Senior Systems Engineer

Position Summary

The Senior Systems Engineer supports the Research & Development (R&D) Development Network responsible for developing and integrating next‑generation technologies that enhance student‑pilot training under the Pilot Training Next (PTN) program. This role architects, secures, and maintains Azure cloud environments aligned with DoD cybersecurity standards to enable rapid experimentation, simulation capabilities, and data‑driven training technologies.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, deploy, and maintain Microsoft Azure cloud environments supporting PTN R&D workloads, simulation technologies, and training systems.
• Implement secure cloud architectures compliant with DISA STIGs, NIST 800‑53/171, RMF, and internal cybersecurity policies.
• Engineer, monitor, and optimize virtual networks, compute, storage, identity, and automation supporting the Development Network.
• Develop scalable Infrastructure‑as‑Code (IaC) solutions using ARM/Bicep, Terraform, or equivalent tooling.
• Perform system hardening, patching, log management, auditing, and secure configuration baselining.
• Support ATO/AMT efforts including evidence collection, documentation, and continuous monitoring.
• Collaborate with R&D software engineers, data scientists, and training SMEs to integrate new capabilities into secure cloud environments.
• Troubleshoot complex cloud, networking, identity, and access‑control issues.
• Participate in sprint planning, design reviews, and architecture discussions.
• Develop and maintain technical documentation, SOPs, architecture diagrams, and system guides.
• Use Jira for workflow and task tracking; maintain documentation and collaboration assets in Confluence.
• Maintain GitLab repositories, runners, access controls, and CI/CD pipelines; oversee pipeline stability, updates, and improvements.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field; or equivalent professional experience.
• Security+ (CompTIA Security+) certification (required).
• 5–10+ years of hands‑on experience in systems or cloud engineering.
• Strong experience with Microsoft Azure cloud services, architecture, and security.
• Demonstrated experience applying DISA STIGs, NIST 800‑53, NIST 800‑171, and RMF processes.
• Proficiency with Microsoft technologies including Windows Server, Active Directory/Entra ID, Group Policy, and PKI.
• Experience with IaC tooling such as Terraform, Bicep, or ARM templates.
• Ability to diagnose and resolve complex cloud, identity, and network issues.
• U.S. Citizenship and ability to obtain/maintain a DoD security clearance (if required by contract).

Desired Qualifications

• Microsoft certifications such as AZ‑104, AZ‑305, AZ‑500, SC‑100, or similar.
• Experience supporting DoD training systems, modeling & simulation, or R&D environments.
• Experience with virtualization technologies (VMware, Hyper‑V) or container platforms (AKS, Docker).
• Familiarity with Zero Trust architecture and implementation patterns.
• Experience with PowerShell, Python, or similar automation scripting languages.