Principal Engineer/Microsoft Endpoint for Defender Enterprise

Fuse Engineering LLC; Fort Meade (MD); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Fuse Engineering LLC seeks a Senior Systems Engineer (Level 3) to lead the design, deployment, and optimization of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint and Trellix HX in NSA EDR programs. The role spans on-premises, cloud, and VDI with an emphasis on secure, scalable endpoint architectures.

You will translate threat intel into actionable IOCs, mentor engineers, and provide forensic support during critical incidents while collaborating with government stakeholders to ensure robust defense capabilities.

Qualifications

• Top Secret SCI w/ Maryland Polygraph Security Clearance required.
• MDE architecture, deployment via MECM/SCCM or Intune, policy ring management, and advanced hunting using KQL.
• Trellix HX deployment and management in air-gapped or restricted networks, including YARA rules.
• Windows, Linux, macOS internals and forensic knowledge.
• DoD IAM Level II/III baseline certifications.

Responsibilities

• Lead lifecycle engineering and scale-out architecture of MDE and Trellix HX across hybrid environments.
• Author complex system engineering and implementation plans; tune agent configurations and exclusion policies.
• Monitor endpoint health at scale and translate threat intel into technical IOCs using KQL and YARA.
• Serve as primary technical advisor to Government stakeholders on system risks and engineering considerations.
• Provide advanced forensic support to SOC during critical incidents and mentor junior staff.

Skills

MDE architecture

Trellix HX expertise

Threat hunting collaboration

Documentation & mentoring

Forensic support

Education

DoD 8570 IAM Level II/III certification

Tools

Kusto Query Language (KQL)

YARA rules

OpenIOC

MECM/SCCM or Intune

Job description

Description

• The Senior Systems Engineer (Level 3) serves as a principal technical leader and subject matter expert within the National Security Agency’s Enterprise Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) Program. Operating in a highly classified, multi-domain infrastructure, the successful candidate will drive the strategic architectural design, end-to-end integration, deployment, and optimization of premier endpoint security platforms, specifically Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (MDE) and Trellix HX. This critical role bridges high-level systems architecture with operational defense capabilities, ensuring total endpoint visibility, robust threat containment, and resilient configuration management across all enterprise and mission-critical assets to defend national security infrastructure against sophisticated cyber threats.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• The Systems Engineer 3 is responsible for leading the lifecycle engineering and scale-out architecture of MDE and Trellix HX across hybrid environments, including on-premises, cloud, and virtual desktop infrastructures (VDI). This includes authoring complex system engineering and implementation plans, tuning agent configurations and exclusion policies to eliminate mission friction, and monitoring overall endpoint health at scale. The engineer will collaborate closely with threat hunting and intelligence analysts to translate actionable threat intelligence into custom technical indicators of compromise (IOCs), utilizing Kusto Query Language (KQL) and YARA rules. Additionally, the individual will act as a primary technical advisor to Government stakeholders on system risks and engineering considerations, provide advanced forensic support to the SOC during critical high-priority incidents, and actively mentor junior and mid-level engineering personnel within the program.

Requirements

• Top Secret SCI w/ Maryland Polygraph Security Clearance Required
• Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (MDE) Expertise: Proven engineering experience with MDE architecture, deployment strategies via MECM/SCCM or Intune, policy ring management, and advanced hunting using Kusto Query Language (KQL).
• Trellix HX Expertise: Demonstrated experience engineering, deploying, and managing Trellix HX (formerly FireEye) controllers and agents within air-gapped or highly restricted networks, including the creation of OpenIOC and YARA rules.
• Operating System & Forensic Knowledge: In-depth technical understanding of Windows, Linux, and macOS internals, including file systems, registry structures, and process execution mechanics.
• Professional Standards: Compliance with DoD 8570/8140 IAM Level II or III baseline certifications.

Desired:

• Vendor Certifications: Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate (SC-200), Azure Security Engineer Associate (AZ-500), or Trellix Certified Engineering credentials.
• Methodologies & Toolsets: Experience with Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), Cameo, and workflow management within the Atlassian Suite (Jira, Confluence).
• Technical Frameworks: Familiarity with NSA Technical Manual Standards (e.g., NSA DS-89) and defense-in-depth engineering principles.
• Core Competencies: Strong record of team collaboration, exceptional transparency in managing high-consequence infrastructure, and an aptitude for developing technical leadership pipelines