IT Systems Engineer — Microsoft 365 & Innovations Lab

cydaptivsolutions; North Bethesda (MD); Hybrid; USD 55,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision

Job summary

cyDaptiv Solutions in North Bethesda, MD is seeking an IT Systems Engineer to own hands‑on lab and Microsoft 365 work. You will partner with a remote lab administrator and MSP to operate the Innovations Lab and the tenant, balancing infrastructure with security and automation.

This hands‑on, hybrid role focuses on practical engineering, not help desk support, with 2–4 onsite days weekly. The compensation ranges from $55,000 to $120,000 plus benefits, training, and certifications.

Qualifications

• U.S. citizenship required for handling CUI under DFARS 252.204-7012.
• 4+ years in enterprise IT infrastructure or systems engineering.
• Hands-on on-prem virtualization and hardware management.
• Networking fundamentals: VLANs, routing, DNS, DHCP, VPN, firewalls.
• Microsoft 365 administration: Entra ID, Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Teams, Intune.
• Public cloud experience (AWS or Azure) with accounts, networking, and cost management.
• PowerShell scripting for administration and automation.
• Practical use of AI tools for scripting, troubleshooting, and documentation.
• Experience with formal compliance programs (CMMC, NIST SP 800-171, ISO 27001).

Responsibilities

• Serve as onsite lead for the Innovations Lab hardware, cabling, imaging, and rack/stack tasks.
• Build and maintain on‑prem virtualization environments (vSphere/Hyper‑V/Proxmox) and network gear.
• Create and tear down cyber range and demos for capability development and proposals.
• Support cloud infrastructure (AWS/Azure) with network, identity, and cost governance.
• Develop repeatable, version‑controlled environments using IaC (Terraform, Bicep, Ansible).
• Keep lab isolated from production; manage asset inventory and secure disposal.
• Act as internal MS 365 authority; configure Entra ID, MFA, PIM, SSO integrations.
• Design Intune policies, Autopilot enrollment, app deployment, and update rings.
• Tune Defender and Purview; manage SharePoint/Teams for CUI and external sharing.
• Coordinate escalations with MSP and Microsoft support on tenant issues.

Skills

U.S. citizenship

4+ years enterprise IT

On‑prem virtualization

Networking fundamentals

Microsoft 365 administration

Public cloud experience

PowerShell scripting

AI tooling usage

Collaboration with remote teams

Education

Bachelor's in IT / Computer Science or related field

Tools

Terraform

Ansible

Bicep

Job description

cyDaptiv Solutions is hiring an IT Systems Engineer to support our Microsoft 365 environment and our Innovations Lab.

This is a hands‑on, collaborative engineering role — not a help desk position. A managed service provider handles day‑to‑day support and routine Microsoft 365 administration, and a remote lab administrator leads our cloud and lab infrastructure. You are the onsite engineer who partners with both: engineering advanced tenant configuration, providing hands‑on lab support, and using AI tools to automate and document the work. Expect roughly 60% lab and infrastructure support and 40% Microsoft 365 engineering, automation, and compliance.

What You'll Do

Innovations Lab — in partnership with our remote lab administrator (~60%)

• Serve as the onsite hands for the lab: racking, cabling, imaging, hardware installation, network segmentation, and out-of-band management.
• Build and maintain on-premises virtualization (vSphere, Hyper‑V, or Proxmox), physical servers, switching, and firewalls.
• Stand up and tear down cyber range, demonstration, and proof‑of‑concept environments for capability development, customer demos, and proposal efforts.
• Support cloud infrastructure (AWS and Azure) alongside the lab administrator — networking, identity, and cost governance.
• Contribute to repeatable, version‑controlled environments using infrastructure as code (Terraform, Bicep, or Ansible).
• Keep the lab isolated from production and free of CUI; maintain asset inventory, lifecycle, and secure disposal.

Microsoft 365 — alongside our managed service provider (~40%)

• Serve as internal technical authority for our Microsoft 365 tenant (E5 with Enterprise Mobility + Security), working alongside — not replacing — our MSP.
• Engineer configurations outside the MSP's scope: Entra ID Conditional Access, phishing‑resistant MFA, PIM, app registrations, and SSO integrations.
• Design and maintain Intune configuration and compliance policies, Autopilot enrollment, app deployment, and update rings.
• Tune Microsoft Defender and Purview (sensitivity labels, DLP, retention); govern SharePoint, Teams, and external sharing for a CUI environment.
• Coordinate escalations with the MSP and Microsoft support on tenant‑level issues.

AI, Automation & Compliance

• Use AI tools daily — Claude (including Claude Cowork and Claude Code), Google Gemini, and NotebookLM — to accelerate scripting, troubleshooting, runbook generation, and documentation synthesis.
• Build reusable AI‑assisted workflows for the team: prompt libraries, knowledge bases, and repeatable analysis patterns.
• Apply responsible AI practices — data handling rules for CUI and proposal‑sensitive information, appropriate tool selection, and human review of generated output.
• Automate administration and evidence collection with PowerShell and Microsoft Graph; maintain SOPs, diagrams, and runbooks.
• Implement and evidence NIST SP 800‑171 controls supporting CMMC Level 2 readiness; support the ISMS and ISO 27001 audits.

Required Qualifications

• U.S. citizenship — required for handling Controlled Unclassified Information under DFARS 252.204‑7012.
• 4+ years in enterprise IT infrastructure or systems engineering.
• Hands‑on on‑premises virtualization (vSphere, Hyper‑V, or Proxmox) and comfort with physical hardware, racking, and out-of-band management.
• Networking fundamentals: VLANs, routing, DNS, DHCP, VPN, and firewall rule sets.
• Microsoft 365 administration: Entra ID, Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Teams, and Intune.
• Public cloud experience (AWS or Azure): accounts and subscriptions, networking, and cost management.
• PowerShell scripting for administration and automation.
• Practical, daily use of AI tools for scripting, troubleshooting or documentation — and the judgment to know when not to trust the output.
• Experience supporting a formal compliance program (CMMC, NIST SP 800‑171, ISO 27001, or RMF).
• Proven ability to collaborate with remote teammates and outside vendors with limited direction.
• Bachelor's in IT, Computer Science, or a related field — or an equivalent combination of certifications and hands‑on experience.

Preferred

• Cyber range, red/blue team lab, or training environment buildout.
• Experience building AI‑assisted or agentic workflows for an internal team.
• Prior small business or defense contractor experience wearing several hats.
• Certifications (none required): Security+, AZ‑104, MD‑102, MS‑102, AWS Solutions Architect Associate, VCP‑DCV, Network+ or CCNA.

Compensation & Logistics

• $55,000 – $120,000 annually, commensurate with experience. Full-time, FLSA exempt. Good-faith range per the Maryland Wage Range Transparency Act.
• Hybrid: 2–4 days per week onsite in North Bethesda, MD, driven by lab work. Periodic local travel.
• Medical, dental, and vision; 401(k) with company contribution; PTO and federal holidays. [CONFIRM]
• Company-funded certifications and training, with lab time to pursue them.
• Must be able to lift up to 50 lbs and work in and around equipment racks.

About cyDaptiv Solutions

cyDaptiv Solutions, Inc. specializes in Systems Engineering, Cybersecurity Solutions Integration, Risk Management & Compliance, IT Services, and Project Management. Our teams deliver enterprise‑scale IT and cybersecurity services across DoD and federal environments, both CONUS and OCONUS.

cyDaptiv Solutions, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. To request a reasonable accommodation, contact HR. The U.S. citizenship requirement reflects federal contract and export‑control obligations governing access to Controlled Unclassified Information.