Systems Engineer 4 - Linux / Cloud

United Launch Alliance (ULA); Englewood (CO); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

United Launch Alliance (ULA) seeks a Senior Systems Engineer 4 – Linux/Cloud to lead Linux system engineering and cloud operations across on-premises and cloud environments. You will drive automation, reliability, and lifecycle management while mentoring junior staff.

This role emphasizes security, performance, and seamless integration with DevOps, security, and networking teams. The candidate will design improvements, manage patching, and ensure mission-critical readiness, contributing to

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in STEM; four years of related exempt work may be used to satisfy degree
• Hands-on Linux administration in production environments
• Hybrid infrastructure experience across on-premises and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure)
• Ability to resolve complex Linux OS, performance, networking and cloud service issues
• Experience in engineering or improving operational workflows (patching automation, monitoring)
• Proficiency with infrastructure automation tools (Ansible, Terraform, Python)
• Understanding of cloud identity, networking, storage, and security principles
• Experience with infrastructure-as-code workflows
• Ability to lead technical execution for medium-to-large system changes
• Strong analytical skills and senior-level judgment
• Mentor peers and contribute to team capability
• High reliability for mission-critical operations

Responsibilities

• Support ULA’s mission-critical compute environments with Linux and cloud engineering expertise
• Lead the implementation, optimization, and lifecycle maintenance of Linux systems across on-premises and cloud environments
• Design improvements to system performance, availability, reliability, and security; drive remediation for recurring issues
• Serve as a senior escalation point for complex Linux and cloud incidents and production-impacting issues
• Engineer automation for configuration management, monitoring, patching, and workflows using Ansible, Python, or Terraform
• Implement and refine cloud infrastructure components (compute, storage, identity, networking, security) in AWS or Azure
• Perform advanced troubleshooting across OS, virtualization, cloud services, containers, storage, and identity integrations
• Lead system patching, update strategies, and compliance-driven hardening for mission-critical Linux platforms
• Manage and optimize backup/recovery, DR readiness, replication, and failover workflows
• Contribute to engineering design reviews, lifecycle planning, and platform standards development
• Write and maintain high-quality documentation for architecture and configurations
• Participate in on-call rotations, incidents, problem management, and readiness activities
• Mentor junior admins and share troubleshooting, scripting, and operational best practices
• Partner with cross-functional teams to integrate Linux and cloud with networking, security, DevOps, and apps

Job description

Requisition ID: 1954

Standard Weekly Hours: 40.00

Location: ULA - Denver

Relocation: No

Travel Requirements: 10%

At ULA, success comes through the efforts of a strong, united team.

Thanks for your interest in United Launch Alliance, the world's most experienced and reliable space launch company! Successfully launching more than 155 consecutive missions with 100% mission success doesn't happen by accident. It's a testament to the commitment and dedication of our team of rocket scientists and support employees combined with the systems and processes we use to pull them together. As a ULA employee, you'll have the opportunity to grow in your career while working in a team-oriented culture that combines technology, innovation, ingenuity and a commitment to the extraordinary. Whether you are in college just launching your career, or, have experience and want to come work with the best rocket team in the world, our unshakable unity yields stronger solutions and better results as we carry out our mission to save lives, explore the universe, and connect the world. Our team is excited to meet you!

Job Overview & Responsibilities

At ULA, the Systems Engineer 4 – Linux / Cloud serves as a senior technical contributor responsible for the engineering, advanced administration, reliability, and lifecycle management of Linux and cloud-based systems across mission‑critical environments. This role goes beyond routine operations, focusing on designing improvements, optimizing platform performance, implementing automation, and leading technical execution for complex initiatives. The Systems Engineer 4 provides deep Linux expertise, strong cloud engineering capability, and acts as a senior escalation point for complex issues impacting production systems.

This position influences platform strategy, enhances operational maturity, and partners closely with infrastructure, cloud, security, DevOps, and application teams to ensure ULA’s computer environments remain secure, resilient, scalable, and aligned with mission requirements. The ideal candidate brings advanced Linux engineering experience, strong cloud operational capability, and the technical leadership to guide improvements in reliability, automation, and standardization.

Primary Responsibilities

• Support ULA’s mission-critical compute environments with senior-level Linux and cloud engineering expertise.
• Lead the implementation, optimization, and lifecycle maintenance of Linux systems across on-premises and cloud environments.
• Design improvements to system performance, availability, reliability, and security; drive remediation for recurring issues.
• Serve as a senior escalation point for complex Linux and cloud incidents, performance problems, service failures, and production‑impacting issues.
• Engineer automation for configuration management, monitoring, patching, and operational workflows using tools such as Ansible, Python, or Terraform.
• Implement and refine cloud infrastructure components (compute, storage, identity, networking, security policies) in AWS or Azure.
• Perform advanced troubleshooting across OS, virtualization, cloud services, containers, storage, and identity integrations.
• Lead system patching, update strategies, and compliance‑driven hardening for mission‑critical Linux platforms.
• Manage and optimize backup/recovery systems, disaster recovery readiness, replication, and failover workflows.
• Contribute to engineering design reviews, system lifecycle planning, and platform standards development.
• Author and maintain high-quality documentation for architecture, procedures, and system configurations.
• Participate in on‑call rotations, major incidents, problem management, and operational readiness activities.
• Mentor junior administrators and provide guidance on troubleshooting, scripting, and operational best practices.
• Partner with multi‑disciplinary teams to integrate Linux and cloud systems with networking, security, DevOps, and application layers.

Required Education

Bachelor

Required Years Of Experience

Minimum of 6 years of related work experience

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) field from an accredited college or university
  • Four years of directly related exempt work experience may be used to satisfy the bachelor’s degree requirement
• Advanced hands‑on experience administering and engineering Linux systems in production environments
• Strong capability supporting hybrid infrastructure across on‑premises and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or both)
• Demonstrated ability to resolve complex Linux OS, performance, networking, and cloud service issues independently
• Experience engineering or improving operational workflows such as patching automation, compliance enforcement, or monitoring optimization
• Proficiency with infrastructure automation tools (Ansible, Terraform, Python, or similar) in production settings
• Solid understanding of cloud identity, networking, storage, and security principles
• Experience implementing configuration management, version control, or infrastructure‑as‑code workflows
• Ability to lead technical execution for medium‑to‑large-scale system changes and multi‑phase implementation work
• Strong analytical skills and senior‑level judgment for troubleshooting, risk assessment, and prioritization
• Ability to mentor peers and contribute to team capability development
• High reliability mindset suitable for mission‑critical operations and launch‑support environments

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience designing or improving Linux and cloud platform standards, hardening, or automation frameworks
• Hands‑on experience integrating Linux systems with container platforms (Docker, Kubernetes, or similar)
• Familiarity with DevOps workflows including CI/CD pipelines