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

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

Benefits offered by this job

Health, Dental, Vision Insurance

Life and Disability Insurance

PTO and Paid Holidays

401(k) with Company Match

Tuition Reimbursement

Job summary

J&T Business Consulting in Elkridge, MD seeks a Systems Engineer Level 4 to drive high-level system architecture and modernization for mission-critical defense systems. Active TS/SCI with Polygraph is required, with robust collaboration across teams to translate complex requirements into secure, scalable designs.

This senior role emphasizes cloud engineering, AI/ML integration, and secure network implementations in classified environments, with a focus on lifecycle management and interop across

Qualifications

• Requires active TS/SCI with Polygraph (CI Polygraph within 5 years).
• Experience with secure architectures for classified environments.
• Proven ability to translate mission requirements into scalable system designs.
• Strong collaboration with cross-functional teams and stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Architect, analyze, and integrate large-scale systems across the lifecycle.
• Engage with multi-disciplinary teams to capture requirements and inform architecture decisions.
• Evaluate performance bottlenecks and implement modernization solutions.
• Collaborate on cloud engineering and MLOps/pipeline integrations.
• Ensure architectures and networks adhere to security standards and IA mandates.
• Support data engineering workflows and data lifecycle management.

Skills

Cloud Architecture

AI/ML system design

ML pipeline development

DevOps/MLOps

Security engineering principles

Education

High School Diploma / GED + 14 years experience

Bachelor's degree + 10 years experience

Master's degree + 8 years experience

PhD + 8 years experience

Tools

AWS

Amazon SageMaker

Job description

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

Elkridge, United States | Posted on 09/18/2026

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

• 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.