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Principal / Sr. Principal System Administrator

Northrop Grumman

Colorado Springs, COJob$94–141K/yrSeen 3 days agoSeen in employer's feed 3 days ago

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At a glance

Compensation
$94–141K/yr
Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Work Authorization
US work authorization required

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Requirements

Credentials this posting asks for.

DoD 8570 IAT Level II Certification Or Within 6 MonthsSecret clearance

Job overview

Northrop Grumman Space Systems seeks a Principal or Sr. Principal System Administrator in Colorado Springs to administer Linux systems on large classified government contracts. The role supports multiple networks, maintains multi-user systems, implements performance and reliability enhancements, and handles security administration and documentation. Candidates must meet the applicable experience and clearance requirements; the position may be filled at either level based on qualifications.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Linux Systems AdministrationCommunicationServer AdministrationRHELLifting 40 PoundsAfter-Hours WorkWeekend WorkRed Hat Certified EngineerSecurity+ CENISPOM Chapter 8DCID 6/3-ICD 503RMFSTIGJAFANJSIGTrusted GuardTanzuKubernetesRHEL System AdministrationNAS AdministrationNetAppONTAPCDOTRAIDSatelliteSecurity Vulnerability RemediationLinux System HardeningAnsiblePuppetRHEL 7Technical WritingWikiSharePointWindowsCiscoCASPCISSP

Qualifications

Level 3: Bachelor's+5, Master's+3, PhD+1, or 4 Additional YearsLevel 4: Bachelor's+8, Master's+6, PhD+4, or 4 Additional YearsDoD 8570 IAT Level II Certification or Within 6 MonthsUnited States CitizenshipActive Secret ClearanceMaster's in STEM5+ Years Server Administration in SCI EnvironmentTop Secret Clearance With SCI Eligibility

Benefits

Relocation Assistance
Medical Insurance
Paid Time Off
401(k) Match

Full job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes

CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret

TRAVEL: No

Description

At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work — and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history.

Northrop Grumman Space Systems (NGSP) is looking for you to join our team as a Principal or Sr. Principal System Administrator based out of Colorado Springs, Colorado.

  • Perform as a Linux Systems Administrator on large, classified government contracts.

  • Communicate effectively at all levels of the organization, with internal and external customers, in written and verbal formats.

  • Maintain smooth operation of multi-user computer systems, including coordination with network, software, and system engineers, PC desktop technicians, project managers, end users, and customer and IT management.

  • Support multiple networks.

  • Ensure necessary administration tasks are completed and direct others as necessary.

  • Analyze internal and external customer requirements and determine equipment and software requirements for solutions to problems by means of automated systems.

  • Recommend and implement system enhancements that will improve the performance and reliability of the system including installing, upgrading/patching, monitoring, problem resolution, and configuration management.

  • Create and maintain u

  • ser and computer accounts and modify file permissions and security access lists.

  • Test new releases of products to ensure compatibility and minimize user impact.

  • Develop and document technical processes and procedures as needed.

  • Make recommendations to purchase hardware, software, and system components.

  • Interact, meet, discuss, and troubleshoot issues with vendors; evaluate vendor products, services, and suggestions.

  • Adhere to strict Information Systems security guidelines in all cases.

  • Maintain security audit and logging information on all classified networked and standalone computers as directed by the Information Systems Security Manager (ISSM).

  • Prepare security documentation for Cyber Security team.

  • Report project status as required for all recurring and non-recurring efforts.

  • Work under minimal direction and independently determine and develop approach to solutions.

This position can be filled at the Principal or Sr. Principal level, based on the basic qualifications outlined below.

Basic Qualifications:

  • Level 3 : 5 Years with Bachelors; 3 Years with Masters; 1 Year with PhD. 4 additional years of experience is required in lieu of a degree.

  • Level 4 : 8 Years with Bachelors; 6 Years with Masters; 4 Years with PhD. 4 additional years of experience is required in lieu of a degree.

  • Must have at least 1 year of server administration experience with RHEL.

  • Must have a DoD 8570 IAT Level II baseline certification (example: Security+ CE), or have the ability to obtain one within 6 months of start date as a condition of continued employment.

  • Ability to lift equipment weighing up to 40 pounds.

  • Ability to work after hours and weekends as needed.

  • United States citizenships is required in order to be considered.

  • Must have an active U.S. Government Secret security clearance at time of application, current and within scope.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Master's degree in a STEM related discipline, a RedHat Certified Engineer certification, a Security+ CE, and 5+ years of experience with server administration in an SCI classified environment.

  • Experience operating under and managing systems within NISPOM Chapter 8, DCID 6/3-ICD 503, RMF, STIG, JAFAN, or JSIG information system environments.

  • Experience with Trusted Guard.

  • Tanzu/Kubernetes deployments.

  • RHEL System Administration certification(s).

  • Experience with NAS storage device (preferably NetApp) administration (ONTAP 8.x or higher; CDOT).

  • Solid understanding of Enterprise-level storage concepts to include all commonly-used RAID-levels.

  • Satellite configuration and usage experience.

  • Solid understanding of remediating security vulnerabilities and experience hardening Linux systems in accordance with RMF and STIGs.

  • Ansible, Puppet, RHEL 7, Satellite Experience.

  • Solid writing skills and experience using Wiki pages and SharePoint sites for documentation.

  • DoD 8570 Certification in a primary OS (Windows, Linux, Cisco).

  • Currently valid Security+ CE, CASP, CISSP, or similar security certification.

  • An active U.S. Government Top Secret security clearance at time of application, current and within scope, with the ability to obtain and maintain SCI approval/access.

Primary Level Salary Range: $94,200.00 - $141,200.00

Secondary Level Salary Range: $117,500.00 - $176,300.00

The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, Northrop Grumman considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education, skills and current market conditions.

Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives. In addition, Northrop Grumman provides a variety of benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business.

The application period for the job is estimated to be 20 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates.

Northrop Grumman is an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. For our complete EEO and pay transparency statement, please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.

Job Category: Information Technology

How this job compares

Set against the 921 open System Administrator jobs on Olive Jobs, counted October 27, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$94–141K/yr
  • Colorado median$96–145K/yr47 salary ranges
  • US median$88–132K/yr623 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $118K, is 6% below the Colorado median midpoint ($125K) — in the middle half of System Administrator salary ranges in Colorado.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 52 open System Administrator jobs in Colorado and 921 across the US. 2% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Experience
This posting asks for at least 1 year of experience — less than three in four System Administrator postings that state a minimum ask for (median 4 years, across 717 postings).
Education
401 of the 921 open System Administrator jobs (44%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on October 27, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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