Job Description & Details
This is a heavy-lifting, hands-on infrastructure gig for a TS/SCI cleared tech who actually enjoys working inside raised-floor data centers. You won't just be pushing paper or handling tickets; you'll be physically building, cabling, and maintaining the critical bare-metal backbone that keeps secure systems online.
What You'll Actually Be Doing
Expect to spend a good portion of your day unboxing, racking, stacking, and cabling servers, storage arrays, and network switches according to strict enterprise standards. When hardware inevitably fails—whether it's a blown power supply, dying drives, or flaky fiber runs—you'll step in to diagnose the root cause, swap out the field-replaceable unit, and get the node back into production. You'll also shepherd gear through its entire lifecycle, which means meticulously documenting upgrades, decommissions, and asset refreshes so the compliance and engineering teams stay happy.
The Core Tech Stack
You need a deep, practical understanding of bare-metal server hardware, data center cabling standards, and rack layout best practices. Networking fundamentals are non-negotiable here, meaning you should be comfortable troubleshooting TCP/IP, VLANs, DNS, and DHCP alongside switch connectivity. Having your Security+ certification is mandatory, and holding an active TS/SCI clearance is your golden ticket to even getting past the initial screen for this site.
Interview Expectations
The hiring manager is going to want proof that you can handle a crisis without breaking a sweat or causing an outage. Expect them to walk you through a scenario where a core switch loses connectivity right before a major deployment, asking you to detail your step-by-step troubleshooting path from layer 1 up to layer 3. They're also going to grill you on hardware diagnostics—be ready to explain how you isolate whether a recurring kernel panic on a bare-metal host stems from a bad motherboard, failing RAM, or an out-of-date firmware revision.
Application Advice
Don't let your resume read like a generic IT helpdesk profile. You need to explicitly highlight your physical data center achievements, including terms like 'rack-and-stack', 'cable management standards', 'FRU replacement', and 'bare-metal provisioning' to clear the ATS filters. Make sure your active security clearance status and your Security+ certification are right at the very top of the page so the recruiter sees them instantly.