Senior SVAT System Administrator

SAIC is seeking a Senior Service Validation and Testing (SVAT) Administrator in Colorado Springs, CO. The Senior Service Validation and Testing (SVAT) Administrator acts as the gatekeeper for IT quality assurance, ensuring that all proposed changes, updates, and new systems meet stringent operational and security standards before entering the production environment. Rooted in ITIL service management principles, this role manages the Test and Integration Laboratory (TIL) and leads the evaluation of system hardening, performance metrics, and configuration compatibility. The incumbent bridges the gap between engineering and operations, guaranteeing that new deployments do not introduce vulnerabilities or instability into the enterprise IT infrastructure.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

• Service Validation & Testing Lifecycle. Designs, executes, and oversees comprehensive test plans for software patches, system upgrades, and new technology implementations; validates that services will meet their design specifications and security requirements.


• Test Environment Management. Manages and maintains the Test and Integration Laboratory (TIL), ensuring test environments accurately mirror live production infrastructure (network, server, and endpoint layers).


• Defect & Quality Management. Tracks integration defects, anomalies, and test failures using enterprise management tools (e.g., Jira, ServiceNow); coordinates with system administrators and engineers to resolve issues before production release.


• Security & Vulnerability Validation. Works with security and administration teams to validate that DISA STIGs, patches, and security remediations are effective and do not break mission-critical applications.


• Change Management Integration. Serves as a key technical authority on the Configuration Advisory Board (CAB), presenting test results, risk assessments, and deployment recommendations to leadership.


• Documentation & Standards. Authors detailed test reports, Plan of Action and Milestones (POAM) inputs, and acceptance criteria; continuously improves the organization's QA policies and standard operating procedures.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in information systems, computer science, systems engineering with 5 years experience or HS and 12 years equivalent experience.
• Minimum 8–10 years of IT experience, with at least 3 years focused on systems testing, QA, or Service Validation and Testing within an enterprise or government environment.
• Broad technical background encompassing server administration, networking, and virtualization to effectively test cross-domain IT solutions.
• Proven experience applying ITIL testing frameworks and managing defect tracking processes.
• Familiarity with DoD security frameworks, Risk Management Framework (RMF), and STIG compliance testing.
• DoD 8570/8140 certification at [IAT Level II or III], current at time of placement.
• Active Top Secret/SCI clearance.

Desired Qualifications

• ITIL Practitioner or Intermediate certifications (specifically in Service Transition or Release, Control, and Validation).
• Experience with automated testing tools and scripting to streamline the validation of patches and configurations.
• Active involvement in DevOps or agile deployment pipelines.