Systems Engineer - TS/SCI

Sunayu Llc; Bethesda (MD); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical and dental benefits

401k plan with company match

Training allowance and conference stip

Job summary

Sunayu, LLC in Bethesda, MD is seeking a Senior Systems Engineer to lead an application team, drive software enhancements, manage risks, and improve processes. Most work is on-site in Bethesda with some remote tasks. You will guide architecture of backend systems, support SAFe program increments, and mentor engineers.

The role requires a TS/SCI clearance, strong Java/Python skills, and extensive experience in Agile environments with backlog management and cross-functional collaboration.

Qualifications

• Active Top Secret clearance with ability to obtain TS/SCI with Polygraph.
• Experience in agile software development with backlog management and sprint planning.
• Strong ability to design, implement and integrate backend services and microservices.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development team and provide technical direction.
• Plan and oversee software development, testing, and deployment activities.
• Maintain sound engineering practices and governance across projects.
• Refine requirements, design, and architecture with stakeholders.
• Manage backlog items and ensure highest value work is delivered.
• Facilitate SAFe/Agile ceremonies and coordinate with cross-functional teams.
• Mentor mid-level and junior engineers and foster collaboration.

Skills

Java

Python

Agile software development

Backlog management

Team leadership

Communication skills

Stakeholder management

GitLab/Jira/Confluence

Systems engineering

TS/SCI clearance

Education

BS in Engineering, CS, or Systems Engineering

Master's degree in a related field

Tools

GitLab

Jira

Confluence

AWS

Kubernetes

Docker

Kafka

Keycloak

Job description

Location: Bethesda, MD
Category: Systems Engineer
Travel Required: No
Remote Type: No
Clearance: TS/SCI

As a Senior Systems Engineer you will lead an application team responsible for maintaining the continuous flow of new software enhancements and deployments, while you manage risks, escalation impediments, and help to drive continuous process improvement.

While most work is conducted on-site at our client location in Bethesda, MD, we offer a flexible schedule and, occasionally, some tasks may be performed remotely.

You will work closely with the team on the following key tasks:

• Manage, direct, coordinate, and provide technical direction for all aspects of the team’s development efforts.
• Plan, design, and oversee implementation of software development solutions. Provide technical support, coordination, and execution of systems engineering activities such as feature/requirements analysis, design, implementation planning, integration and test, sustainment, documentation, deployment, and system assessment.
• Ensure sound engineering practices are followed.
• Provide direction for interpretation and application of policies and procedures to the engineering and development activities.
• Develop a working knowledge of government business processes and provide recommendations accordingly.
• Collaborate with other development teams to identify and develop high-value integrations with other systems/applications.
• Develop, manage and continually improve the backlog of work items for an Agile scrum team. Update and prioritize stories and epics via feedback from various program stakeholders ensuring the team is always working on the highest-value tasks.
• Support Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) program increment planning and execution through creation of work tickets in GitLab as well as program/system documentation using collaboration software (e.g., GitLab wiki). Lead/participate in all Agile ceremonies to include daily stand up, planning, reviews, and retrospectives.
• Stay informed of increment and sprint progress and work with the team to identify and remove impediments and dependencies.
• Perform backlog refinement on a regular basis. This may include decomposing features into workable stories, prioritizing or reprioritizing items in the backlog for upcoming sprints, refining acceptance criteria and complexity estimates or removing tickets that are no longer relevant.
• Accept or reject completed work based on defined acceptance criteria to ensure delivery of high-quality software.
• Lead the design and architecture of backend systems and services.
• Drive initiatives across the engineering team related to scalability, reliability, and performance.
• Develop requirements and design documents
• Contribute to and review RFCs, and requirements, design, and architecture reviews
• Coordinate with Test Team to develop and monitor automated system integration tests to identify failed modules and components
• Manage individual project priorities, deliverables, and deadlines
• Provides specific input to the software components of system design to include hardware/software trade-offs, software reuse, use of COTS/GOTS in place of new development, and requirements analysis and synthesis from system level to individual software components
• Foster an environment of collaboration with the different team members in the goal of providing quality service and product to our customers
• Act as a mentor to mid-level and junior engineers, offering guidance on best practices and career growth

