Cloud Systems Administrator - SME

Responsibilities

Peraton is currently seeking to hire an experienced Cloud Systems Administrator that will serve as the primary Cloud Subject Matter Expert (SME) for Operations & Maintenance with our Department of State program.  

Location: Beltsville, MD. Flexible for occasional telework – must be local to work location.

Role Description: 

You will be the leading Cloud Subject Matter Expert for Operations & Maintenance, reporting to the System Administration Team. As the designated SME, the Cloud Systems Administrator will provide strategic guidance on cloud practices, proactively address and troubleshoot complex issues, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to optimize and support cloud-based operations in alignment with the goals of Operations & Maintenance. This role will be instrumental in shaping cloud strategies that enhance operational efficiency and drive continuous improvement.

In this role, you will: 

• Manage and maintain cloud infrastructure and services on Azure or with a focus on security and scalability.
• Implement and monitor security controls to protect cloud environments from threats, vulnerabilities, and unauthorized access.
• Deploy, manage, and troubleshoot cloud-based virtual machines, storage, networking, and databases.
• Develop and execute cloud migration strategies for legacy applications and data, ensuring minimal disruption and optimal security.
• Configure, manage, and optimize virtual private cloud (VPC), security groups, network ACLs, and routing tables.
• Automate routine cloud tasks using infrastructure-as-code (laC) tools like Terraform or Ansible.
• Set up and manage identity and access management (IAM) roles, policies, and permissions to secure access to cloud resources.
• Monitor system health, network performance, and security logs to detect and respond to anomalies or security incidents.
• Design and implement backup and disaster recovery solutions in alignment with business continuity requirements.
• Integrate and manage multi-cloud and hybrid environments, coordinating workloads across on-premises and cloud data centers.
• Collaborate with development and DevOps teams to support CI/CD pipelines and containerized applications using tools like Docker and Kubernetes.
• Design and implement cloud network architecture to optimize performance, security, and load balancing.
• Ensure compliance with industry standards, regulatory frameworks, and best practices (e.g., NIST, CIS, SOC 2, GDPR).
• Manage data encryption, key management, and tokenization solutions to protect sensitive data in transit and at rest.
• Perform vulnerability assessments and remediation to mitigate risks within cloud environments.
• Develop and enforce cloud security policies and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for system administrators.
• Support the integration of security information and event management (SIEM) solutions like Splunk or Cloud Trail for log management and monitoring.
• Conduct regular audits of cloud resources and permissions to ensure compliance with internal and external security policies.
• Design, develop, and test business continuity and disaster recovery plans, including failover and failback procedures.
• Coordinate incident response activities and lead forensic investigations when cloud security incidents occur.
• Maintain a strong understanding of cloud service agreements, SLAs, and contractual obligations regarding data security and privacy.
• Educate team members on best practices for securing cloud resources and data in multi-cloud environments.
• Collaborate with cybersecurity teams to conduct penetration testing and red/blue team exercises within the cloud.
• Develop custom scripts and tools to automate cloud management tasks, increase efficiency, and enhance security posture.
• Research and implement emerging cloud security technologies to bolster the organization's defenses against evolving threats.
• Manage the lifecycle of cloud resources, including resource tagging, cost monitoring, and rightsizing.
• Maintain up-to-date documentation on cloud architecture, security controls, and incident response procedures.
• Provide technical support and troubleshooted for cloud-related issues, working closely with internal stakeholders.
• Participate in on-call rotations, responding to critical cloud infrastructure issues after hours as needed.

#DSCM

Qualifications

Required for the role: 

• A bachelors degree and 9 years of relevant experience; 7 relevant years of experience with a Masters; 4 relevant years of experience with a PhD. An additional 4 years of relevant experience will be considered in lieu of degree. 
• Possess one of the following certifications: CASP CE, CCNA Cyber Ops, CCNA-Security, CCNP Security, CEH ,CFR,CISA ,CISSP (or Associate),Cloud , CySA , GCED, GCIA, GCIH ,GICSP. SCYBER, VCA DCV, PPDA, Agile IC, SNOW App Dev.
• U.S. citizenship required. 
• Ability to obtain a Secret security clearance. 
  • Ability to obtain a final Top Secret clearance.
• Ability to support during core business hours (09:00AM – 05:00PM).

Peraton Overview

Peraton is a next-generation national security company that drives missions of consequence spanning the globe and extending to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. As the world’s leading mission capability integrator and transformative enterprise IT provider, we deliver trusted, highly differentiated solutions and technologies to protect our nation and allies. Peraton operates at the critical nexus between traditional and nontraditional threats across all domains: land, sea, space, air, and cyberspace. The company serves as a valued partner to essential government agencies and supports every branch of the U.S. armed forces. Each day, our employees do the can’t be done by solving the most daunting challenges facing our customers. Visit peraton.com to learn how we’re keeping people around the world safe and secure.

Target Salary Range

Salary : $104,000 - $166,000