Linux Systems Engineer

Nightwing provides technically advanced full-spectrum cyber, data operations, systems integration and intelligence mission support services to meet our customers' most demanding challenges. Our capabilities include cyber space operations, cyber defense and resiliency, vulnerability research, ubiquitous technical surveillance, data intelligence, lifecycle mission enablement, and software modernization. Nightwing brings disruptive technologies, agility, and competitive offerings to customers in the intelligence community, defense, civil, and commercial markets.

Nightwing is seeking a highly skilled Linux Systems Engineer to design, deploy, optimize, automate, and support large-scale Linux infrastructure supporting secure networking and remote-access services. This role is ideal for an engineer with deep expertise in Linux networking, policy-based routing, kernel performance tuning, infrastructure automation, and modern VPN technologies including WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IPSec.

The successful candidate will collaborate closely with network engineering, systems administration, and platform engineering teams to deliver highly available, secure, and scalable infrastructure solutions in mission-critical environments.

Primary Responsibilities

Linux Infrastructure Engineering

Design, deploy, administer, and maintain enterprise Linux environments.

Develop standardized operating system configurations and hardened baseline builds.

Perform operating system upgrades, patch management, lifecycle maintenance, and performance optimization.

Troubleshoot complex operating system, networking, and application issues.

Advanced Network Engineering

Design and implement advanced routing architectures utilizing:

Policy-Based Routing (PBR)

Multiple routing tables

Route maps and traffic steering

Source-based and destination-based routing

Multi-homed network environments

Configure and troubleshoot:

OSPF and static routing

VLANs, LACP, and 802.1Q trunking

Network namespaces

VRFs

NAT and firewall policies

Analyze and troubleshoot network traffic using:

tcpdump

Wireshark

iproute2

nftables

iptables

Linux Kernel Tuning & Performance Optimization

Tune Linux kernel parameters for:

High-throughput networking

Low-latency applications

VPN gateway performance

Large-scale concurrent connections

Optimize:

TCP/IP stack performance

Network buffer sizing

IRQ balancing

CPU affinity

NUMA awareness

Memory management

Utilize performance analysis tools including:

perf

sar

vmstat

iostat

eBPF observability tools

systemd performance metrics

VPN Engineering

Design, deploy, and support secure VPN infrastructures using:

OpenVPN 2.6+

WireGuard

IPSec

Implement and support:

Site-to-site VPNs

Remote-access VPNs

Hub-and-spoke architectures

High-availability VPN clusters

Dynamic routing across VPN overlays

Responsibilities include:

Troubleshooting encryption, routing, MTU, and performance issues

Implementing modern cryptographic standards and VPN hardening best practices

Configuration Management & Automation

Develop and maintain Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) solutions using SaltStack.

Create and maintain:

Salt States

Pillars

Custom modules

Orchestration workflows

Automate:

System provisioning

Configuration deployment

Compliance enforcement

VPN deployments

Security baseline management

Integrate SaltStack with CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure monitoring platforms.

Required Qualifications:

Current Top-Secret Clearance with SCI Eligibility

Technical Experience

5+ years of Linux Systems Engineering experience

3+ years of advanced Linux networking experience

3+ years of VPN engineering experience

3+ years of SaltStack administration and automation experience

Operating Systems

Strong hands-on experience with:

Debian Linux

Ubuntu Linux

Networking Expertise

Demonstrated expertise with:

Policy-Based Routing (PBR)

iproute2

Routing tables and policy rules

Linux bridges

Bonding and teaming

VLANs

VRFs

Network namespaces

Dynamic routing protocols

High-availability networking architectures

VPN Expertise

Strong practical experience with:

WireGuard

OpenVPN 2.6+

IPSec

PKI and certificate management

TLS authentication

Multi-site VPN topologies

VPN performance tuning

Automation & Scripting

Experience with:

SaltStack

Python

Bash

Git

CI/CD workflows

Preferred Qualifications

Experience supporting cloud platforms including:

Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Microsoft Azure

Experience with container technologies:

Docker

Kubernetes

Experience supporting confidential computing environments

Knowledge of CNSA-compliant cryptographic implementations

Familiarity with eBPF-based observability and network diagnostics

Industry certifications such as:

RHCE

LFCE

CCNP

Equivalent advanced certifications

Desired Skills

Exceptional troubleshooting and root-cause analysis capabilities

Strong documentation and technical writing skills

Ability to operate independently in mission-critical environments

Experience designing highly available and fault-tolerant systems

Security-first mindset with strong infrastructure design principles

Excellent collaboration and communication skills

Salary & Benefits

The salary associated with this position ($99,000-$206,000) is commensurate with the selected candidate's qualifications, years of relevant experience, and demonstrated level of expertise. Compensation will be determined based on these factors to ensure alignment with skills, responsibilities, and market standards.

Nightwing offers medical, vision and dental insurance coverage in addition to a 401k plan, PTO, Holidays, and additional insurances.

Nightwing 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, national origin, disability or veteran status, age or any other federally protected class.