Linux System Administrator

Belay Technologies has been voted Baltimore Business Journal's (BBJ) Best Places to Work 2026! Belay Technologies is seeking a Linux Systems Administrator with 10+ years of experience and a technical degree to support secure, mission-critical environments. The ideal candidate will have experience with firewall rules, Ansible scripting, Linux administration, and virtualized environments.

You should have practical experience with CI/CD pipelines and containerization tools. managing system performance and security, troubleshooting complex infrastructure issues, and deploying and maintaining Kubernetes clusters and containerized applications.

Responsibilities include implementing security hardening and vulnerability remediation, managing container orchestration and high availability, and leveraging automation and Infrastructure as Code tools such as Ansible, Terraform, Git, Jenkins, and GitLab CI/CD to streamline infrastructure provisioning, configuration management, and deployment workflows.

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of professional experience in systems administration or a closely related field.
• Active TS/SCI clearance with Polygraph Extensive hands-on experience administering Linux operating systems in enterprise or mission-critical environments.
• Demonstrated experience deploying, operating, and troubleshooting Kubernetes clusters and containerized applications.
• Strong knowledge of container technologies, including Docker, containerd, and OCI-compatible images.
• Experience with scripting and automation using Bash, Python, or similar languages.
• Proficiency with configuration management and Infrastructure as Code tools, such as Ansible and Terraform.
• Experience with Git-based version control and CI/CD platforms.
• Strong understanding of TCP/IP networking, DNS, routing, firewalls, load balancing, and Linux network troubleshooting.
• Experience with system monitoring, log analysis, performance tuning, and root cause analysis.
• Knowledge of Linux and container security, system hardening, vulnerability remediation, and access control.
• Ability to work independently, manage competing priorities, and communicate technical issues effectively.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Kubernetes distributions such as Red Hat OpenShift or Rancher Kubernetes.
• Familiarity with GitOps tools such as Argo CD or Flux.
• Experience with Helm, Kustomize, and Kubernetes operators.
• Experience implementing DISA STIGs, Security Content Automation Protocol (SCAP) assessments, and vulnerability remediation workflows.
• Familiarity with security monitoring tools such as Splunk and enterprise observability platforms.
• Experience with virtualization platforms such as VMware vSphere or KVM.
• Experience supporting disconnected, air-gapped, or restricted-network environments.
• Knowledge of storage platforms, SAN/NAS, persistent storage, and distributed storage solutions.
• Relevant certifications such as Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE), Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA), Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS), or comparable credentials.

Perks and Benefits

• 8 weeks paid leave - 4 weeks of personal leave, 3 Yay! days, take off on your birthday,11 paid holidays and optional leave up to 6 days through Belay's volunteer program 10% matching in 401(k) contributions vested on day one $5,000 annual training/tuition Student Loan Repayment Program 100% company-funded HSA Rich medical coverage (100% coinsurance) Dental coverage including orthodontia Up to $420,000 in life insurance, premiums 100% company funded Amazon Prime, gym reimbursement, monthly lunches, games and prizes Pet adoption program, generous referral bonus program, fun events, and more!
• At Belay, we are committed to creating an environment where you can thrive both professionally and personally.
• We believe in transparency and fairness in compensation.
• Several factors influence final salary including, but not limited to, geographic location, Federal Government contract labor categories and contract wage rates, relevant prior work experience, education, specific skills and competencies and certifications.
• Belay offers a competitive total compensation package that includes benefits and perks, a flexible work-life balance, and career development.
• Salary Range: $168,000.00 to $195,000.00 Belay Technologies is a certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business located in Columbia, Maryland (Baltimore/Washington area).
• Belay Technologies specializes in systems automation and full stack development.
• Belay Technologies provides leading technology and engineering solutions to the DoD, as well as state-of-the-art commercial products.
• We hire software engineers, web designers, test engineers, systems engineers, systems administrators, database engineers and other tech services.
• We are an Equal Opportunity Employer.
• Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, genetic factors, military/veteran status or other characteristics protected by law.