Leidos is seeking an experienced
Systems Engineer (SME) to join our
Integrated Information Technology Support Services (I3TS) team, who will support an extensive digital modernization program critical to Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). The Systems Engineer will work closely with the Leidos and Government technical leadership team to help drive innovation, growth, and efficiencies within the I3TS portfolio.
Primary Responsibilities:The
Commercial Solutions for Classified (CSfC) Systems Engineer SME will architect and maintain mission-critical Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and Hardware Security Modules (HSMs), oversee VMware or Nutanix hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) with vSAN, and implement resilient backup and disaster recovery frameworks. This role will also build and administer hardened Windows Server and Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) platforms, establish robust Syslog aggregation, and enforce rigorous DoW vulnerability patching and DISA STIG compliance to sustain full Authorization to Operate (ATO), and assist with automating gold-image provisioning via SCCM.
Clearance: Active TS/SCI Clearance at time of consideration.Core Responsibilities:- Architect, deploy, and maintain CSfC infrastructure operating within Black/Gray/Red networks.
- Design, configure, and maintain multi-layered CSfC architectures in alignment with NSA Data-At-Rest (DAR) and Mobile Access (MA) Capability Packages.
- Architect, deploy, maintain Certificate Authority (CA), Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP) responders, and hardware-backed key protection via Hardware Security Modules (HSMs) in accordance with CSfC Key Management Requirements.
- Build, manage, and optimize virtualized compute and storage fabrics utilizing VMware vSphere / ESXi or Nutanix AHV with vSAN/distributed storage. Design resilient, air-gapped backup and disaster recovery (DR) pipelines.
- Deploy, configure, and administer hardened Microsoft Windows Server (Active Directory, DNS, Group Policy) and Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) systems.
- Establish centralized, tamper-resistant Syslog and audit logging infrastructure across all network and system devices, hypervisors, and operating systems to support continuous monitoring and SIEM ingestion.
- Understanding of cross-domain systems and forwarding log data through it to a centralized SIEM
- Build and maintain automated OS deployment and gold image pipelines using Microsoft Configuration Manager (MCM/SCCM) for CSfC End User Devices (EUD).
- Apply and validate patching and STIGs across all virtual and physical infrastructure. Execute vulnerability scans, track IAVMs, and remediate findings to maintain Authorization to Operate (ATO).
Basic Qualifications- Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Engineering Management, Management Information Systems, or related STEM degree program, and 12-15 years of prior relevant experience or Masters with 10 - 13 years of prior relevant experience. May possess a Doctorate in technical domain. Specific experience, education and training may be considered in lieu of degree.
- 12+ years of progressive systems engineering experience within DoD/DoW, federal, or defense contractor enterprise environments.
- Active TS/SCI Clearance
- Active DoD 8570.01-M / DoD 8140 IAT Level II or III baseline certification (e.g., Security+ CE, CySA+, CASP+, or CISSP).
- Active Computing Environment certification, including one of: VMware VCP/VCAP, Nutanix NCP, Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE), Microsoft Certified: Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate
- Direct experience drafting CSfC Key Management Plans (KMPs) and Continuous Monitoring Plans (CMPs) for NSA CSfC PMO approval.
- Proficiency with PowerShell, Bash, and Ansible for automated STIG remediation, configuration drift detection, and certificate deployment
- Advanced configuration of syslog daemons (Rsyslog, Syslog-ng) and forwarding architectures to enterprise SIEM platforms (e.g., Splunk, Elastic).
Preferred Qualifications- Experience Designing, deploying, and maintaining IT infrastructures for DTRA or other DoW organizations
Original Posting:September 1, 2026
Pay Range:Pay Range $131,300.00 - $237,350.00
The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.
