System Engineer II

Client Solution Architects (CSA)

$95K — $115K *
Aerospace & Defense
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Active Top Secret Clearance with SCI eligibility
  • Bachelor's degree in engineering or related field
  • 3 years of experience in systems engineering and Agile methodologies
  • 2 years of operational experience in enterprise server administration
  • Intermediate Proficiency in the DoD 8140 Cyber Workforce Framework

Responsibilities

  • Design, implement, and maintain secure software delivery pipelines
  • Provide tier 2/3 technical support for production systems
  • Identify and remediate security vulnerabilities
  • Integrate software components within secure, multi-domain environments
  • Execute zero-downtime software deployments
  • Implement security monitoring solutions
  • Ensure compliance with DoD cybersecurity mandates

Benefits

  • Work on critical naval software delivery operations
  • Support mission-critical defense applications
  • Collaborate within a fast-paced Agile environment
  • Engage in ongoing professional development and training
  • Contribute to national security initiatives
Full Job Description
Job Type

Full-time

Description

Client Solution Architects (CSA) is currently seeking a Systems Engineer II to support a program onsite in San Diego, CA.

This position will support critical naval software delivery operations for Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific (NIWC-PAC), located in San Diego, California. The selected candidate will play a vital role in supporting the Application Arsenal (AA), NIWC-PAC's enterprise-class software distribution and delivery platform for software deployed at the tactical edge. Current deployment targets include Agile Core Services (ACS), USMC Common Hosting Environment, and other continuous integration / continuous deployment (CI/CD) software environments.

The selected candidate will be responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining secure software delivery pipelines that operate across multiple classification domains and challenging operational environments. This role requires deep technical expertise in modern DevSecOps practices, containerized architectures, and defense-specific platform integration.

How Role will make an impact:
  • Architectural Oversight - Designing, reviewing, and maintaining system architectures that support mission-critical defense applications
  • Requirements Traceability - Establishing and maintaining bidirectional traceability between stakeholder requirements, system design, implementation, and verification activities
  • System Integration - Integrating complex software components within secure, multi-domain environments while ensuring interoperability and compliance with defense standards

Candidates must demonstrate hands-on experience with ongoing software sustainment operations, including:
  • Operational Support - Providing tier 2/3 technical support for production systems, including incident response, root cause analysis, and resolution
  • Proactive Vulnerability Management - Identifying, assessing, prioritizing, and remediating security vulnerabilities in accordance with DoD cybersecurity timelines and risk management frameworks
  • Technical Debt Remediation - Systematically addressing technical debt through refactoring, modernization, and optimization efforts to maintain system health and performance

Candidates must demonstrate active, practical utilization of Agile frameworks tailored to defense software environments, including:
  • Scrum - Sprint planning, daily standups, sprint reviews, and retrospectives
  • Kanban - Continuous flow management, work-in-progress limits, and visual workflow optimization
  • Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) - Program Increment (PI) planning, Agile Release Trains (ARTs), and enterprise-level coordination

Proven ability to execute production software deployments with:
  • Zero or near-zero downtime deployment strategies (blue-green deployments, canary releases, rolling updates)
  • Minimal operational disruption through comprehensive testing, rollback procedures, and change management
  • Live production environment updates while maintaining system availability and mission readiness
  • Continuous Monitoring - Implementing and maintaining security monitoring solutions (SIEM, log aggregation, intrusion detection)
  • DISA STIG Compliance - Rigorous implementation and validation of Defense Information Systems Agency Security Technical Implementation Guides across all managed systems

Information Assurance (IA) - Fulfilling stringent DoD cybersecurity mandates, including:
  • Risk Management Framework (RMF) compliance
  • Authority to Operate (ATO) support activities
  • Security control implementation and assessment
  • Vulnerability scanning and remediation tracking


Requirements

What you'll need to have to join our award-winning team:
  • Clearance: Must possess and maintain an active Top Secret Clearance with SCI eligibility.
  • A bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline from an accredited college or university.
  • Minimum Three (3) years of demonstrated experience in systems engineering and continuous software sustainment, utilizing modern Agile methodologies to ensure seamless delivery and operational stability in production environments.
  • Minimum Two (2) years of recent (within the last 5 years) demonstrated operational experience in enterprise server administration across heterogeneous operating system environments.
  • Selected candidates must satisfy the requirements for 'Intermediate Proficiency' for the '451 - System Administrator' role as defined in the DoD 8140 Cyber Workforce Framework (formerly DoD 8570).

Certification Requirements:

Acceptable certifications include (but are not limited to):
  • CompTIA Security+ CE
  • CompTIA CySA+
  • GIAC Security Essentials (GSEC)
  • GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH)
  • Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
  • Other DoD 8140-approved certifications at the Intermediate level

Must have hands-on experience with both:
  • Linux Operating Systems - RHEL, CentOS, Ubuntu, or other enterprise distributions
  • System installation, configuration, and hardening
  • Package management, kernel tuning, and performance optimization
  • Shell scripting and automation (Bash, Python, Ansible)
  • Windows Server Operating Systems - Windows Server 2016/2019/2022
  • Active Directory, Group Policy, and domain services
  • PowerShell scripting and automation
  • IIS, DNS, DHCP, and other Windows-based services

Demonstrated proficiency in deploying, configuring, and maintaining scalable virtualized environments, including:
  1. VMware vSphere - ESXi host management, vCenter administration, virtual machine lifecycle management
  2. Amazon Web Services (AWS) - EC2, VPC, S3, IAM, and other core services
  3. Other Virtualization Platforms - Hyper-V, KVM, or equivalent enterprise virtualization technologies


Physical Requirements:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to:
  • Sit for extended periods of time and work at a computer workstation
  • Use hands and fingers to operate keyboards, mice, and other input devices
  • Communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing
  • Specific vision abilities required may include close vision, distance vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust
  • Stand, walk, bend, or reach; Access equipment located in data centers, offices, or under desks
  • Lift and/or move equipment weighing up to 25 pounds

Similar Jobs

More Jobs at Client Solution Architects (CSA)

  • System Engineer II
    $95K — $115K *
    San Diego, CA 92154 (San Diego County)
    Aerospace & Defense
    In-Person
  • Operational Specialist II
    $80K — $95K *
    Washington, DC 20011 (District Of Columbia County)
    Aerospace & Defense
    In-Person
  • Splunk Systems Administrator
    $90K — $110K *
    Pensacola, FL 32514 (Escambia County)
    Information Technology
    In-Person
  • Lead Cyber Assurance
    $95K — $115K *
    Millington, TN 38053 (Shelby County)
    Aerospace & Defense
    In-Person
  • SQL Database Administrator
    $80K — $95K *
    Pensacola, FL 32514 (Escambia County)
    Information Technology
    In-Person

More Aerospace & Defense Jobs

Find similar System Engineer II jobs: