Systems Engineer

BigBear.ai is seeking a Systems Engineer to support U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a component of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This role supports the engineering, integration, enhancement, and sustainment of mission-critical traveler processing, immigration management, and vetting systems used at and between U.S. Ports of Entry.

The Systems Engineer will work within a highly dynamic, 24x7 mission environment and contribute to the design, implementation, integration, testing, troubleshooting, and continuous improvement of cloud-based systems and infrastructure.

What you will do

• Design, implement, integrate, and maintain complex IT systems and infrastructure
• Develop and implement technical solutions supporting mission-critical applications and services
• Design and manage cloud infrastructure within AWS GovCloud and/or AWS C2S environments
• Develop and maintain containerized environments using Docker and Kubernetes
• Implement infrastructure-as-code and configuration automation using Terraform and Ansible
• Design, maintain, and improve CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins and/or GitLab
• Apply DevSecOps practices across system development, integration, testing, and deployment activities
• Perform system integration, functional testing, performance testing, troubleshooting, and root-cause analysis
• Analyze complex system and infrastructure issues and develop sustainable technical solutions
• Support Linux/Unix environments, including system configuration, administration, and troubleshooting
• Evaluate system performance, reliability, scalability, and availability
• Develop and maintain system architecture documentation, technical procedures, and configuration documentation
• Collaborate with software development, cybersecurity, cloud, infrastructure, and program teams to resolve technical issues and integrate solutions
• Ensure engineering activities align with applicable security, technical, and industry standards
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior engineers
• Participate in technical planning, design reviews, implementation planning, and operational support
• Support continuous improvement of engineering processes, automation, and system reliability
• Perform other related engineering duties as assigned

• Bachelor’s Degree and 5 to 8 years of experience
• Strong experience with Linux/Unix environments
• Experience designing, deploying, or maintaining systems in AWS, preferably AWS GovCloud and/or C2S
• Hands-on experience with Kubernetes and Docker
• Experience with infrastructure-as-code and automation using Terraform and Ansible
• Experience developing or maintaining CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins, GitLab, or similar tools
• Experience applying DevSecOps practices within enterprise or mission-critical environments
• Demonstrated experience with system integration, testing, troubleshooting, and performance analysis
• Strong technical problem-solving and analytical skills
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively across multidisciplinary teams
• Ability to obtain and maintain the required government clearance/background investigation

What we’d like you to have

• Experience supporting federal government, DHS, CBP, or other mission-critical environments
• Experience operating systems in 24x7 production environments
• Experience with secure cloud architecture and government cloud environments
• Experience implementing automated infrastructure provisioning and deployment
• Experience with system monitoring, logging, and performance optimization
• Relevant AWS, Kubernetes, Linux, DevOps, or security certifications
• Experience mentoring junior engineers or providing technical leadership on engineering efforts

BigBear.ai is a leading provider of AI-powered decision intelligence solutions for national security, supply chain management, and digital identity. Customers and partners rely on Bigbear.ai’s predictive analytics capabilities in highly complex, distributed, mission-based operating environments. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, BigBear.ai is a public company traded on the NYSE under the symbol BBAI. For more information, visit and follow BigBear.ai on LinkedIn: @BigBear.ai and X: @BigBearai.

BigBear.ai is an Equal opportunity employer all protected groups, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.