Systems Engineer - Level 4 (TS/SCI Clearance with Full Scope Polygraph)

J&T; Elkridge (MD); On-site; USD 138,000 - 167,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, Dental, Vision Insurance

401(k) Retirement Plan with Company M

Paid Time Off

Tuition Reimbursement

Job summary

J&T seeks a senior Systems Engineer (Level 4) in Elkridge, MD to drive high-level system architecture, platform modernization, and secure integration for defense and intelligence systems. You’ll lead architectural trade-offs and partner with cross-functional teams to translate mission requirements into scalable designs.

You will guide cloud and platform engineering, AI/ML workflow integration, and secure operations, while ensuring compliance with security standards and data lifecycle management.

Qualifications

• Security Clearance: Active TS/SCI with a current Polygraph (CI Poly dated within last 5 years).
• High School Diploma / GED plus 14+ years of general systems engineering experience OR Bachelor’s degree plus 10+ years OR Master’s plus 8+ years OR PhD plus 8+ years of systems engineering experience.
• Core Competencies: proven track record in complex systems engineering, requirement synthesis, baseline management, and stakeholder technical communication.

Responsibilities

• Architect, analyze, and integrate complex, large-scale systems across all phases of the systems engineering lifecycle.
• Engage with multi-disciplinary teams and customer stakeholders to capture requirements, define baselines, and inform system architecture decisions.
• Evaluate system performance, identify bottlenecks, and implement modernization solutions.
• Collaborate on cloud engineering, platform design, and MLOps/DevOps pipeline integrations.
• Ensure architectures and network configurations meet classified security and information assurance mandates.
• Support data engineering workflows and end-to-end system interoperability.

Skills

System architecture

Platform modernization

Technical integration

Cloud engineering

MLOps

AI/ML workflows

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field

Master’s degree in Engineering or related field

Ph.D. in Engineering or related field

High School Diploma / GED + 14+ years SE experience

Tools

Amazon SageMaker

Job description

Clearance Requirement: Active TS/SCI with Polygraph (CI Polygraph within the last 5 years)

Salary Range: $138,000 – $167,000 / year (dependent on experience, education, and skill set)

About the Role

Seeking a senior Systems Engineer (Level 4) to drive high-level system architecture, platform modernization, and technical integration for mission-critical defense and intelligence systems in Elkridge, MD.

In this role, you will collaborate with cross-functional technical teams and customer stakeholders to translate complex mission requirements into scalable, secure system designs. You will lead architectural trade-off evaluations, support cloud and platform engineering initiatives, and help integrate emerging capabilities—including AI/ML workflows and automated pipelines—into secure operational environments.

Key Responsibilities

Architect, analyze, and integrate complex, large-scale systems across all phases of the systems engineering lifecycle.

Proactively engage with multi-disciplinary engineering teams and customer stakeholders to capture requirements, define technical baselines, and inform system architecture decisions.

Evaluate system performance, identify architectural bottlenecks, and implement modernization solutions.

Collaborate on cloud engineering, platform design, and MLOps/DevOps pipeline integrations.

Ensure system architectures and network configurations strictly adhere to classified security standards and information assurance mandates.

Support data engineering workflows, data lifecycle management, and end-to-end system interoperability.

Required Qualifications & Experience

Security Clearance: Active TS/SCI with a current Polygraph (Counterintelligence / CI Polygraph dated within the last 5 years).

Education & Experience:

High School Diploma / GED plus at least 14 years of general systems engineering experience, OR

Bachelor’s degree in a Qualified Engineering Field or related discipline plus at least 10 years of systems engineering experience, OR

Master’s degree in a Qualified Engineering Field or related discipline plus at least 8 years of systems engineering experience, OR

Ph.D. in a Qualified Engineering Field or related discipline plus at least 8 years of systems engineering experience.

Core Competencies: Proven track record in complex systems engineering, requirement synthesis, baseline management, and stakeholder technical communication.

Desired Qualifications

Experience with Cloud Architecture, Cloud Engineering, or Platform Engineering (specifically within AWS).

Background in AI/ML system design, implementation, and a strong understanding of the AI lifecycle (development, training, inference, monitoring).

Hands-on experience with ML pipeline development, model deployment, DevOps/MLOps practices, and Amazon SageMaker.

Expertise in classified systems security engineering, secure network implementation, and data lifecycle management.

Benefits & Compensation

This position offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support employees both personally and professionally:

Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance

Basic Life and Disability Insurance

Paid Time Off (PTO) and Paid Holidays

401(k) Retirement Plan with Company Match

Tuition Reimbursement for continued education and professional certifications

An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under federal, state, or local law.