Systems Engineer with Security Clearance

Shadowgate Partners is seeking a Systems Engineer for our client. This is a fully funded position with the client serving as prime on the contract, available for immediate start. This role is 100% onsite at the client's facility either in Fairfax, VA or Denver, CO.

Salary Range and Benefits: $120,000 - $220,000 401(k): 25% company contribution — for this role, that equates to $50,000 contributed to your 401(k) over 12 months. Imagine the growth in 4-5 years! Individual Benefits Account (IBA): An additional 25% employer contribution used to cover health insurance premiums.

Any unused IBA balance is paid out at year-end as part of salary, so contributions are never forfeited PTO: 8 weeks annually Support ground processing system development to satisfy evolving mission requirements (e.g., modern communications signals) and ground architecture requirements (e.g., resiliency) for a container orchestration and edge processing framework deployed across multiple government sites.

The framework provides an operationally supported orchestration environment enabling DevSecOps pipelines for Continuous Integration, Continuous Delivery/Deployment, and Continuous Operations, driving rapid software/hardware updates with reduced transition timelines and cost. Responsibilities - Investigate and implement agile software development and deployment techniques to modernize current systems; e.g., containerize components, Kubernetes orchestration

• Interact with developers and the customer within a weekly/monthly/quarterly rhythm to plan and execute agile processes; e.g., define Jira epics and stories, assign story points, assess progress toward objectives
• Perform trade studies and conduct demonstrations to improve architecture resiliency
• Develop prototype tools
• Document system architecture, interfaces, CONOPs, trade study plans and results
• Create Confluence pages summarizing Jira roadmaps, key technical capabilities, and detailed plans

Required Skills and Experience - Familiar with Cloud Native Compute Foundation (CNCF) offerings and how they facilitate application deployment in on-premises or cloud environments

• Experience with Linux systems usage and administration
• At least 10 years performing technical systems engineering tasks and/or software development
• At least 5 years working on programs in the Intelligence Community
• Familiarity with ground processing systems
• Ability and desire to work independently; i.e., adapt tasking to fulfill needs as they evolve
• Proven capability to learn complex systems and perform engineering tasks to improve them

Desired Skills and Experience - Master's degree in Computer Science or Engineering

• Experience with Kubernetes and related containerization technologies and managing clusters (Docker, Helm, k9s)
• Experience and familiarity with DevSecOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, and infrastructure-as-code (Ansible, Terraform, Puppet)
• Proficiency or experience with at least one scripting/programming language such as Python, Bash, VBA, or Go
• Familiarity with cybersecurity best practices for cloud-native and on-premises deployments, PKI, container security scanning, and zero-trust principles
• Experience configuring and monitoring a suite of logging tools (Prometheus, Grafana, ELK stack, OpenSearch)
• Basic understanding of networking fundamentals (routing, switching, firewalls, VPNs) and secure communications in distributed computing systems
• Proven leadership skills and the ability to nurture productive relationships with customers
• Strong knowledge of NRO Ground systems
• Expertise in SIGINT tasking, collection, processing, exploitation, and/or dissemination
• Strong Jira and Confluence skills; facilitate technical and programmatic information sharing across the program and with the customer Security Clearance TS/SCI with the ability to obtain a CI polygraph after start.

Salary Range $120,000 - $220,000 Benefits Our Client offers an incredible benefits package including a 25% 401(k) company contribution, an additional 25% Individual Benefits Account (IBA) contribution covering health insurance premiums, 8 weeks of PTO, and 100% tuition and books reimbursement.