CT Systems Engineer

PLEASE NOTE: This position requires an ACTIVE Top Secret/SCI Clearance with Polygraph. To be considered for this position, you MUST have an ACTIVE Clearance Level of Top Secret/SCI with Polygraph

Position Code: 07-SE1002-1

Tysons or Warrenton

JOB DESCRIPTION

We are seeking a hands-on Systems Engineer (SME) with deep expertise across infrastructure, platforms, and application ecosystems spanning cloud and on-premises environments. This role requires a proven practitioner who can analyze existing (“as is”) systems and applications, document current state architectures, design future-state solutions, and implement systems enhancements or technology transformations end-to-end. The ideal candidate is a technical doer, not just a maintainer or advisor - someone who can seamlessly collaborate across infrastructure, platform, application, DevSecOps, information systems security, and data teams while maintaining ownership of system reliability, performance, scalability, and security.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or related technical discipline, or other related technical discipline, or equivalent combination of education, technical certifications, training, and work/military experience
• Minimum ten (10) years of related systems engineering experience

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS

Candidates must demonstrate hands-on experience in all the following areas:

• Infrastructure & Platforms
  • Storage technologies (e.g., SAN, NAS, S3, object storage)
  • Container platforms (e.g., Kubernetes)
  • Linux (Redhat, CentOS) operating systems (administration, hardening, automation)
• Cloud & On-Prem Technologies
  • AWS platform knowledge
  • Hybrid and on-prem infrastructure design and integration
  • Cloud identity, security, storage, compute, and cost optimization
• Data & Application Platforms
  • Knowledge of web services, APIs, and middleware
  • Software development lifecycle (SDLC) fundamentals
  • Event-based messaging systems (e.g., SQS, SNS, RabbitMQ)
• Engineering & Automation
  • Infrastructure as Code - Scripting & Automation (e.g., Python, Bash, Terraform, Ansible)
  • Experience supporting production or mission critical environments
  • Configuration management and scripting (e.g., Bash, Python, etc.)
  • CI/CD integration with infrastructure and platforms (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab CI/CD, GitHub Actions, GitOps, ArgoCD)
  • Security best practices and systems hardening
  • Monitoring & Incident Response: Proficiency with tools like Prometheus, Grafana, Splunk, ELK Stack, CloudWatch
• Architecture & Design
  • Ability to create:
    • As-is architecture documentation
    • To-be architecture and detailed engineering designs
    • Implementation and migration plans

DESIRED SKILLS

• Observability and monitoring tools (e.g., logging, metrics, tracing)
• Enterprise networking (e.g., routing, switching, firewalls, load balancers, DNS)
• IdAM - Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) hands-on for AuthN and AuthZ
• Modern security architecture practices
• Data analytics, AI/ML platform exposure
• Relevant certifications (e.g., cloud, systems, security, or architecture)
• Knowledge of machine learning platforms (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch, SageMaker)
• Familiarity with big data ecosystems (e.g., Hadoop, Databricks, Snowflake, Google BigQuery)
• Strong background in ITIL processes and agile methodologies
• Certifications: AWS Solutions Architect / DevOps Engineer, Azure Administrator, Kubernetes CKA/CKAD ITIL Foundation

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Perform hands-on systems engineering across network, compute, storage, databases, and applications
• Analyze and document as-is infrastructure, platform, and application architectures
• Lead and execute cloud and on-prem system implementations, migrations, and upgrades
• Ensure systems meet availability, scalability, performance, security, and compliance requirements
• Integrate infrastructure and platforms with DevOps and DevSecOps pipelines
• Troubleshoot complex, cross-stack issues spanning infrastructure, platforms, and applications
• Collaborate effectively with:
  • Infrastructure & Platforms Engineers
  • Software Engineers
  • DevOps / DevSecOps Engineers
  • Data Engineers (ETL)
  • Data Modelers, Data Scientists, and Data Analysts
• Serve as a technical authority and escalation point for complex system issues
• Communication Skills:
  • Ability to brief executives clearly and translate technical issues into business impact
  • Ability to work across organizations (internal and IC) to implement complex solutions

IDEAL CANDIDATE PROFILE

• Strong drive and ability to learn
• Recognized SME with deep, hands-on technical expertise
• Strong systems thinker with the ability to see and engineer across system boundaries
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills across technical and non-technical teams
• Proven ability to own and implement complex systems from design through production