Senior System Administrator, Data Centers

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Senior Systems Administrator, Data Centers at Telesat will own a secure, isolated Linux-based infrastructure for satellite operations, from setup to daily operations, including network connectivity, security, access management, backups, high availability and disaster recovery. The role is based in Ottawa with a planned move to Gatineau in 2026, requires 24x7 on-call support and travel up to 15 percent. Ideal candidates have 7+ years Linux experience (Red Hat or Ubuntu), 5+ years building on‑prem data center clusters, and proven VMware or KVM expertise, plus DNS, DHCP, NTP and IAM skills and automation scripting (Bash, Python, Terraform). Kubernetes and SRE familiarity are a bonus. In applying, quantify HA and DR successes, highlight automation projects, and show clearance eligibility (CGP and SECRET).

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Telesat (Nasdaq and TSX: TSAT) is a leading global satellite operator, providing reliable and secure satellite-delivered communications solutions worldwide to broadcast, telecommunications, corporate and government customers for over 55 years.  Backed by a legacy of engineering excellence, reliability and industry-leading customer service, Telesat has grown to be one of the largest and most successful global satellite operators. Telesat Lightspeed, our revolutionary Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite network, scheduled to begin service in 2027, will revolutionize global broadband connectivity for enterprise and Government users by delivering a combination of high capacity, security, resiliency and affordability with ultra-low latency and fiber-like speeds. Telesat is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, and has offices and facilities around the world. The company’s state-of-the-art Satellite fleet consists of 14 GEO satellites, the Canadian payload on ViaSat-1 and one LEO 3 demonstration satellite.  For more information, follow Telesat on X and LinkedIn or visit www.telesat.com
The Senior Systems Administrator will provide expert level guidance and support of a highly secure, isolated Linux-based environment. The incumbent will require senior level troubleshooting skills as well as problem solving skills. The environment is a self-contained, standalone infrastructure including all basic infrastructure services. They will look after all aspects of the infrastructure from set up to operations which will include network connectivity, security, access management, backups, high-availability and disaster recovery.
This position will begin at Telesat's headquarters in Ottawa and transition to our Gatineau facility later in 2026.

Main Responsibilities

• Build, test and operate the high-security infrastructure domain for satellite operations.
• Provide integration with other environments through various security zones and portals.
• Provide technical assistance to the applications and operations teams for hardware, operating systems, and hypervisors.
• Develop and operate a highly secure backup process.
• Build out, operate and support various Basic Infrastructure Services (DNS, DHCP, NTP, etc).
• Develop automation scripting for environments and provide documentation.
• Follow and document operational processes including Change Management.
• Manage log aggregation, monitoring and alerting as required.
• Proactively plan and determine patching strategies, high-availability, upgrades and updates.
• Manage and monitor all local storage platforms.
• Provide operational support on a 24x7 basis, on-call.

Education & Experience Required

• University degree or equivalent experience in Computer Science or related stream.
• Must have at least 7 years experience in the installation, configuration and operation of Linux-based environments (e.g. RedHat, Ubuntu).
• Must have at least 5 years experience in building out on-premise, secure data centre based hardware clusters (network, servers and storage).
• Proven experience in the deployment and operation of hypervisors (VMware, KVM) is required.

Specialized Skills, Knowledge & Abilities

• Strong experience with building and running large scale, high-available and fault-tolerant network infrastructure.
• Strong experience in the building and operation of dedicated, isolated infrastructure services such as DNS and NTP.
• Strong knowledge of IAM and access management strategies and tooling.
• Strong understanding and hands on experience in the daily administration of Linux.
• Experience leveraging scripts to build infrastructure (i.e. Bash, Python, Terraform).
• Familiarity with Kubernetes deployments considered an asset.
• Familiarity with SRE concepts considered an asset.

Decision Making & Supervision

• Work under minimal supervision.
• Coordination with security team and network and infrastructure architects.
• Make decisions and recommendations requiring analysis and interpretation within established procedures.
• This role has no direct reports but will work and interact with multi-disciplinary engineering and IT teams.

Working Conditions

• Ability to travel between 3 sites in the Ottawa-Gatineau area is required on a rotational basis (<15%)
• Ability to travel to an alternate data centre is required (<5%)
• No other business travel is anticipated.
• Occasional overtime required.
• Provide operational support on a 24x7 basis, on-call.

The successful candidate must be able to work in Canada and obtain a clearance under the Canadian Controlled Goods Program (CGP) as well as SECRET clearance.
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At Telesat, we take pride in being an equal opportunity employer that values equality in the workplace.   We are committed to providing the best candidate experience possible including any required accommodations at every stage of our interview process.   All qualified applicants that have been selected for an interview that require accommodations, are advised to inform the Telesat Talent team accordingly.  We will work with you to meet your needs.   All accommodation information provided will be treated as confidential.