Chicago, IL

Salary
$79,000–$110,000from the description
Posted
Aug 16, 2026
Location
Chicago, IL
Last confirmed open
Sep 24, 2026

What this job asks for AI summary

A Systems Administrator role supporting a federal government customer (VA) in the Chicago area, primarily responsible for managing and maintaining a mixed Linux/Windows server environment. Day-to-day work covers server provisioning, patching, vulnerability remediation, VM management, user access control, and SSL certificate renewal. Suits a mid-level sysadmin with solid Linux experience and comfort operating within government IT standards and change-management processes.

Mid level · 3+ years · Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI · Top Secret clearance · Full-time

Quick apply — this platform usually takes a CV and a few fields.

Must have (9)
LinuxRed HatCentOSWindows Servervirtualizationvulnerability managementserver patchingserver hardeningSSL certificates
Nice to have (2)
ServiceNowVenafi

We read this from the posting text with AI. Skim the description below before ruling yourself out.

How this req sits in the market our data

What won't set you apart
Linux75%Windows Server55%

Most people in this occupation already list these. Still required — just not what gets you shortlisted.

What the occupation pays Median $105,439 (middle half $84,570–$132,981). This posting is about at that midpoint.

Estimated from BLS employment for this occupation and area, per-skill prevalence across our listing corpus, and published wage benchmarks — as of Aug 18, 2026. It is a model, not a headcount.

Why we read it this way (6)

The posting requires 'Ability to obtain Tier 4 / High Risk Background Investigation' — this is a federal background investigation level (equivalent to a Top Secret clearance investigation) rather than a standard DoD clearance; mapped to TopSecret as the closest available clearance tier.

A Bachelor's degree in a technology-related field is listed as required, but the posting explicitly accepts equivalent work experience in lieu of a degree, so the degree requirement is set to None.

ServiceNow is mentioned in the responsibilities section as the VA's ticketing system rather than in the requirements block, so it is marked as preferred.

Venafi is cited only as an example tool under SSL certificate familiarity ('e.g., Venafi'), so it is marked as preferred.

The role is primarily on-site; some telework is permitted but the candidate must be able to report on-site when required, so remote is set to false.

Requires a Top Secret clearance — the cleared population is a small fraction of this occupation, so the real candidate pool is materially smaller than the estimate below, which does not model clearance.

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