Windows System Administrator

Leidos currently has an opening for a Windows Systems Administrator to support a Department of War customer, onsite, in Fort Meade, Maryland. POSITION SUMMARY: This position will support the administration, maintenance, security, and reliability of mission-critical Windows Server infrastructure and enterprise services and requires onsite support two to three days per week.

The successful candidate will independently administer and maintain enterprise Windows Server environments, troubleshoot complex infrastructure issues, implement system changes, and ensure systems operate in accordance with established security and operational requirements.

This requires technical expertise in Microsoft Windows Server, Active Directory, virtualization, and system security, along with the ability to analyze complex problems, develop effective solutions, and collaborate across technical disciplines and contribute to infrastructure modernization initiatives, provide technical guidance to less-experienced administrators, and support the continuous improvement of operational processes and system reliability.

CLEARANCE REQUIREMENTS: Must be a U.S. Citizen and able to obtain and maintain the required DoW Secret clearance. PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES: Independently administer, patch, secure, and troubleshoot Windows Server 2019, 2022, 2025, and other supported versions in enterprise production environments. Manage Active Directory (AD DS), Group Policy, DNS, DHCP, and related authentication and authorization services.

Support Windows Server VMs in Microsoft Azure and Nutanix, including provisioning, configuration, and troubleshooting with cloud and virtualization teams. Monitor server health, performance, capacity, and logs to proactively resolve issues, and perform root-cause analysis on recurring or significant incidents.

Apply security updates, remediate vulnerabilities, implement DISA STIGs, and partner with cybersecurity on POA&Ms, compliance assessments, and incident response. Plan and execute server builds, upgrades, migrations, and decommissioning under established change management processes, and manage assigned incidents, requests, and changes through resolution.

Develop PowerShell scripts to automate administration, inventory, reporting, and configuration tasks, and maintain server inventories, SOPs, and recovery documentation. Support backup and recovery activities, and collaborate with network, storage, cloud, and application teams to solve complex issues and drive modernization. Mentor and peer-review the work of junior administrators.

Participate in maintenance windows, after-hours support, and on-call rotations as required.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS: Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical discipline with at least four years of relevant systems administration experience; additional relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a degree in accordance with applicable contract and Leidos requirements.

Demonstrated hands-on experience administering, maintaining, and troubleshooting Microsoft Windows Server 2019, 2022, or newer supported versions in medium-to-large enterprise environments. Strong working knowledge of Active Directory Domain Services, Group Policy, DNS, DHCP, NTFS and share permissions, service accounts, and Windows authentication.

Experience administering and supporting Windows Server virtual machines in enterprise virtualized or cloud-hosted environments. Experience performing Windows Server patching, security configuration, vulnerability remediation, and operating system hardening. Working knowledge of DISA STIG requirements, cybersecurity compliance processes, and security configuration baselines.

Demonstrated ability to independently troubleshoot complex Windows Server issues involving operating system services, authentication, storage, networking, performance, and application dependencies. Practical experience using PowerShell for systems administration, troubleshooting, and scripting or automation of recurring tasks.

Experience performing server builds, configuration changes, upgrades, migrations, and operational maintenance activities in production environments. Understanding of ITIL-aligned incident, problem, service request, and change management processes.

Ability to independently manage assigned technical tasks, analyze complex problems, and develop effective solutions while coordinating with other infrastructure teams as necessary. Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to document technical activities and collaborate with customers, cybersecurity personnel, and cross-functional technical teams.

Ability to meet applicable DoD 8140 cybersecurity workforce qualification requirements within the timeframe established by the customer and contract. PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: Active DoD Secret clearance; Security+ CE (or other DoD 8140-accepted certification) and a relevant Microsoft certification (Windows Server, Azure, or hybrid infrastructure).

Advanced Active Directory experience, including domain controllers, replication, trusts, Group Policy troubleshooting, and privileged access management. Production experience with Windows Server 2025, including VMs in Azure and Nutanix. Nutanix Certified Associate is a plus.

Experience with Failover Clustering, IIS, WSUS, MECM/SCCM, or comparable patching and management platforms, plus enterprise backup, recovery, and disaster recovery testing. Experience with SCAP scanning tools and DISA STIG Viewer, PowerShell or Ansible automation, and supporting DoW or federal environments with formal compliance and change management requirements.

Experience mentoring junior administrators and developing technical documentation and operational procedures. If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history.

We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares. Original Posting: November 3, 2026 For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.

Pay Range: Pay Range $73,450.00 - $132,775.00 The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary.

Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.