System and Database Administration Lead - Cleared

Company Description TrueTandem's mission is to be a trusted information technology solutions provider, committed to the success of our customers, communities and employees. To enable this mission, we listen to our customers’ needs, empower our dedicated and talented employees, envision success together, and deliver innovative cost-effective solutions. For our customers, we aim to deliver more power to meet their business outcomes through technology implementation, integration, optimization and customization. We enable some of the most well-known companies, nonprofits and federal agencies in the United States to intelligently plan and develop their applications, modernize their infrastructure and manage their data.   Job Description: The System and Database Administration Lead serves as the customer-facing Service Area Lead responsible for planning, directing, and overseeing day-to-day and lifecycle operations for the customer’s hybrid system and database environments. This includes Windows and Linux server administration, database administration (SQL and Azure SQL), server virtualization, system security patching and vulnerability remediation, backup and recovery oversight, and collaboration with application/business owners and supporting contractors to maintain and improve system performance, availability, and security. Our delivery teams are driven to explore new ideas and technology, and care deeply about collaboration, feedback, and iteration. We follow agile practices, embrace DevOps standards to “automate-first”, use modern tech stacks, and constantly challenge each other to grow and improve. Candidate is proposed as Key Personnel. Employment is contingent upon award of the contract. Location: Bethesda, MD (Onsite) Responsibilities: Lead and manage system and database administration activities supporting hybrid on-prem and cloud infrastructure, including administration for OS and database platforms across Development, Pre-Production, and Production environments. Provide leadership and oversight for server operations, database management, storage coordination, and backup/recovery execution, ensuring reliable and compliant operations Direct OS-level administration for hosted systems (on-prem and cloud), including access controls, patching coordination/execution, utilization reporting, incident root cause analysis, and documentation of SOPs, inventories, and architecture diagrams. Monitor system performance, capacity, and compliance with security standards. Collaborate with business stakeholders to create scalable and user‑friendly solutions. Oversee planning, implementation, and ongoing management of database instances, including shared and dedicated databases, performance tuning, capacity monitoring, and support for upgrades consistent with customer policy and governance Oversee planning, implementation, and operational execution of backup and recovery, including recovery testing at least every six months and participation in annual contingency failover/failback exercises with DR/COOP infrastructure Ensure compliance with organizational and federal IT security standards. Qualifications: * US Citizen and active Top Secret or DOE Q Clearance* Bachelor's degree OR equivalent work experience 7-10+ years of experience in system engineering or a similar role Managing a team of highly skilled individuals responsible for providing day-to-day operational support in the area of Server Operations, Database Management, Storage, and Backup. Balancing and adjusting workloads to ensure software products are deployed and/or patched and upgraded successfully, considering and addressing FISMA, NIST and Department of Defense security guidance, rules/regulations, standards, and industry best practices. Managing teams providing support for Windows Servers, Redhat Linux Servers, VMware, and other virtualization software as well as database administration. Working collaboratively with clients including application/business owners and their support Contractors to maintain and update systems as required. Maintaining security patches and reducing or eliminating security vulnerabilities. Working with application/business owners and their support Contractors to balance and schedule workload, identify performance bottlenecks, and identify system interdependencies to prevent the formation of performance problems. Hands-on technical breadth across: server virtualization, networks (high speed LAN and WAN), MS Windows Server OS, MS SQL Databases, Redhat Linux and UNIX variants, Oracle/Sun JAVA, storage environments, data backup and retention best practices, VMware and other virtualization products, and firewalls/security products, particularly scanning and remediation software and techniques. Desired Qualifications: Microsoft Certified Administrator or Red Hat Certified Engineer/Administrator Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to translate complex data into actionable insights. Excellent communication and collaboration skills with the ability to interact effectively with cross-functional teams and convey complex data insights. Experience supporting operational requirements for sensitive enclaves and specialized environments Experience administering environments with: predominantly Windows Server (2016/2019/2022), some RHEL (6–9), and highly virtualized infrastructure Familiarity with enterprise backup modernization approaches and hybrid backup models (e.g., transitioning from tape-centric approaches to cloud-hosted backup solutions)