Systems Engineer/Developer (TS/SCI w/ Poly) - Mission Critical

Leading Path Consulting; McLean (VA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Fully paid medical, dental, and vision premiums

Generous PTO and 11 paid holidays

6% 401(k) contribution

Annual training and tuition reimbursement

SPOT Award bonuses

Regular team events

Job summary

Leading Path Consulting is looking for a Systems Engineer with deep expertise across infrastructure and cloud environments. The ideal candidate will analyze current systems, design solutions, and implement technology transformations.

This role requires strong knowledge in systems engineering, cloud platforms, and significant hands-on experience. Benefits include fully paid medical premiums, generous PTO, and opportunities for professional growth.

Qualifications

• Minimum ten (10) years of related Systems and Linux Engineering experience.
• Hands-on experience with cloud platforms and enterprise networking.
• Proficiency with infrastructure as code and automation tools.

Responsibilities

• Perform hands-on systems engineering across various domains.
• Analyze and document current system architectures.
• Lead cloud and on-prem system implementations and migrations.

Skills

Systems Engineering

Cloud Platforms

Linux Administration

Container Platforms

Networking

Scripting & Automation

Database Management

CI/CD Integration

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or IT

Tools

AWS

Azure

Docker

Kubernetes

Terraform

Ansible

Jenkins

Prometheus

Job description

We are seeking a hands‑on Systems Engineer (SME) with deep expertise across infrastructure, platforms, and application ecosystems spanning cloud and on‑premises environments. This role requires a proven practitioner who can analyze existing (as‑is) systems and applications, document current state architectures, design future‑state solutions, and implement system enhancements or technology transformations end‑to‑end.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform hands‑on systems engineering across network, compute, storage, operating systems, middleware, databases, and applications
• Analyze and document as‑is infrastructure, platform, and application architectures
• Work with the System Architect and Cloud Architect to create detailed engineering designs for modernization, optimization, and transformation initiatives
• Lead and execute cloud and on‑prem system implementations, migrations, and upgrades
• Ensure systems meet availability, scalability, performance, security, and compliance requirements
• Integrate infrastructure and platforms with DevOps and DevSecOps pipelines
• Troubleshoot complex, cross‑stack issues spanning infrastructure, platforms, and applications
• Collaborate effectively with Infrastructure & Platform Engineers, Software Engineers, DevOps/DevSecOps Engineers, Data Engineers (ETL), Data Modelers, Data Scientists, and Data Analysts
• Produce clear technical documentation, diagrams, standards, and runbooks
• Serve as a technical authority and escalation point for complex system issues
• Ability to brief executives clearly and translate technical issues into business impact
• Ability to work across organizations (internal and IC) to implement complex solutions

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or other related technical discipline, or the equivalent combination of education, technical training, or work/military experience
• Minimum ten (10) years of related Systems and Linux Engineering experience
• Enterprise networking (routing, switching, firewalls, load balancers, DNS)
• Storage technologies (SAN, NAS, object storage)
• Container platforms (Kubernetes, Docker)
• Linux (Redhat, CentOS) operating systems (administration, hardening, automation)
• IdAM - Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) hands‑on for AuthN and AuthZ
• Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, and/or GCP)
• Hybrid and on‑prem infrastructure design and integration
• Cloud networking, identity, security, and cost optimization
• Relational and NoSQL databases (Oracle, PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server, MongoDB, Cassandra, DynamoDB, Redis)
• Web services, APIs, and middleware
• Software development lifecycle (SDLC) fundamentals
• Event‑based messaging systems (SQS, SNS, RabbitMQ)
• Infrastructure as Code – scripting & automation (Python, Bash, PowerShell, Terraform, Ansible, CloudFormation)
• Configuration management and scripting (PowerShell, Bash, Python, etc.)
• CI/CD integration with infrastructure and platforms (Jenkins, GitLab CI/CD, GitHub Actions, GitOps, ArgoCD)
• Security best practices and system hardening
• Monitoring & Incident Response – Proficiency with tools like Prometheus, Grafana, Splunk, ELK Stack, CloudWatch
• Architecture & Design – Ability to create As‑is architecture documentation, To‑be architecture and detailed engineering designs, Implementation and migration plans
• Eligible TS/SCI with FS Poly

Desired Knowledge/Skills

• Observability and monitoring tools (logging, metrics, tracing)
• Zero Trust and modern security architectures
• Data analytics, AI/ML platform exposure
• Experience supporting production or mission‑critical environments
• Relevant certifications (cloud, systems, security, or architecture)
• Knowledge of machine learning platforms (TensorFlow, PyTorch, SageMaker)
• Familiarity with big data ecosystems (Hadoop, Databricks, Snowflake, Google BigQuery)
• Strong background in ITIL processes and agile methodologies
• Certifications – AWS Solutions Architect / DevOps Engineer, Azure Administrator, Kubernetes CKA/CKAD, ITIL Foundation

Benefits

• Fully paid medical, dental, and vision premiums
• Generous PTO and 11 paid holidays
• 6% 401(k) contribution
• Annual training and tuition reimbursement
• SPOT Award bonuses
• Regular team events and opportunities for professional growth and advancement