Senior Systems Administrator (Lead)

Empower AI is AI for government. Empower AI gives federal agency leaders the tools to elevate the potential of their workforce with a direct path for meaningful transformation. Headquartered in Reston, Va., Empower AI leverages three decades of experience solving complex challenges in Health, Defense, and Civilian missions. Our proven Empower AI Platform® provides a practical, sustainable path for clients to achieve transformation that is true to who they are, what they do, how they work, with the resources they have. The result is a government workforce that is exponentially more creative and productive. For more information, visit www.Empower.ai.

Empower AI is proud to be recognized as a 2024 Military Friendly Employer by Viqtory, the publisher of G.I. Jobs. This designation reflects the company’s commitment to hiring and supporting active-duty and veteran employees.

Position Overview 

As the OMC Senior Systems Administrator (Lead), you will act as a model of customer service excellence to all organizational staff members in the 6.14.12 Office of Military Commissions Dedicated Support (OPTIONAL) as part of DISA’s C4E J6 Service Delivery contract. You will be responsible for leading the OMC MCDO IT Support Team at CG1, managing systems administrators, directing O&M for NIPR, SIPR, JWICS, and SAP infrastructure, and overseeing ATO compliance and team performance in support of approximately 400 OMC users. In assuming this position, you will be a critical contributor to meeting Empower AI’s mission: To deliver innovative, cost-effective solutions and services that enable our customers to rapidly adapt to dynamic environments. 

The primary duty of this position is management of the OMC MCDO IT Support Team: customarily and regularly leading and directing IT Support Technicians and systems administrators; independently exercising authority on performance management, ATO compliance, STIG implementation, Active Directory administration, and all O&M activities. The candidate applies highly specialized senior-level systems administration expertise to lead complex infrastructure operations and exercises significant independent judgment on matters of technical and operational significance. 

Primary Duty – OMC IT Team Leadership, Systems Administration Authority, and Independent Judgment 

• Leads and manages the OMC MCDO IT Support Team at CG1; customarily and regularly directs the work of IT Support Technicians and systems administrators; creates and manages work schedules, tracks daily attendance, and independently assesses staff performance, conducts reviews, and facilitates professional development. 

• Independently leads ISSO ATO tasks including DISA STIG implementation, RMF security scan responses, and ATO remediation with DISA and DIA; conducts planning, implementation, validation, and verification of all server system upgrades, patches, and STIGs to meet ATO requirements. 

• Leads O&M support for NIPRNET, SIPRNET, and JWICS system infrastructure (~400 users) and SAP domain, storage, SQL database, workstation, and printer infrastructure (~150 users); administers and maintains Microsoft Active Directory and GPOs. 

• Leads data backup and restoration capabilities and DFS-R replication of network file share volumes between NCR and NSGB locations; independently implements and maintains enterprise knowledge base leveraging KM best practices. 

• Develops performance measurements utilizing the service desk platform; provides feedback to team members on customer service and technical skills; utilizes ITIL best practices to enhance services. 

• Coordinates with OMC IT leadership and JSP to resolve complex infrastructure incidents; independently determines escalation paths and corrective actions for the most complex OMC IT issues. 

Highlights of Responsibilities 

In fulfillment of the primary duty described above, and in performance of PWS Section 6.14.12 task requirements, the candidate is responsible for: 

• Leading and managing a team of IT Support Technicians, providing technical direction and performance oversight for OMC system users. 

• Creating and managing work schedules, tracking daily attendance, and developing initiatives to improve OMC Service Center operations. 

• Developing performance measurements utilizing the service desk platform and providing feedback to team members on customer service and technical skills. 

• Implementing and maintaining an enterprise knowledge base leveraging knowledge management best practices. 

• Assessing staff performance, conducting reviews, and facilitating professional and technical development opportunities for the team. 

• Utilizing ITIL best practices to enhance and optimize services provided to OMC end users. 

• Leading O&M support for NIPRNET, SIPRNET, and JWICS system infrastructure supporting approximately 400 users. 

• Leading O&M support for Special Access System (SAP) domain, storage, SQL database, workstation, and printer infrastructure supporting approximately 150 users. 

• Administering and maintaining the Microsoft Active Directory environment, ensuring stability, security, and performance. 

• Managing Group Policy Objects (GPOs) to enforce security policies and configurations. 

• Leading ISSO ATO tasks including DISA STIG implementation, RMF security scan responses, and ATO remediation with DISA and DIA. 

• Leading data backup and restoration capabilities for NIPR, SIPR, JWICS, and Special Access Systems. 

• Leading replication of network file share volumes via DFS-R between NCR and NSGB locations. 

• Conducting planning, implementation, validation, and verification of all server system upgrades, patches, and STIGs to meet ATO requirements. 

• Coordinating with OMC IT leadership and JSP to resolve complex infrastructure incidents and implement approved changes. 

• Additional duties as assigned. 

Requirements 

• Active TS/SCI security clearance at time of award. 

• Demonstrated ability to lead and direct the work of IT Support Technicians and systems administrators; customarily and regularly directing the work of two or more employees in a TS/SCI classified IT environment. 

• Expert-level knowledge of enterprise systems administration including Microsoft Active Directory, GPOs, VMware virtualization, DISA STIGs, RMF, and multi-classification NIPR/SIPR/JWICS/SAP infrastructure. 

• Strong customer service orientation with demonstrated experience in mission-critical or classified IT support environments. 

• Proven analytical and problem-solving abilities. 

• Ability to effectively prioritize and execute tasks in a high-pressure environment. 

• Good written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills; ability to present ideas in business-friendly and user-friendly language. 

• Ability to conduct research into PC and software issues and products as required. 

• Highly self-motivated and directed; capable of operating with minimal supervision. 

• Keen attention to detail and rigorous documentation standards consistent with DoD compliance requirements. 

• Team-oriented and skilled in working within a collaborative environment. 

Education and Experience Required:

• Required Education: Master’s Degree in IT, Computer Science, or related field; or equivalent combination of vendor certification (including vendor certification in the technology being applied) and directly relevant professional experience accepted in lieu of degree. 

• Required Experience: 15 or more years of progressively responsible professional experience in enterprise systems administration, team leadership, and multi-classification network operations. 

• Prior experience supporting a DoD or J6 or OMC customer environment is strongly preferred. 

• Required Certifications: ITIL v4 Foundations, CompTIA Security+ (or higher DoD 8140‑approved certification), VMware Certified Professional (VCP) – relevant track (e.g., VCP-DCV, VCP-VCF), Microsoft Certification (one required): 

Microsoft Certified: Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate (AZ-800/801) 

Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate 

Equivalent Microsoft role-based certification aligned to server, infrastructure, or identity management 

Physical Requirements 

The essential physical functions below are incidental to the primary duties of this position and are performed in furtherance of the responsibilities described herein: 

• Ability to sit and stand for extended periods in a professional office or secure facility environment. 

• Ability to ambulate throughout office buildings and secure facilities. 

• Ability to stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl as required to access equipment in confined spaces. 

• Ability to repeatedly lift and carry equipment up to 50 pounds. 

All hiring and promotion decisions at Empower AI are based on merit to bring the best talent available to contribute to our firm’s overall success. It is the policy of Empower AI not to discriminate against any applicant for employment, or employee because of age, color, sex, disability, national origin, race, religion, or veteran status. Empower AI is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.

If hired for this position, the base salary range would be within the range provided. The base salary range represents the anticipated low and high end of the salary range for this position. Actual salaries may vary based on various factors including but not limited to work location, skills, experience, gov con contractual requirements, and performance. The range listed is just one component of Empower AI's total compensation package for employees.