Systems Administrator

Make a difference with us! At Alliance Defending Freedom, we believe God has brought you here for His purpose—to stand for truth and defend the God-given right to live and speak it. Together, we protect religious freedom, free speech, the sanctity of life, marriage and family, and parental rights. Review our Statement of Faith to ensure we’re a fit for you.

Locations: Washington, D.C.

Team Overview

As the Systems Administrator, you will be responsible for installing, configuring, maintaining, and ensuring the reliable operation of the organization’s IT infrastructure, ensuring its security and optimal performance. This position will be in the Washington, D.C. office and includes additional responsibilities, such as performing service desk tasks (tier I/II support) along with typical system administration tasks.

The ideal candidate will have extensive knowledge and hands-on experience in Windows domain management, virtualization technologies, Active Directory, cloud platforms (especially Azure), open-source directory services, servers, and storage technologies, excellent communication skills, and a solid understanding of the IT Infrastructure Library framework.

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to design robust, scalable, and secure systems architecture that meets the organization’s requirements, is aligned to industry best practices, and supports its future growth.
• Implement and maintain systems infrastructure, including servers, storage, and virtualization technologies. Ensure smooth deployment, configuration, and integration of hardware and software components.
• Work with the system administration team to proactively monitor system performance, troubleshoot issues, and optimize system resources to ensure high availability and reliability. Manage backup systems and conduct regular recovery testing. Develop and test disaster recovery plans to ensure business continuity in the event of system failures or disasters.
• Work closely with the security team to ensure systems meet industry standards and compliance requirements. Implement appropriate security measures and protocols to protect sensitive data and systems from potential threats.
• Create and maintain documentation, including directory services schemas, configuration settings, and standard operating procedures. Prepare reports on system performance, capacity, and system health for management and stakeholders.
• Manage and maintain the company’s Windows domain infrastructure, ensuring its stability, security, and performance. Administer and optimize Active Directory, including user and group management, security policies, and group policies. Implement and maintain cloud services and platforms, with a particular focus on Microsoft Azure.
• Assist end users experiencing technical difficulties with a customer-first approach, ensuring all work is carried out in a timely manner, within defined SLAs, and with clear status communication throughout resolution.
• Document, track, and monitor all incidents and service requests within the IT service management (ITSM) platform to ensure timely resolution, accurate reporting, and knowledge base maintenance.
• Conduct root cause analysis (RCA) on recurring or high-impact incidents; identify, implement, and validate both short-term workarounds and long-term permanent fixes.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology, or a related field or equivalent experience. 
• 3+ years of experience in systems administration or IT infrastructure.
• 2+ years of Tier I/II support in an office environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Relevant certifications (e.g., Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) are a plus.
• Strong knowledge of systems architecture, server networking principles, and virtualization technologies in both a Microsoft and open-source environment.
• In-depth knowledge of Windows domain infrastructure, especially Active Directory, Group Policy, and DNS, including installation, configuration, performance tuning, and troubleshooting.
• Experience with cloud platforms, especially Microsoft Azure, including Azure Active Directory.
• Experience with virtualization technologies such as VMware, Hyper-V, and KVM.
• Familiarity with open-source server, directory, and storage systems.
• Experience managing Apache Open Stack, Open Stack, and Kubernetes.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to diagnose and resolve complex system administration issues.
• Strong project management skills.

Pay & Benefits

At Alliance Defending Freedom, we offer a competitive compensation and benefits package to support your well-being and growth. While we do not disclose specific salary ranges, our compensation is competitive with top non-profit law firms. Our benefits include 100% covered medical and dental insurance, medical and dependent care reimbursement, paid disability, long-term care, life insurance, and a 401(k) plan with a 4% company match. We prioritize work-life balance with paid time off and 12 paid holidays each year.

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