Network/Systems Engineer

Emerald Technical Solutions; Maryland; On-site; USD 120,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Health, dental, vision insurance

401(k) with company match

Paid time off

Certification reimbursement

Long-term career growth

Job summary

Emerald Technical Solutions is seeking a Systems and Network Engineer to sustain and operate a controlled development enclave at Aberdeen Proving Ground, supporting a new project. The role covers build and run activities for domain, endpoints, network, and infrastructure services on-site.

The engineer will implement changes, maintain as-built records for compliance, and may provide occasional broader program support as needed. Top Secret clearance is required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 5+ years of hands-on systems and network engineering experience, including 2+ years in a controlled environment.
• Windows Server/AD administration with Group Policy and PowerShell automation.
• Linux administration (RHEL/Ubuntu) with AD integration (SSSD/realmd).
• Cisco IOS XE switching and firewall administration, VLAN segmentation.
• Virtualization platform administration and VM lifecycle management.
• DoD 8570/8140 IAT II or ability to obtain within 90 days.
• Active Top Secret clearance with facility access.

Responsibilities

• Operate Active Directory domain health, DNS/DHCP, and timeSync.
• Manage Group Policy and domain security settings.
• Maintain OU structure, security groups, and service accounts.
• Manage privileged accounts and just-in-time elevation.
• Oversee two-tier PKI including root CA and CRL.
• Maintain Windows and Linux golden images and imaging pipeline.
• Deploy, re-image, and decommission workstations with FDE.
• Configure enclave firewall, VLANs, and network access controls.
• Administer virtualization platform and VM lifecycle.
• Migrate domain controllers to production servers.
• Design secure remote access with MFA and logging.
• Operate backup/recovery and patching cadence.
• Keep asset inventory and network diagrams up to date.
• Provide input to procurement, BOMs, and vendor quotes.

Skills

Windows Server admin

Active Directory

Linux admin

Cisco IOS XE

Virtualization

PowerShell automation

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/IT or related field

Tools

SSSD/realmd integration

VMware vSphere

PIV/PKI

Job description

Position Title: Systems and Network Engineer

Position Type: Full-Time, On-Site

Location: Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD

Clearance Requirement: Top Secret (Active)

Salary Range: $120,000 - $140,000

Start Date: 10/01 tentative

Position Overview

Emerald Technical Solutions is seeking a Systems and Network Engineer to support the sustainment and operation of a mission-critical, controlled development enclave supporting a new project at Aberdeen Proving Ground. This position owns the build and the run - keeping the domain, endpoints, network, and infrastructure services operating, implementing changes, and maintaining the as-built record that the program's compliance work depends on. The Systems and Network Engineer will work on-site full time and may be called on to provide occasional direct support to the broader program as needed.

Key Responsibilities

Identity and Directory Services

• Operate the reactdev.com Active Directory domain, including domain controller health, replication, DNS, DHCP, and enclave time synchronization
• Administer Group Policy, including domain account policy, domain controller hardening, workstation baseline, legal notice banner, and update policy objects
• Maintain organizational unit structure, security groups, service accounts, and group managed service account rotation per the Personnel Roster and Access Model
• Provision, modify, and disable user and privileged accounts in accordance with the access model and tiered administration boundaries
• Operate the just-in-time elevation service granting developers time-boxed local administrator rights
• Operate the two-tier internal public key infrastructure, including issuance, revocation, certificate revocation list publication, and offline root custody

Endpoint and Imaging

• Maintain Windows 11 and Linux golden images, unattended installation answer files, and post-deployment configuration scripts
• Operate the PXE and imaging pipeline, including boot services, image distribution, driver packs, and hostname assignment
• Deploy, re-image, refresh, and decommission suite workstations, including full disk encryption enrollment and key escrow
• Perform profile migration for users moving from local to domain accounts
• Maintain the approved application baseline on endpoints and remove prohibited software

Network and Infrastructure

• Configure and maintain the enclave firewall, access switching, and, once authorized, wireless infrastructure
• Maintain VLAN segmentation, firewall rule base, port security, and network access control
• Operate the controlled update path used by network security devices
• Administer the virtualization platform, VM lifecycle, host hardening, and resource allocation
• Complete migration of the domain controller and virtual machines from interim hardware to the production server platform
• Design and implement secure remote access once authorized, including MFA, validated cryptography, and session logging

Sustainment

• Operate backup and recovery, including scheduled restore testing
• Operate in-enclave patch and content distribution services for Windows and Linux, including offline repository synchronization
• Apply security patches and firmware updates on the agreed maintenance cadence; remediate assigned findings
• Maintain equipment inventory, including serial numbers, hostnames, network addresses, and asset categorization
• Keep build/discovery documentation, network diagrams, and configuration records current
• Provide technical input to procurement specifications, bills of materials, and vendor quotes

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, information technology, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• Five years of hands-on systems and network engineering experience, including at least two years in a controlled or disconnected environment
• Windows Server and Active Directory administration, including Group Policy authoring and PowerShell automation
• Linux administration (RHEL or Ubuntu), including Active Directory integration through SSSD and realmd
• Cisco IOS XE switching and Cisco firewall administration, including VLAN segmentation and rule base management
• Virtualization platform administration and VM lifecycle management
• DoD 8570/8140 IAT Level II certification, or ability to obtain within 90 days of start
• Active Top Secret clearance, with ability to obtain and maintain facility access required for the program

Preferred Qualifications

• Cisco CCNP Security or equivalent; Red Hat Certified Engineer or equivalent
• Experience applying DISA Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs) and SCAP content
• Experience with network installation imaging at scale (PXE, unattended installation, automated provisioning)
• Public key infrastructure and smart card/PIV credential experience
• Prior work inside a CMMC or NIST SP 800-171 assessed boundary

Benefits

• Competitive salary and performance-based bonuses
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid time off and federal holidays
• Professional development and certification reimbursement
• Long-term career growth within a growing SDVOSB defense contractor