Chief Engineer (Platform & Systems)

Defense Information Systems Agency; Washington; On-site; USD 169,000 - 197,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive federal benefits

Job summary

Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) is seeking a Chief Engineer to lead enterprise platform engineering, co-owning the strategic roadmap with the Product Manager and building secure, cloud-native solutions across Azure AKS, M365, and AVD. You will mentor cross-functional teams and embed Zero Trust throughout networks, endpoints, and the cloud edge.

The role requires seasoned leadership, clearance readiness, and a focus on resilient, automated infrastructure to support mission-critical

Qualifications

• Experience leading enterprise engineering teams in cloud, network, and endpoint domains.
• Ability to translate business requirements into scalable architectures.
• Familiarity with Zero Trust concepts and secure engineering practices.

Responsibilities

• Serve as principal engineering authority and co-owning technical roadmap.
• Architect DevSecOps platform with automated security and CI/CD pipelines.
• Modernize endpoint services including OS imaging and UEM across devices.
• Design secure, high-throughput network services for hybrid cloud-edge environments.
• Deliver enterprise infrastructure including M365 and Azure Virtual Desktop deployments.
• Embed Zero Trust across networks, platforms, and endpoints.
• Lead cross-functional teams of cloud, network, systems, and endpoint engineers.

Skills

DevSecOps

Network Security

System Integration

Infrastructure as Code

Active Directory

Technical Leadership

Tools

Azure AKS

Azure Cloud

Microsoft 365

Azure Virtual Desktop

Job description

Join the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), where we deliver the secure IT and communications capabilities that keep our Nation’s Warfighters and senior leaders connected anytime, anywhere. Within Command, Control, Communications and Computers (C4) Enterprise Directorate (J-6), we empower our Nation’s senior leaders and the warfighter community with assured enterprise services to win in an evolving global landscape.

Position Overview: The Chief Engineer serves as the senior technical authority for enterprise platforms and systems, providing authoritative engineering leadership across cloud, network, and endpoint architectures. Reporting directly to the product branch chief with a dotted line to the Technical Director, you serve as the master technical architect for this product group.

In this role, you co‑own the strategic roadmap with the Product Manager, architect modern DevSecOps and cloud‑native platforms, and drive the delivery of secure, scalable, mission‑critical infrastructure services. You lead cross‑functional engineering teams, embed Zero Trust principles across all layers of the environment, and ensure the organization’s platforms, networks, and endpoint services evolve with resilience, automation, and enterprise‑grade performance.

Salary: $169,279 to $197,200 per year(inclusive of TLMS and locality adjustments)

Location: Fort Meade, MD

Major Duties:

• Strategic Technical Leadership: Serve as the principal engineering authority and strategic partner to the Product Manager, co-owning the technical roadmap and translating business requirements into scalable, enterprise-grade architectures.
• Architect the DevSecOps Platform: Design, build, and oversee a highly automated, secure cloud platform (Azure/AKS), championing modern CI/CD pipelines, containerization, and infrastructure-as-code (IaC) practices.
• Design Next-Gen Endpoint Services: Architect and drive the modernization of enterprise endpoint capabilities, establishing secure OS imaging, unified endpoint management (UEM), and seamless support for physical, virtual (AVD), and mobile devices.
• Engineer Robust Network Services: Lead the design and integration of secure, resilient network services, ensuring optimized routing, high-throughput connectivity, and hybrid cloud-to-edge network architectures.
• Drive Enterprise Infrastructure Delivery: Spearhead the engineering and deployment of mission-critical enterprise capabilities, including the rollout and optimization of Microsoft 365 (M365) and Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) environments.
• Embed Security & Compliance (Shift-Left): Champion a Zero Trust architecture across networks, platforms, and endpoints, integrating advanced security protocols to protect data from the core cloud down to the user device.
• Lead & Mentor Engineering Teams: Direct cross-functional teams of cloud, network, systems, and endpoint engineers, fostering a culture of technical excellence, continuous innovation, and operational resilience.

Key Skills

• DevSecOps
• Network Security
• System Integration
• Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
• Active Directory
• Technical Leadership

Conditions of Employment:

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• This national security position, which may require access to classified information, requires a favorable suitability review and security clearance as a condition of employment. Failure to maintain security eligibility may result in termination.
• Incumbent is required to submit a Financial Disclosure Statement, OGE-450.
• This is a drug testing designated position
• Incumbent is required to travel away from their normal duty station to other locations within the continental United States (CONUS) and/or other locations outside the continental United States (OCONUS) up to 30 percent of the time.

Security Clearance:

• Minimum Requirement: Must possess an active Top Secret (TS) security clearance at the time of application.
• Preferred Requirement: An active Top Secret / SCI (TS/SCI) clearance is highly preferred.
• Condition of Employment: Candidates holding a TS clearance must be eligible for, and successfully obtain and maintain, SCI access upon hire.

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding.