Senior Systems Engineer TS/SCI (FSP)

HITEC; Annapolis (MD); On-site; USD 150,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

IBM Consulting in the United States seeks a senior systems engineer with TS/SCI clearance to lead a small agile team delivering secure, scalable software for government customers. The role requires on-site work at an Annapolis Junction SCIF, with strong technical leadership and cross-team collaboration.

You will guide system development, coordinate with government stakeholders, and develop SEMPs and test plans to ensure secure operations and mission success.

Qualifications

• US Citizenship required; active TS/SCI clearance with polygraph on Day 1.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field; 10+ years of Systems Engineering experience.
• Experience as an Agile Scrum Master in federal/defense environments.
• Ability to develop and evaluate system design alternatives based on life cycle cost, reuse, complexity, risk, and future expansion.
• Experience end-to-end development environments and creating technical documentation.

Responsibilities

• Analyze user requirements, CNOPs, and high-level architectures to develop system requirements specifications.
• Lead design and development of software solutions.
• Guide user requirements, advise alternatives, and conduct feasibility studies.
• Provide technical leadership for integration of requirements, design, and technology.
• Develop system architecture and design documentation.
• Engage with Government on technical considerations and issues.
• Develop SEMPs and System Integration and Test Plans.

Skills

Security clearance

Agile Scrum Master

Technical leadership

Team collaboration

Communication

Education

Bachelor's Degree in CS/SE

Master's Degree (preferred)

Tools

Jira

Confluence

AWS (classified cloud)

Job description

Additional States: Virginia, Maryland, District of Columbia

A career in IBM Consulting is built on long-term client relationships and close collaboration worldwide. You'll work with leading companies across industries, helping them shape their hybrid cloud and AI journeys. With support from our strategic partners, robust IBM technology, and Red Hat, you'll have the tools to drive meaningful change and accelerate client impact. At IBM Consulting, curiosity fuels success. You'll be encouraged to challenge the norm, explore new ideas, and create innovative solutions that deliver real results. Our culture of growth and empathy focuses on your long-term career development while valuing your unique skills and experiences.

Your role and responsibilities

Seeking a versatile senior systems engineer with TS/SCI US Government security clearance and FSP to lead a small agile team designing, developing, and maintaining secure, scalable software solutions for government customers. The team is fast-paced, collaborative, and cohesive, and depends on team members to communicate openly and to address user requirements on a regular, aggressive clip. The senior systems engineer will be responsible for:

• Analyzing user requirements, concept of operations documents, and high level system architectures to develop system requirements specifications
• Analyze system requirements and lead design and development of software solutions
• Guide user requirement formulation, advise alternative approaches, and conduct feasibility studies
• Provide technical leadership for the integration of requirements, design, and technology
• Integrate new plans, designs, and systems into ongoing operations
• Develop system architecture and design documentation
• Engage with Government regarding technical considerations and addressing potential problems, issues, or conflicts
• Guide system development and implementation planning by assessing and developing Systems Engineering Management Plans (SEMPs) and System Integration and Test Plans.

Required education

Bachelor's Degree

Preferred education

Master's Degree

Required technical and professional expertise

• Security & Work Location: U.S. Citizen with an active TS/SCI clearance and in-scope full-scope polygraph on Day 1; must work 5 days per week onsite in a SCIF in Annapolis Junction, MD.
• Education & Experience: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical field, plus 10+ years of Systems Engineering experience, preferably in federal or defense environments.
• Agile & Technical Leadership: Experience as an Agile Scrum Master, working within Agile software development environments, and providing technical leadership across multiple development teams.
• Systems Engineering & Design: Ability to develop and evaluate system design alternatives based on life cycle cost, reuse, complexity, risk, and future system expansion.
• Development & Documentation: Experience managing end-to-end development environments and creating comprehensive technical documentation.

Preferred technical and professional experience

• Experience conducting and/or approving end-to-end system trade analyses optimizing system operations over its life cycle
• Experience using Jira and Confluence
• Experience managing communications with program personnel, government overseers, and senior executives
• 2+ years hands-on experience with AWS classified cloud architecture

ABOUT BUSINESS UNIT

IBM Consulting is IBM’s consulting and global professional services business, with market leading capabilities in business and technology transformation. With deep expertise in many industries, we offer strategy, experience, technology, and operations services to many of the most innovative and valuable companies in the world. Our people are focused on accelerating our clients’ businesses through the power of collaboration. We believe in the power of technology responsibly used to help people, partners and the planet.

YOUR LIFE @ IBM

In a world where technology never stands still, we understand that, dedication to our clients success, innovation that matters, and trust and personal responsibility in all our relationships, lives in what we do as IBMers as we strive to be the catalyst that makes the world work better.

Being an IBMer means you’ll be able to learn and develop yourself and your career, you’ll be encouraged to be courageous and experiment everyday, all whilst having continuous trust and support in an environment where everyone can thrive whatever their personal or professional background.

Our IBMers are growth minded, always staying curious, open to feedback and learning new information and skills to constantly transform themselves and our company. They are trusted to provide on-going feedback to help other IBMers grow, as well as collaborate with colleagues keeping in mind a team focused approach to include different perspectives to drive exceptional outcomes for our customers. The courage our IBMers have to make critical decisions everyday is essential to IBM becoming the catalyst for progress, always embracing challenges with resources they have to hand, a can-do attitude and always striving for an outcome focused approach within everything that they do.

Are you ready to be an IBMer?

ABOUT IBM

IBM’s greatest invention is the IBMer. We believe that through the application of intelligence, reason and science, we can improve business, society and the human condition, bringing the power of an open hybrid cloud and AI strategy to life for our clients and partners around the world.

Restlessly reinventing since 1911, we are not only one of the largest corporate organizations in the world, we’re also one of the biggest technology and consulting employers, with many of the Fortune 500 companies relying on the IBM Cloud to run their business.

At IBM, we pride ourselves on being an early adopter of artificial intelligence, quantum computing and blockchain. Now it’s time for you to join us on our journey to being a responsible technology innovator and a force for good in the world.

IBM is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, pregnancy, disability, neurodivergence, age, or other characteristics protected by the applicable law. IBM is also committed to compliance with all fair employment practices regarding citizenship and immigration status.

OTHER RELEVANT JOB DETAILS

IBM offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits program. Eligible employees may have access to:

- Healthcare benefits including medical & prescription drug coverage, dental, vision, and mental health & well being

- Financial programs such as 401(k), cash balance pension plan, the IBM Employee Stock Purchase Plan, financial counseling, life insurance, short & long-term disability coverage, and opportunities for performance based salary incentive programs

- Generous paid time off including 12 holidays, minimum 56 hours sick time, 120 hours vacation, 12 weeks parental bonding leave in accordance with IBM Policy, and other Paid Care Leave programs. IBM also offers paid family leave benefits to eligible employees where required by applicable law

- Training and educational resources on our personalized, AI-driven learning platform where IBMers can grow skills and obtain industry-recognized certifications to achieve their career goals

- Diverse and inclusive employee resource groups, giving & volunteer opportunities, and discounts on retail products, services & experiences

We consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable law.

This position was posted on the date cited in the key job details section and is anticipated to remain posted for 21 days from this date or less if not needed to fill the role.

US Citizenship Required.

The compensation range and benefits for this position are based on a full-time schedule for a full calendar year. The salary will vary depending on your job-related skills, experience and location. Pay increment and frequency of pay will be in accordance with employment classification and applicable laws. For part time roles, your compensation and benefits will be adjusted to reflect your hours. Benefits may be pro-rated for those who start working during the calendar year.