Senior Systems Administrator (IM and Collaboration)

We are seeking an experienced Senior Systems Administrator – Instant Messaging & Collaboration to lead the reliability, security, and strategic operation of the organization’s real‑time communication platforms. This role ensures high availability, strong governance, and an exceptional user experience across messaging, meetings, presence, and collaboration services. The ideal candidate has deep expertise in Microsoft Teams, and real‑time messaging technologies, with the ability to troubleshoot complex issues and support enterprise‑scale integrations.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the availability, performance, and operational stability of real‑time collaboration platforms, including Microsoft Teams and Mattermost.

• Administer and optimize Teams workloads (chat, meetings, channels, apps, and voice where applicable).
• Manage Mattermost workspaces, channels, permissions, and integrations.
• Oversee platform configuration, upgrades, feature rollouts, and lifecycle management following established change and release management practices.

Real‑Time Messaging & Integrations

• Support and maintain API‑driven and WebSocket‑based collaboration services, ensuring reliable real‑time messaging, event delivery, and system connectivity.
• Partner with application development teams to support integrations, bots, webhooks, and custom applications using REST APIs, WebSockets, and event frameworks.
• Monitor message throughput, connection stability, API performance, and overall service health.

Incident Response & Advanced Troubleshooting

• Lead resolution of high‑impact incidents related to collaboration services.
• Act as the senior escalation point for outages, performance issues, and integration failures.
• Perform root‑cause analysis and implement long‑term corrective actions.

Security, Governance & Compliance

• Implement and enforce security, governance, and compliance controls across collaboration platforms.
• Manage identity integration, access controls, retention policies, and eDiscovery requirements.
• Ensure adherence to organizational security standards and regulatory requirements.

Automation, Documentation & Continuous Improvement

• Drive automation and standardization using administrative tools and scripting to improve operational efficiency and reliability.
• Develop and maintain operational documentation, runbooks, and recovery procedures.
• Identify opportunities for service improvement and proactively enhance platform performance and user experience.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in information technology or related field, and 8 years of experience. 4 years of additional experience may be substituted in lieu of a degree.
• 5 years supporting enterprise collaboration or real‑time messaging platforms.
• Strong hands‑on experience with instant messaging and meeting technologies (e.g., Microsoft Teams, Mattermost).
• Deep understanding of real‑time communication concepts (presence, signaling, WebSockets, APIs).
• DoD 8140 IAT Level II certification (e.g., Security+).
• Active TS/SCI clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Microsoft 365, Teams, or collaboration platform certifications.
• Experience with scripting or automation (PowerShell, Python, or similar).
• Familiarity with compliance, retention, and eDiscovery requirements.
• Experience supporting bots, integrations, or custom collaboration applications.