Systems Engineering Manager (Hybrid)

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield; Reston (VA); On-site; USD 142,000 - 263,000; Full time

Job summary

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield in Reston, VA seeks a Senior Leader for Platform Engineering to manage a team of engineers responsible for design and operation of the organization's infrastructure across on‑prem and cloud environments, including DR. The role ensures availability, performance, security, automation, DevOps, and cost control while steering platform as code and roadmaps.

Responsibilities include guiding vendor relationships, driving SAFe/Agile delivery, and mentoring staff to

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree or higher in CS/IT or related field; additional 4 years of relevant work experience in lieu of degree.
• 5 years related professional experience with 1 year supervisory experience.
• Preferred: ITIL Foundations, SAFe Agile and AWS Cloud Practitioner, Kubernetes Administrator.
• Experience delivering platform-as-code and multi‑cloud/infrastructure projects.
• Ability to present complex technical concepts to diverse audiences.

Responsibilities

• Oversees system engineers and engineering support processes to ensure effective resolution of business issues.
• Evaluates deliverables to ensure products and services meet customer expectations.
• Manages the relationship with internal business units to deliver on service level agreements.
• Performance Management and Associate Development
• Communicates frequently with vendors to understand product lifecycles.
• Guides engineering teams in developing system, performance, and software specifications.
• Leads validation planning process to outline deliverables, resources, personnel, and timelines for ongoing projects.

Skills

Platform leadership

AWS EC2

Kubernetes (EKS)

DevOps leadership

Infrastructure as Code

CI/CD

Observability

VDI/DaaS

Networking basics

Budget management

Vendor relations

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science / IT or related field

Tools

AWS

Kubernetes

GitOps

CI/CD tools

Job description

PURPOSE:
Manages a team of technical engineers that manages daily operations of the department responsible for the design and engineering of the organization's infrastructure. Manages the administration of environments in multiple on-premises data centers, cloud infrastructure as well as disaster recovery. Ensure and maintain availability, performance, security, automation, DevOps, and license compliance of all infrastructure systems. Ensures that hardware and/or software are installed and optimally configured in best practice by the vendor and meets the needs of the organization. Monitors system performance and provides recommendations and executes engineering tasks, as needed. Responsible for creating and maintaining area's customer-based service level agreements. Responsible for mentoring staff and maintaining labor (talent retention), hardware and software budgets.

Resp & Qualifications
PURPOSE:
Manages a team of technical engineers that manages daily operations of the department responsible for the design and engineering of the organization's infrastructure. Manages the administration of environments in multiple on-premises data centers, cloud infrastructure as well as disaster recovery. Ensure and maintain availability, performance, security, automation, DevOps, and license compliance of all infrastructure systems. Ensures that hardware and/or software are installed and optimally configured in best practice by the vendor and meets the needs of the organization. Monitors system performance and provides recommendations and executes engineering tasks, as needed. Responsible for creating and maintaining area's customer-based service level agreements. Responsible for mentoring staff and maintaining labor (talent retention), hardware and software budgets.Essential Functions

• Oversees system engineers and engineering support processes to ensure effective resolution of business issues.
• Evaluates deliverables to ensure products and services meet customer expectations.
• Manages the relationship with internal business units to deliver on service level agreements.
• Performance Management and Associate Development
• Communicates frequently with vendors to understand product lifecycles.
• Guides engineering teams in developing system, performance, and software specifications.
• Leads validation planning process to outline deliverables, resources, personnel, and timelines for ongoing projects.
  

Supervisory Responsibility
This position manages people.Qualifications
Education Level: Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology or related field OR in lieu of a Bachelor's degree, an additional 4 years of relevant work experience is required in addition to the required work experience.Licenses/Certifications (Preferred)

• ITIL Foundations -obtainable within 12 months is preferred.
• SAFe Agile and AWS Cloud PRactioner -obtainable within 12 months.
• Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CFA) -obtainable within 12 months.
  

Experience

• 5 years Related professional experience.
• 1 year Supervisory experience or demonstrated progressive leadership experience.
  

Preferred Qualifications
Leadership/Platform

• Demonstrated experience applying platform-as-code principles including customer centric service design, self service capabilities, golden paths, platform roadmaps, adoption measurements and continuous feedback.
• Platform as a product mindset.
• Technology strategy and multi-year roadmap development.
• Outcome-based leadership and OKR's/KPIs.
• Agile/SAFe delivery and Reliability engineering principles.
• Talent development and organizational change leadership.
  

Technical

• AWS compute architecture, especially EC2
• Kubernetes/EKS and container orchestration
• VDI/DaaS technologies
• Infrastructure as Code
• CI/CD and GitOPS concepts
• Observability and telemetry
• Networking and storage fundamentals
• Coud security and policy as Code
• DR/Resilience and high-availability architecture
• Automation tooling and scripting
  

Knowledge, Skills And Abilities (KSAs)

• Ability to present technical and non-technical information to multiple audiences.
• Ability to build relationships across a variety of partner groups in a global environment.
• Ability to plan and manage complex projects.
• Knowledge of engineering theory and design criteria.
• Proficiency with various systems engineering tools and processes.
• Must be able to meet established deadlines and handle multiple customer service demands from internal and external customers, within set expectations for service excellence. Must be able to effectively communicate and provide positive customer service to every internal and external customer, including customers who may be demanding or otherwise challenging.
  

Travel Requirements
Estimate Amount: 10% Routine travel between CareFirst/SBP locations.Salary Range: $141,520 - $262,697Salary Range Disclaimer
The disclosed range estimate has not been adjusted for the applicable geographic differential associated with the location at which the work is being performed. This compensation range is specific and considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate's work experience, education/training, internal peer equity, and market and business consideration. It is not typical for an individual to be hired at the top of the range, as compensation decisions depend on each case's facts and circumstances, including but not limited to experience, internal equity, and location. In addition to your compensation, CareFirst offers a comprehensive benefits package, various incentive programs/plans, and 401k contribution programs/plans (all benefits/incentives are subject to eligibility requirements).Department
Platform EngineeringEqual Employment Opportunity
CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield is an Equal Opportunity (EEO) employer. It is the policy of the Company to provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.
Federal Disc/Physical Demand
Note: The incumbent is required to immediately disclose any debarment, exclusion, or other event that makes him/her ineligible to perform work directly or indirectly on Federal health care programs.
Physical Demands
The associate is primarily seated while performing the duties of the position. Occasional walking or standing is required. The hands are regularly used to write, type, key and handle or feel small controls and objects. The associate must frequently talk and hear. Weights up to 25 pounds are occasionally lifted.
Sponsorship in US
Must be eligible to work in the U.S. without Sponsorship