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# Systems Engineer (SME)

- **Company:** Leading Path Consulting
- **Location:** Warrenton, VA, United States
- **Experience:** Expert
- **Contract:** Permanent contract
- **Skills:** Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), Agile Methodology, Artificial Intelligence, Amazon Web Services, Applications Architecture, Systems Engineering, Microsoft Azure, Bash Shell, Big Data, CentOS, Cloud Computing, Configuration Management, Cyber Security, Databases, Continuous Integration, Extract Transform Load (ETL), Linux, DevOps, Domain Name System (DNS), Amazon DynamoDB, Middleware, Github, Apache Hadoop, Monitoring of Systems, Information Systems Security Architecture Professional, Python (Programming Language), PostgreSQL, Machine Learning, Enterprise Messaging Systems, Microsoft SQL Server, MongoDB, MySQL, Routing, NoSQL, Octopus Deploy, Oracle (Applications), Windows PowerShell, Systems Development Life Cycle, RabbitMQ, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Redis, Ansible, Tensorflow, Prometheus, Zero Trust Network Access, Azure Machine Learning, Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS), Software Engineering, Systems Architecture, Web Services, Data Logging, Scripting, Load Balancing, Pytorch, Snowflake, Grafana, Reliability of Systems, Firewalls (Computer Science), Cloudformation, Containerization, Gitlab-ci, Git Flow, Kubernetes, Storage Technologies, Information Technology, Cassandra, Data Analytics, Google Bigquery, Hardware Infrastructure, Cloudwatch, Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS), Terraform, Splunk, Devsecops, Docker, Elk Stack, Jenkins, Databricks
- **Published:** October 8, 2026
- **Apply:** https://www.thejobnetwork.com/job/ba25d78d-dcba-4ab0-87f1-14d4503e8cae/systems-engineer-tssci-w-fsp-mission-critical

## About the Role

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., · 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

Candidates must demonstrate hands-on experience in all the following areas:

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

· Ability to create:

 * 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

## Description

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., · 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 detail 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