Job Specifications
Job Summary
The U.S. Department of Census is seeking a highly skilled and senior-level Linux Engineer to join our core infrastructure team. This role is responsible for the engineering, administration, and support of our large-scale Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) environment, which spans RHEL 7, RHEL 8, and RHEL 9.
A primary mission for this position will be to help plan, execute, and drive the enterprise-wide migration from RHEL 7 to RHEL 9. The ideal candidate must be a technical expert in RHEL system administration and possess a proven track record of managing complex OS lifecycle projects. This role requires extensive collaboration, and you will be a key technical liaison, supporting application owners by providing guidance, troubleshooting, and remediation support to ensure a seamless transition of critical services onto the new platform.
Key Responsibilities
RHEL 7 to RHEL 9 Migration:
Serve as a technical lead and subject matter expert for the RHEL 7 to RHEL 9 migration project
Develop migration strategies, including in-place upgrades, new builds, and application re-platforming
Actively partner with application owners to assess application compatibility with RHEL 9, identify dependencies, and develop test plans
Provide hands-on support to application teams during migration, troubleshooting package, library, and configuration-related issues
System Administration & Engineering:
Manage the day-to-day operations of the RHEL 7, 8, and 9 server fleet, including provisioning, configuration, and decommissioning
Develop and maintain automation solutions using Ansible, Bash, or Python for patching, configuration management, and system builds
Manage RHEL subscriptions, repositories, and patching lifecycles using Red Hat Satellite
Support and Security:
Perform system hardening and ensure compliance with federal security standards (NIST, FISMA, and DISA STIGs)
Serve as a senior escalation point for all Linux-related incidents, performing advanced troubleshooting and root cause analysis
Monitor system performance, capacity, and health, implementing proactive measures to ensure stability
Create and maintain comprehensive documentation, including system diagrams, build guides, and standard operating procedures (SOPs)
Participate in an on-call rotation for 24/7/365 operational support
Requirements
Must be a U.S. Citizen
Must be able to pass a background investigation to obtain and maintain a Public Trust security clearance
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field (or 4+ additional years of equivalent experience)
7+ years of dedicated experience as a Linux/RHEL Engineer or Administrator in a large-scale, 24/7 data center environment
Expert-level proficiency with RHEL 7 and RHEL 8 system administration
Demonstrated experience with RHEL 9, including installation, configuration, and migration
Proven experience planning and executing a large-scale OS migration (e.g., RHEL 6 to 7, or 7 to 8/9)
Strong, documented experience supporting application owners and development teams during OS or platform migrations
Strong proficiency in scripting and automation (Bash and/or Ansible)
Hands-on experience with Red Hat Satellite for patch management and provisioning
Solid understanding of networking concepts (TCP/IP, VLANs, DNS) and storage (SAN/LUNs) as they relate to RHEL
Preferred Qualifications
Active Public Trust clearance
Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) or Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA)
Experience with RHEL high-availability clustering and GFS2
Experience with Red Hat Identity Management (IdM) / FreeIPA
Familiarity with container technologies (Podman, Docker, OpenShift)
Deep knowledge of federal security hardening (STIGs, CIS Benchmarks)
Benefits
401(k) with matching and 100% Vested
Health Insurance - 3 plans to select from
Dental insurance
Vision Insurance
Health savings account
Life insurance
Short Term Disability
Long Term Disability
AD&D
Paid time off
Professional development assistance
Training
Tuition reimbursement
Flexible schedule
Flexible spending account
Referral program
Paid Legal Plan
and more...
Ignite IT is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, Veteran status, sexual orientation, or other protected characteristic. In accordance with EO 13665 Final Rule, Ignite IT will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant.
Applicants selected must be able to possess and maintain a government clearance
About the Company
Ignite IT is an established leader in providing innovative, integrated AI solutions tailored to large federal agencies. Enriching its core AI expertise, the company also excels in world-class cybersecurity, Agile methodologies, DevSecOps, Cloud services, Low code/No code platforms, and Human Centered Design. With headquarters in Ashburn, Virginia, the company holds CMMI-SVC/3, ISO 20000-1:2018, ISO 27001:2013, and ISO 9001:2015 certifications.
We enable mission services that enable Enterprise companies to succeed in digita...
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