To be successful in this role you need the following (required qualifications):

• BS in Engineering, Computer Science, Systems Engineering, or related field and 12 – 15 years of prior relevant experience or Masters with 10 – 13 years of prior relevant experience. Additional years of experience in lieu of degree are acceptable
• Must have an active Top Secret security clearance with the ability to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI with Polygraph.
• Software development experience in languages such as Java or Python.
• Experience as a Systems Engineer, Product Owner, or a similar role in an Agile software development team.
• Experience with requirements and design documentation, including process flow diagrams.
• Demonstrated ability to break down complex problems into actionable steps.
• Experience managing and prioritizing product backlogs effectively.
• Strong understanding of Agile methodologies, and experience with tools like Gitlab, Jira, and Confluence.
• Experience with facilitating scrum for the team (Planning, Retrospective, Grooming & Review/Demo).
• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written) to articulate technical and non-technical concepts to diverse audiences.
• Proven ability to work cross-functionally with engineering, design, and project management teams.
• Demonstrated ability to manage expectations and maintain strong relationships with government and contractor stakeholders.

You will wow us even more if you have some of these skills:

• Experience with Kafka or other message passing systems
• Experience on a production/enterprise system
• Cloud infrastructure experience
• Experience with Appian or other low-code software technologies
• Experience with any of the following technologies:
• PostgreSQL
• Containerization, especially with Docker
• DevOps practices and tools including Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) tools and practices, especially Gitlab or Jenkins
• GraphQL
• Keycloak
• Proactive in identifying tech debt, systemic issues, and areas for team/process improvement
• Expertise building and maintaining microservices in production in Kubernetes
• Understanding of Elasticsearch internals: sharding, performance tuning, analyzers, query DSL
• Elasticsearch certifications or other program stack related certifications
• Strong Kafka experience: event design, stream processing, performance tuning
• Familiarity with schema registries and Kafka streaming patterns
• Familiarity with authentication and authorization products such as Keycloak
• Experience with security best practices for services: authN/Z, secrets management, data protection
• GraphQL familiarity
• Hardware on-prem and cloud-based deployments using Kubernetes
• Proficiency with infrastructure-as-code (ie CloudFormation, Terraform, Pulumi)
• Experience of a production/enterprise systems at scale
• Knowledge of distributed systems concepts (e.g., idempotency, eventual consistency)
• Experience leading technical projects and mentoring engineers
• Strong testing discipline with a focus on automation, coverage, and CI/CD pipelines
• Hands‑on development and/or scripting experience, especially Java and Python
• Experience with AWS cloud-based architecture, services, and software development

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Who We Are

Sunayu, LLC serves as a premier technology partner to the Defense and Intelligence communities, delivering mission-critical engineering solutions across the nation. Our operations are anchored in a commitment to trust, accountability, and ethical transparency, ensuring the high-performance outcomes necessary to protect our country's most vital interests.

Culture

Our strength lies in our community: Our team prioritizes collaboration, professional growth, and encourages open communication. At Sunayu, we don't just secure the mission—we grow together.

Career Development

We support and encourage our team members to continue their professional growth by providing company-reimbursed training and continuing education of up to $5,000 per year. We also participate in many industry conferences and events where we share our expertise and experiences.

Pay Rate

Salary range considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience, education/ training, key skills, as well as market and business considerations when extending an offer.

Benefits

• 3 Medical Plan Options
• Dental and Vision
• FSA, DCFSA, HSA
• Life/AD&D Insurance
• Short-Term & Long-Term Disability
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Training and Educational Assistance
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• 11 Federal holidays
• 401k plan with up to a 6% match (100% immediate vesting)

Equal Opportunity Employer

Sunayu, LLC is 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, gender expression, national origin, age, protected veteran status, disability status, marital status, genetic information, medical condition, or any other characteristic protected by law.