Lab Manager Systems Engineer — Mission-Critical Ops (TS-SCI)

Independent Software; Maryland; On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Independent Software in Maryland seeks a System Engineer Level 5 (Lab Manager) to lead a two-person contractor team overseeing multiple machine rooms with operational, mission-critical systems and related lab spaces. You will manage day-to-day operations ensuring security, organization, and compliance with agency standards.

You will collaborate closely with System Administrators, Network Engineers, customers, Facilities, vendors, and leadership to support hardware installations, deployments, and

Qualifications

• Experience supporting agency machine rooms or similar mission-critical environments.
• Experience racking and cabling systems for operational deployments.
• Hands-on experience with hardware from HP, Dell, Cisco, Arista, or Juniper.
• Experience supporting and troubleshooting fiber connectivity.
• Experience creating and updating machine room drawings using Visio or similar tools.
• Strong communication, coordination, and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily operations and support of mission-critical machine rooms, lab, and communications spaces.
• Maintain spaces and access lists in accordance with agency requirements.
• Monitor power, space, and cooling needs and coordinate infrastructure upgrades with Facilities.
• Support installation and decommissioning of racks, servers, network devices, and communications equipment.
• Work JIRA tickets for hardware replacements and coordinate vendor warranty support.
• Monitor machine room conditions and perform routine walkthroughs to identify equipment or infrastructure issues.
• Rack, cable, install, and troubleshoot systems supporting operational deployments.
• Maintain machine room drawings using Visio or similar tools.
• Support fiber connectivity, testing, and troubleshooting.
• Coordinate with customers, System Administrators, Network Engineers, Facilities personnel, leadership, and vendors.

Skills

Machine room operations

Racking & cabling

Vendor hardware experience

Fiber connectivity troubleshooting

Machine room drawings

Communication & coordination

Education

Bachelor’s degree + 15 years Systems Engineering

High School Diploma + 19 years

Master’s degree + 13 years

PhD + 11 years

Tools

Visio

Job description

Independent Software in Maryland seeks a System Engineer Level 5 (Lab Manager) to lead a two-person contractor team overseeing multiple machine rooms with operational, mission-critical systems and related lab spaces. You will manage day-to-day operations ensuring security, organization, and compliance with agency standards.

You will collaborate closely with System Administrators, Network Engineers, customers, Facilities, vendors, and leadership to support hardware installations, deployments, and