Principal Linux Systems Administrator / Sr. Principal Linux Systems Administrator (AHT)
Northrop Grumman Defense Systems seeks a Linux Systems Administrator to join our diverse team, working on the Forward Area Air Defense (FAAD) portfolio of programs in Redondo Beach, CA. The selected candidate will perform system administration duties for an Army Air Defense System that includes defense against manned aircraft; rockets, artillery, and mortars; unmanned aerial systems (UAS); and cruise missile defense.
This requisition may be filled at the Principal or Senior Principal Systems Administrator level:
- Principal Systems Administrator - Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related discipline (and 5 years of relevant experience in Object Oriented Languages (OOL); or 3 Years with Masters; 0 Years with PhD) or 9 years of experience in lieu of degree may be considered
- Senior Principal Systems Administrator - Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related discipline (and 8 years of relevant experience in Object Oriented Languages (OOL); or 6 Years with Masters; 3 Years with PhD) or 12 years of experience in lieu of degree may be considered
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
- Administer, monitor, and maintain Linux-based systems in lab and development environments, including configuration, patching, and troubleshooting
- Load, customize, and harden Linux development workstations and servers to meet program security and performance requirements
- Troubleshoot and repair hardware problems, including diagnosing faulty components and coordinating repair or replacement
- Respond rapidly to high priority incidents, diagnose root causes across OS, network, and hardware layers, and restore service for critical lab environments
- Collaborate closely with software developers and other engineering teams to support build environments, development workflows, and OS-related issues
- Document system configurations, procedures, and changes, and contribute to maintaining accurate lab infrastructure inventories
Basic Qualifications:
- Strong understanding of Linux system administration (Red Hat or similar enterprise distributions) in lab, development, or production environments
- Experience installing, configuring, and troubleshooting Linux operating systems, software, servers, and associated lab hardware, including managing user accounts, groups, and file system permissions
- Experience troubleshooting operating systems, networks, and hardware issues across servers and workstations
- Experience performing OS level package management, building and maintaining custom RPMs, handling kernel/driver interactions, and conducting performance tuning in Linux environments
- Familiarity with scripting (e.g., shell scripting) for system configuration, automation, and maintenance tasks
- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with engineers and technical leads on schedule driven programs
- Hold or able to obtain DoD Secret clearance
Following are good to have, but are not required:
- Familiarity with virtualization platforms (e.g., VMware) and applying security patches and updates to virtualized environments
- Experience supporting backup and restore solutions
- Experience with vulnerability scanning and security compliance, applying OS/security patches, managing patch repositories, and maintaining antivirus tools
- Experience supporting build and deployment environments, including maintaining build scripts and installation media for development environments
- Current DoD Secret clearance
Skills Required
- Strong understanding of Linux system administration (Red Hat or similar enterprise distributions)
- Experience installing, configuring, and troubleshooting Linux operating systems, servers, and lab hardware
- Experience troubleshooting OS, network, and hardware issues across servers and workstations
- Experience with OS-level package management, building and maintaining custom RPMs, kernel/driver interactions, and performance tuning
- Familiarity with scripting for system configuration and automation (e.g., shell scripting)
- Ability to work collaboratively with engineers and technical leads on schedule-driven programs
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related discipline plus relevant years of experience (Principal: Bachelor's +5 years OOL or alternatives; Senior Principal: Bachelor's +8 years OOL or alternatives) or equivalent experience as described
- Hold or be able to obtain DoD Secret clearance (U.S. Citizenship required)
- Familiarity with virtualization platforms (e.g., VMware)
- Experience supporting backup and restore solutions
- Experience with vulnerability scanning, security compliance, patch repositories, and antivirus tools
- Experience supporting build and deployment environments, build scripts, and installation media
- Current DoD Secret clearance
Northrop Grumman Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Northrop Grumman and has not been reviewed or approved by Northrop Grumman.
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Retirement Support — 401(k) matching is considered strong, with additional defined-benefit coverage for certain cohorts and options like catch-up contributions. Retirement programs are repeatedly highlighted as a core strength of the total rewards.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — PTO, company-paid holidays, and compressed work schedules (such as 9/80) provide meaningful time away and flexibility. These scheduling options are cited as a major quality-of-life benefit across many locations.
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Parental & Family Support — Paid parental leave alongside caregiver leave, adoption assistance, and back-up care supports a range of family needs. These programs have been expanded recently, signaling continued investment in family support.
Northrop Grumman Insights
What We Do
We are a close-knit community of big thinkers collaborating to keep the world safe. Our passion, creativity and expertise bring next-level technology solutions to life in autonomous systems, cyber, C4ISR, strike, space, and logistics and modernization for our customers around the globe. On the Northrop Grumman team, you’ll join our pursuit of excellence immersed in a dynamic culture of innovation and respect. Your unique perspective will help achieve our shared vision for the future of global security. Every step of the way, you'll be supported by world-class training, employee resource groups and a comprehensive benefits package that enables greater health and happiness for you and your family. Worldwide and across disciplines, we’re challenging what’s possible for technology to protect people and places from undersea to outer space and into cyberspace. And we see the impact of our performance every day. We are Northrop Grumman, and we work on what matters—now, you too can make a difference. Explore opportunities in engineering, IT, manufacturing, business management, cybersecurity and more with us. Northrop Grumman is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.






