Systems Engineer - TS/SCI w/ FSP - Mission Critical

Active TS/SCI w/ FSP required at time of application

Location choice between Warrenton and McLean!

We are seeking a hands‑on Systems Engineer (SME) with deep expertise across infrastructure, platforms, and application ecosystems spanning cloud and on‑premises environments. This role requires a proven practitioner who can analyze existing (\"as is\") systems and applications, document current state architectures, design future‑state solutions, and implement systems enhancements or technology transformations end‑to‑end.

The ideal candidate is a technical leader and doer, not just an advisor - someone who can seamlessly collaborate across infrastructure, platform, application, DevSecOps, information systems security, and data teams while maintaining ownership of system reliability, performance, scalability, and security.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or related technical discipline, or other related technical discipline, or equivalent combination of education, technical certifications, training, and work/military experience
• Minimum ten (10) years of related systems engineering experience

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS

Infrastructure & Platforms

• Enterprise networking (e.g., routing, switching, firewalls, load balancers, DNS)
• Storage technologies (e.g., SAN, NAS, object storage)
• Container platforms (e.g., Kubernetes, Docker)
• Linux (Redhat, CentOS) operating systems (administration, hardening, automation)
• IdAM - Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) hands-on for AuthN and AuthZ

Cloud & On-Prem Technologies

• Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, and/or GCP)
• Hybrid and on‑prem infrastructure design and integration
• Cloud networking, identity, security, and cost optimization

Data & Application Platforms

• Relational and NoSQL databases - relational (e.g., Oracle, PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server) and NoSQL (e.g., MongoDB, Cassandra, DynamoDB, Redis) databases
• Web services, APIs, and middleware
• Software development lifecycle (SDLC) fundamentals
• Event‑based messaging systems (e.g., SQS, SNS, RabbitMQ)

Engineering & Automation

• Infrastructure as Code - Scripting & Automation: Python, Bash, PowerShell, Terraform, Ansible, or CloudFormation
• Configuration management and scripting (e.g., PowerShell, Bash, Python, etc.)
• CI/CD integration with infrastructure and platforms (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab CI/CD, GitHub Actions, GitOps, ArgoCD)
• Security best practices and systems hardening
• Monitoring & Incident Response: Proficiency with tools like Prometheus, Grafana, Splunk, ELK Stack, CloudWatch

Architecture & Design

• As‑is architecture documentation
• To‑be architecture and detailed engineering designs
• Implementation and migration plans

DESIRED SKILLS

• Observability and monitoring tools (e.g., logging, metrics, tracing)
• Zero Trust and modern security architectures
• Data analytics, AI/ML platform exposure
• Experience supporting production or mission‑critical environments
• Relevant certifications (e.g., cloud, systems, security, or architecture)
• Knowledge of machine learning platforms (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch, SageMaker)
• Familiarity with big data ecosystems (e.g., Hadoop, Databricks, Snowflake, Google BigQuery)
• Strong background in ITIL processes and agile methodologies
• Certifications: AWS Solutions Architect / DevOps Engineer, Azure Administrator, Kubernetes CKA/CKAD ITIL Foundation

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Perform hands‑on systems engineering across network, compute, storage, operating systems, middleware, databases, and applications
• Analyze and document as‑is infrastructure, platform, and application architectures
• Work with the System Architect and Cloud Architect to create the detailed engineering designs for modernization, optimization, and transformation initiatives
• Lead and execute cloud and on‑prem system implementations, migrations, and upgrades
• Ensure systems meet availability, scalability, performance, security, and compliance requirements
• Integrate infrastructure and platforms with DevOps and DevSecOps pipelines
• Troubleshoot complex, cross‑stack issues spanning infrastructure, platforms, and applications
• Collaborate effectively with:
  • Infrastructure & Platforms Engineers
  • Software Engineers
  • DevOps / DevSecOps Engineers
  • Data Engineers (ETL)
  • Data Modelers, Data Scientists, and Data Analysts
• Produce clear technical documentation, diagrams, standards, and runbooks

Leading Path is an award‑winning Information Technology and Management Consulting firm focused on providing solutions in process, technology, and operations to our government and Fortune 500 clients. We offer a professional and family friendly work environment with a strong work‑life balance.

• Leading Path provides a comprehensive and competitive benefits package including fully paid medical/dental/vision premiums, generous PTO, 11 Paid Holidays, 6% 401K contribution, annual training and tuition reimbursement, SPOT Award bonuses, regular team events, opportunities for professional growth and advancement and much more!