Sr. Linux Systems Administrator

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NAVA Software solutions is looking for a Sr. Linux Systems Administrator

Details:

Sr. Linux Systems Administrator

Location: Houston TX - 4 days/week onsite

Duration: 6 -12 months CTH

Seeking a Senior Linux Systems Administrator to support our System Administration team. This position requires a true senior engineer who is deeply technical, highly autonomous, and capable of co-owning Linux platform standards, automation direction, and operational excellence alongside the existing senior Linux administrators.

The candidate must bring enterprise-grade Linux expertise, strong AWS experience, robust automation capabilities, and the ability to move our Linux environment forward in efficiency, standardization, and security.

Core Linux Expertise (Required)

Enterprise Linux Administration

Candidates must demonstrate expert-level proficiency across modern Linux distributions:

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux (primary)
• Amazon Linux
  
  

They must be able to:

• Troubleshoot complex OS issues (kernel, boot, networking, PAM, systemd, SSH).
• Manage system lifecycle tasks including OS upgrades, kernel management, filesystem/partitioning, and package management (yum/dnf).
• Interpret and apply security guidance from Rapid7, Red Hat, and AWS security advisories.
• Assist the team with evolving OS build standards, including partitioning patterns for EC2 (LVM vs non-LVM), AMI selection, and compliance considerations.
  
  

Patching & Lifecycle Management

This team executes structured monthly Linux patch cycles for DEV, QA, PROD, and special groups, requiring a senior engineer who can:

• Lead and improve patch management strategy across RHEL and AL2023.
• Work within the patch calendar structure and handle outage coordination.
• Communicate clearly with DBAs, application teams, and business owners during patch windows.
• Troubleshoot patch regressions, dependency failures, kernel issues, and process interruptions.
  
  

Automation & Configuration Management

Automation is a major priority for this role.

Candidates must have strong hands-on capability in:

• Ansible (primary automation tool) - including playbook development, role structure, idempotence practices, and aligning with the evolving cross-team Ansible hub and documentation strategy.
• Bash scripting, with the ability to build robust automation used across environments.
• Desire and capability to automate everything possible, from patching workflows to post-build server configuration and agent deployment (CrowdStrike, Splunk UF, R7, SSM, NinjaOne).
• Assist in modernizing Linux build processes.
  
  

Automation expectations include:

• Ability to restructure and enhance existing Ansible configurations.
• Ability to integrate Linux tasks with the CDS team's provisioning pipelines and improve consistency.
  
  

AWS Infrastructure & EC2 Standards

This role requires a senior Linux engineer deeply familiar with AWS-based Linux hosting, including:

• EC2 builds: instance sizing, naming standards, EBS layout, tagging requirements, subnetting, and security groups.
• AMI selection and OS lifecycle planning (RHEL 7/8/9, AL2 retirement, AL2023 kernel planning).
• Understanding AWS cloud account segmentation.
• Troubleshooting access restrictions, SSH workflows, and issues related to IP-based access controls in multiple environments.
  
  

Experience with:

• SSM automation and patching
• Launch templates, user-data scripts
  
  

Security & Access Controls

The candidate must have strong familiarity with:

• Linux-level auditing, SSH hardening, sudo policies, and PAM configuration.
• Identity and access concerns including shared accounts, key rotation, and improved auditing.
• Vulnerability remediation workflows (CVE patching, Rapid7 findings, compliance configuration).
  
  

Experience with:

• CrowdStrike
• Splunk
• Rapid7
• SSM agent
  
  

Experience with NinjaOne agent deployment for Linux is beneficial but not required.

Networking & DNS

The Senior Linux Administrator must be comfortable with:

• Troubleshooting DNS aliasing, CNAME issues, and environment cutover scenarios.
• Understanding VPC networking, routing, and connectivity patterns used across environments.
• Managing secure connectivity across multiple AWS accounts and internal network segments.
  
  

Professional Expectations (Critical)

We require a senior professional who demonstrates:

• Self-starter mindset with strong initiative and minimal need for direction.
• High motivation to improve processes and move the Linux environment forward.
• Strong documentation discipline, contributing to shared runbooks, build procedures, and Ansible documentation hubs.
• Excellent communication, including the ability to explain Linux-level issues to application teams, DBAs, networking, and leadership.
• Collaborative team player, able to work closely with the System Administration team in a fast-moving support environment.