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