IT Administrator

As an IT Administrator at the Missile Defense Agency, your primary responsibilities will include building, configuring, deploying, and administering virtual and physical servers, as well as maintaining storage systems. You will troubleshoot issues related to server and storage operations, ensuring system changes comply with established documentation and best practices.

To be considered for the IT Administrator role at MDA, you should have a combination of education and experience. A high school diploma with 12 years of experience, an associate’s degree with 10 years, or a bachelor's degree with 8 years of experience is required. Additionally, you must possess a relevant DoD approved 8570 Level II certification, such as Security+ CE.

Candidates for the IT Administrator position should have extensive knowledge of storage technologies, including SAN and NAS, experience with virtualization using VMware 7.0 or higher, and proficiency on RHEL 7 and 8 using Command Line Interface. Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills are also essential for resolving complex system issues.

The work environment for an IT Administrator at the Missile Defense Agency is dynamic and collaborative. You will engage with a variety of teams and stakeholders while working on critical projects. Evening shift work and weekend duty may be required to meet mission activities, offering a unique experience in a vital sector.

While not strictly necessary, prior experience in the defense sector, such as familiarity with Missile Defense and DoD communication systems, is highly beneficial for the IT Administrator role at the Missile Defense Agency. Experience in this area equips you with the specific knowledge needed to support mission-critical operations effectively.

In answering this question, provide specific examples of your past roles where you successfully configured, deployed, and maintained servers. Highlight any relevant technologies or systems you've worked with, such as VMware or RHEL, and discuss any problem-solving experiences you encountered in those roles.

When responding to this question, share your approach to troubleshooting. Discuss how you analyze system logs, identify patterns, and use tools to help resolve issues. Emphasize your systematic approach to finding root causes and ensuring timely resolutions.

Consider reflecting on your methods for continuous learning. You can mention following industry news, attending seminars or workshops, participating in online courses, and engaging with communities of practice. Showing your commitment to staying informed will impress interviewers.

In your response, share a detailed experience related to a complex project, explaining your role and the project's objectives. Discuss the challenges faced, how you coordinated with team members, and what impact the project had, illustrating your leadership and collaboration skills.

Here, underscore your familiarity with storage technologies like SAN, NAS, or cloud storage. Give examples of how you have implemented, maintained, or troubleshot these systems and any specific tools you used for storage management.

In answering, highlight your experience with VMware versions, detailing tasks you performed such as deployment and management of virtual machines. If applicable, mention any specific scenarios where virtualization led to efficiency improvements or simplified infrastructure management.

Discuss the importance of documentation in IT roles, mentioning your methods for ensuring that changes are well-documented. Share how you adhere to best practices and collaborate with developers and team members to maintain updated documentation.

Emphasize the necessity of clear communication in your work. Explain how you keep stakeholders informed about progress, challenges faced, and solutions proposed. Effective communication is key in managing expectations and fostering collaboration.

Share your perspective on off-hour duties and provide examples if relevant. Discuss your availability, willingness to adapt, and how you ensure timely responses to issues that arise outside of regular working hours.

Discuss security practices such as regular updates, patch management, and access controls. If you've implemented specific security protocols like Multi-Factor Authentication, highlight those experiences which showcase your commitment to maintaining system integrity.