Staff Systems Engineer

TheIncLab; Nashville (TN); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid and flexible work schedules

Professional development programs

Health and Wellness Benefits

Job summary

A leading technology lab in Nashville seeks a Staff Systems Engineer to design complex cloud architectures supporting national security missions. The ideal candidate has over 8 years of experience with cloud-native systems and distributed architectures. This role involves mentoring engineers, collaborating with teams to create resilient systems, and translating operational requirements into effective designs. Benefits include flexible work schedules, professional development programs, and comprehensive health coverage.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in complex software/system design.
• Strong experience with cloud platforms, ideally AWS.
• Ability to mentor and lead technical initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement cloud architectures for complex systems.
• Evaluate scalability, reliability, and security in system designs.
• Mentor engineers and contribute to cross-team implementations.

Skills

Cloud-native architectures

Distributed systems

Communication of technical concepts

Education

Bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering or related field

Tools

AWS

Docker

Kubernetes

Terraform

Job description

Overview

The Mission Starts Here. TheIncLab engineers and delivers intelligent digital applications and platforms that revolutionize how our customers and mission-critical teams achieve success.

We are where innovation meets purpose; and where your career can meet purpose as well. We are looking for a Staff Systems Engineer to collaborate closely with system architects, engineers, and government stakeholders to tackle the intricate challenges of systems engineering to national security and defense. We encourage you to apply and take the first step in joining our dynamic and impactful company.

Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept

As a Staff Systems Engineer, you will gain deep insights into customer missions and leverage your technical expertise to drive innovation, problem-solving, and the development of resilient system architecture. You will be part of a collaborative and innovative team, and a growing company that understands the development of career pathways, and the success of each of its employees, is the essential ingredient to enable it to deliver for customers.

You will have substantial opportunities to have meaningful impact. You will collaborate with mission stakeholders and customers, and contribute to the design of complex, resilient systems architectures that support critical defense and national security missions. You will work at the forefront of tactical systems, communication networks, cloud infrastructures, and unmanned autonomous systems for defense applications.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement system architectures spanning cloud infrastructure, platforms, and applications.
• Translate mission, security, and operational requirements into practical technical designs.
• Develop and maintain reference architectures, design patterns, and system blueprints.
• Evaluate architectural tradeoffs involving scalability, reliability, security, and cost.
• Support architecture reviews and guide teams toward sustainable system designs.
• Build and operate cloud-native systems using infrastructure-as-code and automation.
• Develop prototypes and proofs of concept to validate architectural approaches.
• Contribute directly to complex implementations when systems cross team or domain boundaries.
• Troubleshoot and resolve high-impact production and integration issues.
• Support database and platform-level concerns in partnership with cloud and data engineers.
• Collaborate with Cloud Engineering and Build Platform teams to define secure, scalable platforms.
• Help establish guardrails, golden paths, and secure-by-default patterns.
• Integrate security, compliance, and observability requirements into system designs.
• Partner with ISSOs to translate policy and RMF controls into implementable solutions.
• Serve as a technical mentor and force multiplier for engineers across teams.
• Influence technical roadmaps and platform evolution.
• Participate in building the long-term architecture and platform function, with growth toward Principal-level scope as the team expands.

Requirements

• Bachelor\'s degree in Systems Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
• 8+ years of professional experience designing and delivering complex software or platform systems.
• Strong experience with cloud-native architectures and distributed systems.
• Hands-on experience with cloud platforms (AWS preferred).
• Containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes).
• Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, Helm, similar).
• Experience designing systems with security, compliance, and operational constraints.
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly to engineers, leadership, and customers.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master\'s degree in Systems Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
• Experience supporting Department of Defense or other regulated environments.
• Familiarity with DevSecOps practices, CI/CD platforms (e.g., GitLab), and automated security tooling.
• Experience with database platforms (PostgreSQL/PostGIS, managed or self-hosted).
• Experience mentoring senior engineers or leading technical initiatives across teams.
• GIS, geospatial, or data-intensive system experience is a plus.

Clearance

• Applicants must be a U.S. Citizen and willing and eligible to obtain a U.S. Security Clearance at the Secret or Top-Secret level. Existing clearance is preferred.

Benefits

At TheIncLab we recognize that innovation thrives when employees are provided with ample support and resources. Our benefits packages reflect that:

• Hybrid and flexible work schedules
• Professional development programs
• Training and certification reimbursement
• Extended and floating holiday schedule
• Paid time off and Paid volunteer time
• Health and Wellness Benefits including Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance and access to Wellness, Mental Health, and Employee Assistance Programs.
• 100% Company Paid Benefits including STD, LTD, and Basic Life insurance.
• 401(k) Plan with employer matching
• Incentive bonuses for eligible clearances, performance, and employee referrals.
• A culture that values individual strengths, career goals, and contributions to the team.

About TheIncLab

Founded in 2015, TheIncLab ("TIL") is the first human-centered artificial intelligence (AI+X) lab. We engineer complex, integrated solutions that combine cutting-edge AI technologies with emerging systems-of-systems to solve defenses and aerospace challenges. Our work spans from rapid ideation and prototyping to deployment.

At TIL, we foster a culture of relentless optimism. Our motto, "demo or die," embodies the idea that failure is not an option. We emphasize collaboration, kindness, and professionalism as our teams work to think outside the box and deliver results. Learn more at www.theinclab.com.

Salary range guidance provided is not a guarantee of compensation. Offers of employment may be at a salary range that is outside of this range and will be based on qualifications, experience, and possible contractual requirements.

This is a direct hire position, and we do not accept resumes from third-party recruiters or agencies.