Distributed Active Archive Center Information Technology Lead

Job Description:

Analytical Mechanics Associates, Inc., (AMA) is currently looking to hire a highly motivated and experienced Systems Administrator to serve as the Distributed Active Archive Center Information Technology Lead DAAC IT Lead). AMA supports the DAAC at LaRC as part of the RSES contract (Research, Science, and Engineering Services) in Hampton, VA. DAACs and cooperating data centers are responsible for processing, archiving and distributing NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS) and related data. They also provide a full range of support to global change researchers.

The candidate will be responsible in ensuring the security, compliance, and resilience of the DAAC in Hampton, VA. This is a leadership role, where you will be responsible for risk assessments, configuration management, implementing security controls, managing compliance efforts, and leading incident response in a government environment. The ideal candidate will have experience working with federal compliance frameworks, securing hybrid cloud environments, and managing actions across the entire team of System Administrators.

Job Description

The successful candidate will provide HSPD-12/SMART ID credential administration and support to NASA Security and Badge and Pass operations by performing the following tasks:

• Conduct comprehensive risk assessments and manage continuous monitoring efforts for both on-premises and cloud environments.

• Understanding of Amazon Web Services (AWS)

• Oversee physical security and network security measures for on-premises infrastructure, including firewalls, VPNs, and IDS/IPS systems.

• Lead incident response efforts.

• Perform regular vulnerability assessments and manage patching processes.

• Drive cloud security posture management (CSPM) initiatives.

• Manage identity and access management (IAM) strategies, including the implementation of MFA, SSO, and privileged access management (PAM) solutions.

• Ensure continuous compliance with government regulations, preparing systems for internal and external audits.

• Collaborate with DevOps and IT teams to integrate security into CI/CD pipelines, leveraging Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools such as Terraform, Ansible and/or CloudFormation.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science or relevant coursework and certifications.

• 5 – 10 years’ experience in an enterprise systems environment as a system administrator and security agent.

• Ability to represent systems through good communication skills (orally and in well—documented plans) with customer, including ISSO and OCIO

• Knowledge and understanding of LINUX environments (filesystems, storage, architecture).

• Understanding/familiarity with OpenShift.

• Expertise in securing physical, virtual, and containerized infrastructures in a hybrid environment.

• Proficiency with vulnerability management tools such as Nessus, AWS Inspector, or OpenVAS.

• Experience with endpoint security, network security, and firewall management.

• Experience with SIE integration and incident response in complex environments.

• Experience leading or coordinating compliance audits and ensuring ongoing compliance with federal regulations

• Familiarity with “DevSecOps” practices and securing CI/CD pipelines in an on-premises and cloud environment

• Knowledge of configuration management protocols to lead relevant activities and ensure up-to-date inventory of systems, software, and libraries

• Strong leadership and communication skills to work effectively with cross-functional teams

• Experience with coordinating with stakeholders within and outside the organization

• Ability to support multiple objectives, track own work and provide updates to stakeholders

• Ability to set priorities and meet deadlines

• Proficient user of Microsoft Excel, Outlook, and Word

Preferred Qualifications

• Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)

• Previous experience with a NASA or other US government agency

• Knowledge of Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) controls

• Experience with keeping up with industry standards and implementing System Administration (SA) best practices in a Linux environments.

• Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS)

• Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)

• Familiarity with Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) with certification

• Strong knowledge of identity management, MFA, and RBAC for hybrid environments

• Excellent communication skills

• Self-starter who can work independently or as part of a team

• Ability to work with stakeholders in a hybrid environment

The selected applicant will be subject to a security investigation and employment is based on the ability to attain Minimum Background Investigation clearance and physical and logical access to NASA LaRC.

U.S. Citizenship or Permanent Residence is required.

Analytical Mechanics Associates (AMA) is proud of our customer relationships, our diverse and dynamic work environment, and our employees' career satisfaction. AMA is a small business with a wide reach; headquartered in Hampton, VA, AMA has operations in Greenbelt, MD; Huntsville, AL; Dallas and Houston, TX; Denver, CO; Mountain View, CA; and Edwards Air Force Base, CA. With over 60 years of experience, AMA specializes in aerospace engineering, science, analytics, information technology, and visualization solutions. AMA combines the best of engineering, science, and mathematics capabilities with the latest in information technologies, visualization, and multimedia to build creative solutions. We offer competitive salaries and a substantial benefits package, including but not limited to paid personal and federally recognized holiday leave, salary deferrals into a 401(k)-matching plan with immediate vesting, tuition reimbursement, short/long term disability plans, and a variety of medical, dental, and vision insurance options.

AMA is committed to the professional growth of every employee, understanding that the successes of our employees drive our success. We provide a work environment that is engaging, collaborative, and supportive. To learn more about our company, please visit our website at www.ama-inc.com/careers and follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn.

AMA is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any applicant for employment or employee because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic prohibited under federal, state, or local laws.