Senior Systems Engineer — Classified Cloud & Security

General Dynamics - IT; McLean (VA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

General Dynamics - IT in McLean, VA seeks a Systems Engineer Principal to lead engineering operations in a classified cloud enclave and ensure secure workstation access.

You will implement hardening, patching, and monitoring across Red Hat and Linux systems, Palo Alto firewalls, Cisco switches, and related tools, collaborating with security, network, and vendor teams to maintain compliance and reliability.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science
• 8+ years of related experience
• Hands-on experience with Red Hat operating system
• Understanding of Linux operating systems (Red Hat, Debian)
• Hands-on experience with O&M of Palo Alto firewalls, Cisco switches, Panorama and ClearPass
• Security clearance Top Secret (current and active)
• DoD 8140 / 8570.01-M compliant (e.g., Security+ or equivalent)

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day engineering and operations of Red Hat and other Linux systems in a classified, air‑gapped environment, including configuration, hardening, patching, and maintenance.
• Configure, patch, and monitor systems and network devices using tools such as Palo Alto firewalls, Cisco switches, Panorama, ClearPass, and related platforms, ensuring performance, integrity, connectivity, and backup/recovery capabilities.
• Collaborate with enclave, network, and security engineers, and vendors to troubleshoot issues, enhance the enclave’s network and security posture, and manage security updates, licenses, and support tickets.
• Support vulnerability management and continuous monitoring, including reviewing scans, implementing patching and remediation, POA&M mitigation, and other corrective actions.
• Drive hardening and compliance efforts, including STIG review and implementation, to meet NIST and DoD requirements.
• Develop and maintain engineering documentation for designs, configurations, and operational procedures.

Skills

Red Hat OS

Linux distributions

Palo Alto firewalls

Cisco switches

Panorama

ClearPass

Security clearance

DoD 8140 / 8570.01-M

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

General Dynamics - IT in McLean, VA seeks a Systems Engineer Principal to lead engineering operations in a classified cloud enclave and ensure secure workstation access.

You will implement hardening, patching, and monitoring across Red Hat and Linux systems, Palo Alto firewalls, Cisco switches, and related tools, collaborating with security, network, and vendor teams to maintain compliance and reliability.