Systems Engineer

Junior Systems Engineer

GDIT has an immediate opening for an early-career Systems Engineer supporting the CITS contract for USCENTCOM. This position is based on-site in Tampa, Florida, with direct focus on enterprise lab infrastructure, integration, patching, and testing.

The Systems Engineer serves as a core technical contributor responsible for executing software and hardware testing, baseline integration, systematic vulnerability patching, and functional validation within the USCENTCOM enterprise laboratory. Working under the guidance of senior engineering staff, this role provides technical support across physical and virtual environments to ensure lab systems remain secure, properly baselined, and fully validated prior to operational or exercise deployment. The engineer will assemble hardware, deploy operating systems, execute structured test plans, apply security baselines, and assist in maintaining laboratory readiness in a fast-paced defense environment.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Perform physical installation, racking, stacking, cabling, and baseline configuration of servers, workstations, storage devices, and lab network appliances.
• Execute standardized software and hardware test plans, procedures, and validation scripts to verify system functionality and interoperability.
• Identify, document, and track hardware defects, software bugs, and performance bottlenecks, reporting findings to senior engineering leads.
• Apply scheduled security patches, operating system updates, application hotfixes, and hardware firmware upgrades across Windows and Linux environments.
• Validate post-patching system stability, performance, and application dependencies to ensure zero degradation of lab baselines.
• Support virtualization environments, including creating, configuring, and maintaining virtual machines in VMware vSphere/ESXi and Hyper-V.
• Assist in the implementation of DISA Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs) and support vulnerability remediation efforts.
• Maintain laboratory configuration documentation, hardware/software asset inventories, test execution records, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Provide Tier I/II troubleshooting support for hardware faults, operating system anomalies, and network connectivity issues within the test environment.

Required qualifications include foundational technical knowledge of Windows Server (2019/2022), Windows 10/11, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), and virtualization environments using VMware ESXi or vCenter. Candidates must have practical experience with physical server racking, stacking, cabling, and hardware component replacement, alongside a clear understanding of patch management lifecycles and basic networking concepts including TCP/IP, VLANs, and routing.

Desired qualifications include hands-on exposure to vulnerability scanning tools such as ACAS (Tenable Nessus) and automated configuration management frameworks. Experience with basic automation and scripting using PowerShell or Bash, along with prior experience operating within DoD test labs, military command environments, or USCENTCOM networks, is highly advantageous.

Position may require up to 10% travel in support of USCENTCOM mission requirements. Work hours and shift schedules are determined by lab operational requirements and support needs.

GDIT is a leading technology integrator solving our nation's most complex modernization and readiness challenges. We provide innovative technology solutions and services across Defense, Intelligence, Homeland Security, Federal Civilian, and Health markets. Join GDIT and be part of the team of men and women who solve some of the world's most complex technical challenges.

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