Senior NGDE Engineer (Linux OS Engineer)

Senior NGDE Engineer (Linux OS Engineer)

The Senior NGDE Engineer (Linux OS Engineer) is expected to be able to accomplish the following:

• Design, deploy, configure, and maintain enterprise Linux environments (RHEL, Rocky, CentOS, Ubuntu, or equivalent).
• Build and maintain secure Linux OS baselines in accordance with DoD STIGs, NIST, and RMF requirements.
• Perform system hardening, patch management, and vulnerability remediation for classified environments.
• Automate system configuration and deployment using tools such as Ansible, Puppet, or similar automation frameworks.
• Engineer and maintain systems supporting cross-domain data transfer and multi-level security (MLS) environments.
• Support integration and sustainment of Cross Domain Solutions (CDS) enabling secure data exchange between networks of different classification levels.
• Collaborate with security teams to ensure proper data flow enforcement, access controls, and auditing in classified environments.
• Troubleshoot and resolve issues impacting secure information flow between domains.
• Support the architecture and sustainment of Next Generation Digital Environment (NGDE) platforms.
• Integrate Linux-based services with enterprise infrastructure including identity management, container platforms, and virtualization solutions.
• Assist in modernization initiatives including cloud integration, DevSecOps pipelines, and platform automation.
• Implement and maintain security controls aligned with RMF, NIST 800-53, and DISA STIGs.
• Conduct system auditing, log analysis, and compliance verification.
• Support security assessments, ATO processes, and continuous monitoring activities.
• Ensure all systems meet classified operational security requirements.
• Monitor system performance, availability, and resource utilization.
• Implement high-availability solutions and disaster recovery strategies.
• Provide Tier III engineering support for critical Linux infrastructure.
• Develop and maintain technical documentation, system diagrams, and standard operating procedures.
• Participate in engineering design reviews and architecture discussions.
• Mentor junior engineers and provide technical leadership within the Linux engineering team.

Required qualifications:

• Active TS/SCI + CI Poly clearance
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• BS, 10-12 years of relevant experience; MS 8-10 years; PhD, 5-7 years.
• 5–7 years Linux administration experience in enterprise or government environments or 8+ years of experience in Linux system administration or engineering.
• Security+ CE certification.
• RHCSA or RHCE certification.
• Experience implementing DISA STIGs, NIST controls, and RMF compliance requirements.
• Ability to create SOPs, playbooks (runbooks), and architecture documentation.
• Experience troubleshooting across multi-level classification domains.
• Experience troubleshooting compute, network, storage.
• VMware/KVM familiarity.
• Deep understanding of designing and implementing ITSM workflows.
• Hands-on automation experience with Ansible, Bash, Python.

Desired qualifications:

• CKA certification
• RHEL Satellite/Foreman, Kickstart, IdM/FreeIPA, HashiCorp Vault.
• Container/Cloud: Podman, Docker, Kubernetes, AWS/GovCloud, Azure.
• Terraform, registry/artifact management.
• Monitoring/SIEM: Prometheus, Grafana, ELK/OpenSearch.
• Experience working with endpoints that support a multi-level classification environment.
• Strong proficiency with RHEL and Debian/Ubuntu systems, services, and package management.
• Deep expertise with enterprise Linux distributions (RHEL preferred).
• Experience supporting classified environments and cross-domain systems.
• Strong knowledge of:
• Linux system internals
• Networking (TCP/IP, routing, firewalls)
• System hardening and vulnerability management
• Automation tools (Ansible, Bash, Python, etc.)