Watch Desk Systems Analyst - Texas In this role, you will help support Watch Desk operations supporting complex production environments where system health, data movement, and rapid incident response directly affect mission execution.
You will work at the center of operations, monitoring systems and applications, identifying abnormal behavior, coordinating troubleshooting, and making sure the right teams are engaged when issues escalate. This is a strong fit for someone who stays calm under pressure, understands how systems behave, and knows how to turn technical information into clear operational decisions.
What Makes This Opportunity Stand OutThis role gives you broad visibility across the mission environment. You will work with operating systems, applications, data flows, networks, dashboards, alerts, logs, and performance metrics while coordinating with Tier 2, Tier 3, management, and other support teams.
You are not simply watching dashboards. You are helping determine what matters, what needs immediate action, and who needs to be involved. You will also help strengthen Watch Desk operations through better SOPs, documentation, reporting, and shift handoffs.
Here's What Your Day-to-Day Could Include- Monitor operating systems, applications, services, and production environments for availability, health, and performance
- Use dashboards, logs, alerts, and system metrics to identify abnormal behavior and emerging issues
- Troubleshoot Linux operating systems, applications, data flows, and basic network issues
- Monitor data ingestion and processing pipelines and investigate interruptions or performance problems
- Perform authorized restart and recovery procedures in accordance with established SOPs
- Create, update, and maintain incident tickets throughout the troubleshooting process
- Document troubleshooting actions, results, incident timelines, and operational status
- Follow Tier 1 troubleshooting procedures and escalate unresolved issues to Tier 2, Tier 3, management, or other support personnel
- Support incident response and system restoration activities
- Prioritize multiple simultaneous incidents based on severity and mission impact
- Provide concise, accurate technical and operational status updates to engineers, management, customers, and mission stakeholders
- Generate metrics and operational reports using multiple data sources
- Develop, update, and maintain SOPs for Watch Desk personnel and customers
- Maintain accurate shift logs and operational documentation
- Conduct effective shift turnover and handoff activities
- Work independently while coordinating closely with engineers and support teams in a 24x7 operational environment
Minimum Qualifications- Clearance: Top Secret Clearance with Polygraph, must be active. We do not have the ability to sponsor clearances
- Citizenship: Must be a U.S. Citizen. We cannot sponsor visas
- 20 years of Systems Engineering experience on programs and contracts of similar scope, type, and complexity
- Demonstrated experience planning and leading Systems Engineering efforts
- Bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering Science, Engineering Management, or a related discipline from an accredited college or university
- Five additional years of Systems Engineering experience may be substituted for the bachelor's degree
- Security+ certification, or willingness to obtain it within six months
Required Skills- Strong Linux operating system knowledge
- Experience using Linux command-line tools
- Systems troubleshooting experience across hardware and software
- Strong network troubleshooting fundamentals
- Experience monitoring operating systems, applications, services, and system performance
- Experience troubleshooting application and data-flow issues and escalating when required
- Ability to read and interpret system health, performance, and operational graphs
- Experience using logs, alerts, dashboards, and performance metrics to identify abnormal system behavior
- Experience creating and maintaining incident tickets
- Strong incident documentation and operational tracking skills
- Ability to follow established SOPs and escalation procedures
- Experience developing, maintaining, and updating SOPs
- Ability to prioritize multiple technical issues based on severity and mission impact
- Ability to provide accurate technical and operational status updates
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to communicate technical information to engineers, management, customers, and other stakeholders
- Ability to work independently with limited supervision
- Ability to operate effectively in a 24x7 mission environment
Desired Skills- Familiarity with Jira and Confluence
- Familiarity with analytical applications and system health verification
- Experience with Rancher
- Experience with Elasticsearch
- Experience with Redis
- Experience with NiFi and other data-flow technologies
- Experience with Docker and Kubernetes
- Experience with monitoring and observability tools such as Nagios, Grafana, and Prometheus
- Familiarity with virtualization technologies
- Understanding of AWS cloud concepts and services
- Experience generating operational metrics and customer-facing reports
- Experience supporting system restoration and incident response activities
ScheduleThis position supports a 24x7 operational mission and follows a rotating 12-hour schedule in the Central Time Zone.
Day Shift:- Week 1: Sunday through Tuesday, 0500 to 1700
- Off Wednesday through Saturday
- Week 2: Sunday through Wednesday, 0500 to 1700
- Off Thursday through Saturday
Mid Shift:- Week 1: Wednesday through Friday, 1700 to 0500
- Week 2: Wednesday through Saturday, 1700 to 0500
Candidates should be comfortable working a rotating operational schedule and supporting shift turnover, handoffs, and continuous mission coverage.Compensation Range: $161,000.00 - $207,000.00This salary range reflects our current market estimate for the role. Final compensation will depend on your experience, technical background, overall qualifications, and alignment with the position. We evaluate each candidate thoughtfully, so offers are shaped around the value you bring to the team
