Systems Administrator — Lakeland, FL

Job Title: Systems Administrator

Location: NOAA Aircraft Operations Center (Client), Lakeland, FL (100% On-site)

Clearance Required: Ability to obtain a Public Trust clearance

Salary: $70K-$90K / Based on Years of Experience

Application Deadline: November 30, 2026

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Description

QW6Q is seeking a Systems Administrator to support the NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) Marine and Aviation Cyber Center (MACC) at the Aircraft Operations Center in Lakeland, FL. Client operates and maintains NOAA's fleet of specialized aircraft and uncrewed aircraft systems, collecting environmental data used for hurricane research, tropical cyclone forecasting, and other scientific missions. The Systems Administrator will operate, patch, and maintain Client's on-premises and cloud server infrastructure. They will also support identity and access management and carry out controlled changes through the MACC Change Control Board, timing all work around aircraft schedules and mission windows. This role requires participation in on-call rotation for Severity 1 outages, with surge support during hurricane and field seasons.

Key Responsibilities:

• Install, configure, upgrade, and maintain Windows and Linux servers, virtualization platforms (VMware, Hyper-V), and cloud environments (Azure, AWS) hosted at Client or by cloud service providers.

• Monitor system health, capacity, storage, backups, and services using enterprise toolsets. Recommend capacity thresholds and perform performance tuning, hardware upgrades, and resource optimization.

• Patch systems using approved tools (BigFix, ManageEngine, Microsoft Intune, Ansible), meeting the 30-day standard patch target and Government-directed emergency patch timelines while avoiding disruption to aircraft operations.

• Support Linux image builds, installation media, and virtual hosts for aircraft mission and data systems, keeping configurations under version control.

• Develop and maintain infrastructure-as-code, automation, and configuration management solutions (Ansible, scripting) to standardize provisioning, patching, backup, and reporting.

• Maintain Active Directory constructs (OUs, Group Policy, device entries) and membership, certificate services, and integration of non-Windows systems into AD. Support the NOAA2220 migration to the NOAA Enterprise Active Directory (ESAE).

• Use dedicated administrator accounts, workstations, and "Gold” tokens for privileged administration. Support HSPD-12 phishing-resistant authentication (CAC, PIV, Alt-Tokens).

• Prepare Change Requests in ServiceNow and support Engineering Review Board/Change Control Board approvals. Implement approved changes, validate results, and update configuration records for DHCP, DNS, VPN, web, and print services.

• Provide Tier 3 troubleshooting and coordinate with MACC, Government, cloud, and vendor specialists through incident restoration.

• Maintain server inventory and documentation (names, locations, IP addresses, operating systems), along with hardware and software maintenance, licensing, and warranty records. Contribute to monthly and quarterly server performance and capacity reports.

• Participate in primary/alternate on-call rotation for Severity 1 outages and perform scheduled maintenance after hours or on weekends as approved by the Government.

Required Skills /Education/ Certifications & Qualifications:

• 5+ years administering Windows and Linux servers, virtualization, Active Directory, automation, and patching in an enterprise environment.

• Bachelor's degree

• Hands-on experience with Ansible, Apache, enterprise patch management, and monitoring tools.

• Working knowledge of federal IT security requirements (FISMA, NIST 800-53) and supporting POA&M remediation through configuration and patching.

• Must be able to obtain and maintain a High Risk Public Trust background investigation through the Department of Commerce. U.S. citizenship is required for any position requiring a security clearance.

• Ability to work on-site at Client in Lakeland, FL, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and support after-hours on-call and hurricane-season surge needs.

Desired Skills:

• Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA), Microsoft Certified Azure Administrator, or additional virtualization certifications.

• Experience supporting aviation, maritime, or field-deployed IT environments with limited connectivity.

• Experience with ServiceNow change management, Nexenta storage, or Apple device administration.

• Familiarity with ITIL 4 practices.

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About KBFt gehY.

Since 1992, QW6Q, a woman-owned small business, has provided transformational consulting services to the Federal defense, civilian, and commercial sectors. Our services include cybersecurity and enterprise information technology, environmental science and engineering (including oceans, coasts, climate, and weather), and professional management services.

Our approach is to serve our employees by investing in their growth and development. As a result, our employees bring greater capabilities and provide exceptional service to our clients. In addition to creating career development opportunities for our employees, QW6Q is passionate about giving back to the community and serving the environment. We strive to leave something better behind for the next generation.

We measure our success by the positive impact we have on our employees, clients, partners, and the communities we serve. Our tagline, Powered by Excellence, is a recognition of the employees that make up QW6Q and ensures we deliver results with quality, applying industry best practices and certifications.

QW6Q offers a competitive benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage with a company-paid deductible, paid time off, federal holidays, a matching 401K plan, tuition/professional development reimbursement, and Flex-Spending (FSA)/Dependent Care Account (DCA) options.

QW6Q is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or genetic information. Click •••••••• to see that the EEO is the law. Please direct any inquiries to the HR Department email at ••••••••.

If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to the Talent Acquisition department at ••••••••