Senior Systems Engineer

Job Description

Job Description:\n\n Position Summary The Senior Systems Engineer will serve as a senior technical resource within Karman’s Infrastructure & Site Operations organization. This role is responsible for designing, implementing, maintaining, securing, and supporting enterprise infrastructure, cloud services, endpoint platforms, Microsoft 365 / GCC High services, identity systems, backup/recovery, monitoring, and site technology environments. Reporting into the IT Director, Infrastructure & Site Operations, this role will provide hands-on engineering support across corporate and site environments, including servers, endpoints, identity, networking, collaboration platforms, cloud services, infrastructure tools, and operational support systems. The Senior Systems Engineer will partner closely with Service Desk, Cybersecurity, Business Systems, Enterprise Integration & PMO, AI/Data, vendors, and site leadership to improve service reliability, endpoint compliance, infrastructure standardization, operational resilience, and supportability across Karman’s enterprise. This role requires a strong technical generalist with deep systems engineering experience, strong troubleshooting skills, security awareness, and the ability to operate effectively in a regulated aerospace and defense environment. Key Responsibilities Infrastructure Engineering & OperationsDesign, implement, maintain, and support enterprise infrastructure services across corporate and site environments.Administer and support Windows Server, Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, Group Policy, file services, print services, certificate services, and related infrastructure platforms.Support virtualization, server, storage, backup, monitoring, and infrastructure management platforms.Maintain infrastructure standards, configurations, documentation, diagrams, runbooks, and operational procedures.Monitor infrastructure health, performance, capacity, availability, and security posture.Troubleshoot complex infrastructure issues and drive root cause analysis for recurring problems.Support lifecycle management, patching, upgrades, migrations, refreshes, and technical debt reduction.Participate in infrastructure change planning, maintenance windows, outage response, and service restoration. Microsoft 365 / GCC High & Collaboration PlatformsSupport Microsoft 365 / GCC High services, including Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook, and related collaboration tools.Administer and troubleshoot M365 services, licensing, mail flow, Teams collaboration, SharePoint access, OneDrive sync, and user productivity issues.Partner with Cybersecurity and Compliance on external sharing, information protection, retention, audit logging, conditional access, CUI handling, and secure collaboration practices.Support Teams meeting rooms, conference room technology, audio/video collaboration, and executive collaboration needs.Assist with M365 governance, adoption, configuration standards, and operational support documentation.Support future collaboration, Copilot, automation, knowledge management, and SharePoint enablement efforts as needed. Identity, Access & Endpoint ManagementSupport identity and access management platforms, including Active Directory, Entra ID / Azure AD, SSO, MFA, conditional access, privileged access, and access lifecycle processes.Partner with Cybersecurity on identity hardening, access reviews, privileged access controls, account hygiene, and incident response.Support endpoint management platforms such as Microsoft Intune, Autopilot, Configuration Manager/SCCM, Defender for Endpoint, or related tools.Build and maintain standard endpoint configurations, deployment profiles, compliance policies, application packages, and device management processes.Support endpoint provisioning, imaging, patching, encryption, device compliance, software deployment, and vulnerability remediation.Provide technical escalation support for complex endpoint, access, device compliance, and user environment issues.Support endpoint standards for office, executive, engineering, production, shop-floor, shared, and specialized workstations. Cloud, Server & Hybrid Environment SupportSupport cloud and hybrid infrastructure services across Microsoft Azure, GCC High, and other cloud environments as applicable.Assist with cloud resource administration, connectivity, monitoring, identity integration, access controls, cost visibility, and operational support.Support hybrid identity, synchronization, cloud collaboration, backup, storage, and infrastructure integration.Partner with Cybersecurity to ensure cloud and hybrid environments follow secure configuration, logging, monitoring, and access standards.Support infrastructure modernization, cloud migration, and platform rationalization activities.Help develop scalable, standardized approaches for cloud and hybrid infrastructure operations. Network & Site Technology SupportProvide senior-level support for site infrastructure, including LAN, WAN, Wi-Fi, VPN, firewalls, switches, telecom, internet connectivity, cabling, and network-connected devices.Partner with network vendors, managed service providers, and internal teams to troubleshoot and resolve site connectivity issues.Support site expansions, moves, consolidations, production changes, acquisition integrations, and infrastructure refreshes.Assist with site standardization efforts across network, endpoint, server, collaboration, and support environments.Provide escalation support for site-impacting technology incidents and business-critical operational issues.Support manufacturing, engineering, quality, program, and shop-floor environments where technology reliability directly impacts operations. Backup, Disaster Recovery & Operational ResilienceSupport backup, recovery, disaster recovery, and business continuity processes for infrastructure and critical technology services.Monitor backup success, investigate failures, validate restore procedures, and support recovery testing.Maintain documentation for recovery procedures, infrastructure dependencies, escalation paths, and critical service ownership.Participate in disaster recovery planning, tabletop exercises, and operational resilience improvement activities.Ensure infrastructure changes account for availability, recoverability, monitoring, and supportability. Security, Compliance & Controls SupportPartner with Cybersecurity & Compliance to support CMMC, NIST 800-171, DFARS, CUI, SOX ITGC, vulnerability management, and audit