenings or weekends as needed.
  • Ability to lift and install server hardware when required.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain any required security clearances.

Success Factors

A successful Linux System Administrator will:

  • Maintain high system availability and uptime.
  • Proactively identify and resolve issues before service impact.
  • Automate repetitive tasks to improve operational efficiency.
  • Ensure systems remain secure, patched, and compliant.
  • Provide excellent support to users and technical teams.