Senior System Administrator

The ASD requires one experienced System Administrator to support the delivery and ongoing operation of a secure, high-availability platform in Linux and AWS environments. The role involves system administration, security implementation, automation, and performance monitoring, ensuring reliability and compliance. Candidates should have strong expertise in Red Hat Linux, AWS services, and automation tools (e.g., Ansible), with desirable experience in Apache NiFi, Essential Eight security controls, and database administration (MySQL/DynamoDB).

Candidates must be willing to undergo ASD’s Organisational Suitability Assessment (OSA). The OSA requires a psychological assessment, which involves a questionnaire and an interview. Before submitting an application for this role, the candidate should consider their preparedness for questions that may include the following topics: personal relationships, living circumstances, personal values, financial situation, physical and mental health history including substance use, and any civil and/or military record.

Candidates must have NV2 or Top Secret Positive Vetting (TSPV) Security Clearance.

ASD will not sponsor candidates to upgrade their security clearances in order to apply for the role.

Key duties and responsibilities

ASD requires an experienced System Administrator – (EL1 equivalent) to support the delivery and ongoing operation of a secure, high-availability platform in Linux and AWS environments.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

• Administer, maintain, and monitor Linux-based systems, including patching, configuration, and performance tuning
• Manage AWS infrastructure (e.g. EC2, S3, Lambdas, backups, workloads, security controls) to ensure availability and security
• Implement and maintain security controls in line with organisational policies
• Assist in the continuous improvement process by developing and enhancing procedures
• Document technical processes in accordance with organisational requirements and promote bidirectional knowledge transfer within a team environment

Technical skills

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux (administration, patching, performance tuning) AWS Services:
• EC2
• Lambda
• S3
• Backup services Automation & Orchestration Tools:
• Ansible
• Semaphore Monitoring & Logging Tools:
• Grafana • ELK Stack (Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana)

About the organisation

The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) is a statutory agency in the Defence portfolio that defends Australia against global threats and advances our national interests through the provision of foreign signals intelligence, cyber security and offensive cyber operations as directed by the Australian Government.

Essential criteria

1.Extensive experience administering Red Hat Enterprise Linux systems including patching, performance tuning, and troubleshooting in production environments.

2.Extensive experience deploying, configuring, and maintaining applications on AWS, including EC2, Lambda, S3, and backup services, with a focus on reliability and security.

3.Hands-on experience with automation and orchestration tools (specifically Ansible and Semaphore) for system provisioning, configuration management, and deployment workflows.

4.Extensive experience in monitoring and logging, using tools such as Grafana and the ELK stack, to monitor system health and support incident response

Required criteria

1.Experience administering and supporting Apache NiFi clusters, including configuration and troubleshooting of data flows.

2.Experience with operating in secure government environments, including compliance with security policies and change management processes.

3.Practical experience implementing and maintaining Essential Eight security controls, particularly in Linux and AWS environments.

4.Familiarity with administration and tunning of databases like MYSQL and Dynamo DB.

Location of Role : Onsite – the work is to be performed in Canberra, ACT and Brisbane, QLD only Regular WFH cannot be accommodated. Occasional WFH days may be approved at ASD’s discretion.