readiness requirements.Support secure configuration, patching, endpoint hardening, access controls, logging, monitoring, and evidence collection.Remediate infrastructure and endpoint vulnerabilities in partnership with Cybersecurity and site teams.Assist with incident response activities involving endpoints, servers, identity, network access, malware, or suspicious activity.Ensure infrastructure and endpoint processes are documented, controlled, and auditable.Support evidence collection and operational control documentation for audits, assessments, and compliance reviews. Service Desk Escalation & Technical LeadershipServe as an escalation point for complex Level 2/Level 3 issues from the Service Desk and site support teams.Mentor junior technicians and help improve troubleshooting discipline, documentation, and technical capability across the team.Create and maintain knowledge base articles, standard operating procedures, technical guides, and support documentation.Help identify recurring issues and implement permanent corrective actions.Support major incidents, root cause analysis, after-action reviews, and service improvement plans.Help improve ticket quality, escalation paths, response times, and operational communication. Asset, Configuration & Lifecycle ManagementSupport asset and configuration management for servers, endpoints, network equipment, collaboration devices, software, and infrastructure components.Ensure infrastructure and endpoint inventory data is accurate, complete, and useful for operations, cybersecurity, finance, and compliance.Support hardware refresh planning, software lifecycle management, warranty tracking, licensing inputs, and equipment retirement.Contribute to CMDB maturity and asset reconciliation activities.Support secure disposal, data sanitization, and lifecycle controls for retired equipment. M&A Integration & Site StandardizationSupport infrastructure and endpoint integration activities for acquisitions, new sites, site consolidations, and enterprise standardization efforts.Assist in assessing acquired or legacy environments for infrastructure risk, support gaps, endpoint exposure, identity issues, network maturity, and compliance readiness.Support site onboarding into enterprise standards for identity, endpoint management, M365/GCC High, network support, monitoring, and service desk processes.Help rationalize local tools, unmanaged devices, inconsistent configurations, and non-standard infrastructure practices.Partner with Enterprise Integration & PMO to execute infrastructure-related integration tasks, timelines, risks, and dependencies. Required QualificationsBachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, or related field, or equivalent professional experience.7+ years of experience in systems engineering, infrastructure operations, endpoint management, cloud operations, or related IT infrastructure roles.Strong experience administering Windows Server, Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, Group Policy, file/print services, and enterprise infrastructure services.Experience supporting Microsoft 365 services such as Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook, and related collaboration tools.Experience with endpoint management tools such as Microsoft Intune, Autopilot, SCCM/Configuration Manager, Defender for Endpoint, or similar platforms.Working knowledge of networking concepts, including LAN, WAN, Wi-Fi, VPN, firewalls, switching, routing, DNS, DHCP, and connectivity troubleshooting.Experience with virtualization, backup/recovery, infrastructure monitoring, patch management, endpoint compliance, and lifecycle management.Strong troubleshooting, root cause analysis, documentation, and operational support skills.Ability to support multiple sites, competing priorities, and business-critical operational issues.Strong communication skills with the ability to work effectively with technical teams, end users, vendors, and business stakeholders. Preferred QualificationsExperience in aerospace, defense, manufacturing, engineering, or another regulated environment.Experience with Microsoft GCC High, government cloud environments, or regulated collaboration environments.Familiarity with CMMC, NIST 800-171, DFARS, CUI, SOX ITGC, export-controlled environments, or audit-driven IT operations.Experience supporting manufacturing, engineering, shop-floor, or site operations technology environments.Experience with Azure, Entra ID, conditional access, MFA, SSO, hybrid identity, and cloud infrastructure services.Experience with VMware, Hyper-V, Azure, AWS, Veeam, Rubrik, Cohesity, SolarWinds, LogicMonitor, ServiceNow, Jira Service Management, Cisco, Meraki, Fortinet, Palo Alto, or similar tools.Experience supporting M&A integration, site onboarding, infrastructure standardization, endpoint rationalization, or post-acquisition technology integration.Microsoft, Cisco, VMware, CompTIA, ITIL, Azure, AWS, or security-related certifications preferred. Key CompetenciesStrong technical ownership and accountability.Hands-on engineering mindset with strong follow-through.Ability to troubleshoot complex issues under pressure.Strong security and compliance awareness.Practical understanding of site operations and business impact.Ability to mentor junior team members and raise technical standards.Clear documentation and communication discipline.Strong customer-service orientation with enterprise-level judgment.Ability to bring structure to fragmented or inconsistent environments.Bias for standardization, automation, reliability, and continuous improvement.Comfortable working across infrastructure, endpoint, cloud, collaboration, identity, security, and site operations. ITAR REQUIREMENTS: To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities. The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. Karman is committed to equal employment opportunity. We will not discriminate against employees or applicants for employment on any legally recognized basis (“protected class”) including, but not limited to race; color; religion; genetic information; national origin; sex; pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions; age; disability; citizenship status; uniform servicemember status; or any other protected class under federal, state, or local law. Our management is dedicated to ensuring the fulfillment of this policy with respect to hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, recruitment advertising, pay, and other forms of compensation, training, and general treatment during employment.