Lead Systems Engineer

At Leidos, we deliver innovative solutions through the efforts of our diverse and talented people who are dedicated to our customers’ success. We empower our teams, contribute to our communities, and operate sustainable practices. Everything we do is built on a commitment to do the right thing for our customers, our people, and our community. Our Mission, Vision, and Values guide the way we do business. Employees enjoy career enrichment opportunities available through mobility and development and experience rewarding relationships with supportive supervisors and talented colleagues and customers. Your most important work is ahead.

If this sounds like the kind of environment where you can thrive, keep reading!

Leidos is seeking to appoint a Lead Systems Engineer (contract designated Key Personnel) to oversee the IT Operations & Maintenance (O&M) responsibilities of the National Media Exploitation Center (NMEC). In this pivotal role, the Lead Systems Engineer will spearhead the team's endeavors to deliver comprehensive, adaptable, and center-centric IT O&M services. This entails managing a dynamic environment encompassing a hybrid data center model and multiple network enclaves that support a diverse range of applications. The scope of work encompasses desktop support, service desk operations, system engineering and administration, cybersecurity, and secure networking, all conducted within the framework of an Agile environment.

As a prominent figure within the organization, the Lead Systems Engineer (LSE) assumes responsibility for supervising, guiding, coordinating, and providing leadership across all engineering activities. The LSE takes charge of strategic planning, design, implementing operational system enhancements, testing, integration, and deploying various products and services. Upholding robust engineering practices is a key priority for the LSE. Tasks may be executed directly or through subordinate supervisors. The LSE offers guidance for the interpretation and application of company policies and procedures to engineering activities, keeps abreast of emerging technologies that could enhance operations, and formulates recommendations accordingly.

The LSE is a technology-driven engineering position. The LSE will coordinate aspects of engineering staffing. They will be a key contributor in recruitment activities and serve as a primary mentor in professional development of engineering staff.

The ideal candidate must thrive on continuous technical challenges to ensure the ongoing success and evolution of the program, in support of a great mission.

Ideal candidates should have broad knowledge in the below NMEC IT O&M technology areas (not necessarily at an expert level in any area).

• Network Management: Spearhead the strategic management and optimization of intricate network infrastructures, ensuring peak performance and seamless operations across diverse systems and platforms.

• Cisco Networking Hardware and Software Expertise: Lead the comprehensive management, configuration, and optimization of Cisco hardware and software systems, ensuring their efficient operation and alignment with organizational objectives.

• GPU and High-Level Computing: Spearhead the strategic management, configuration, and optimization of Graphic Processing Units (GPUs) and high-level computing systems, ensuring their efficient performance and integration within complex system architectures.

• Microsoft Products and OS Management Expertise: Lead the comprehensive management and optimization of all Microsoft products and operating systems within the IT O&M program, ensuring their seamless integration and optimal performance across diverse IT environments.

• Information Assurance Leadership: Lead and implement robust Information Assurance processes, ensuring compliance, security, and resilience of systems within the IT infrastructure, adhering to industry standards and best practices.

• Large-Scale Data Storage and Capacity Management: Oversee and optimize the storage infrastructure for large-scale data, ensuring efficient handling, scalability, and secure storage solutions to support the IT infrastructure and organizational data requirements, while effectively managing and expanding storage capacity as needed.

• Engineering Team Leadership for Linux and RedHat OS Expertise: Direct and guide a specialized team of engineers proficient in Linux operating systems. Supervise their configuration, optimization, and system management, ensuring robust security, scalability, and high-performance solutions aligned with the IT O&M program's objectives. Facilitate cohesive collaboration, troubleshooting, and innovative solutions in adherence to industry best practices and organizational standards.

• Design Architecture and Technical Documentation: Spearhead the creation and development of intricate system designs for IT infrastructure, ensuring alignment with organizational objectives and industry best practices. Oversee the creation of technical drawings and comprehensive documentation, facilitating the implementation and maintenance of these designs to ensure optimal system performance and adherence to industry standards.

The work location is in Bethesda at the Intelligence Community Campus.

Primary Responsibilities

• Manage the definition, development, and implementation of new and/or emerging technologies and processes for the user facing and backend IT systems.

• Chair and/or participate in center-wide level boards and review processes (ERBs, ROMB, architecture reviews, etc.) 

• Support the engineering team in the design, integration, and security posture of products for the environment - COTS, GOTS, and/or Leidos developed.

• Manage the baseline to include the routine and out of cycle updates, as well as the development of system release schedules which meet program objectives and present those schedules to leadership and the customer.

• Develop and maintain documentation and diagrams that adhere to program quality standards.

• Actively participate and mentor team members in solution design, process and/or approaches.

• Coordinate receipt of new technology solutions provided by Engineering to meet current and future mission needs.

• Coordinate, conduct, and participate in collaboration meetings with, and on behalf of the Government.

• Identify system integrity issues and solutions for the full system lifecycle.

• Effectively lead a geographically dispersed multi-discipline team to achieve the program schedule and all deliverable requirements.

• Coordinate with Operations Lead, Engineering Team, and subcontractor teams to effectively build and deploy new system baselines and revisions.

• Plan, manage, and enforce Customer hardware, software, and process baseline standards.

• Provide support metrics and reporting to leadership.

• Assist leadership with planning schedules and ensure proper personnel coverage for support activities.

• Responsible for evaluating resumes for vacancies and serving as a key component during candidate interviews.

• Manage project goals/assignments, oversee major upgrades, minor modifications, and restoration efforts following service degradation and outages.

• Manage work assignments for team, review and assign customer incidents, requirements, and tasks within ServiceNow ITSM ticketing platform.

• Manage work performance for subordinates, provide periodic feedback, and document performance against employee's goals and corporate guidelines.

• Review and approve timesheets for assigned subordinates in compliance with corporate standards.

• Flexibility in work schedule. This person will be expected to have a standard 8 hour workday. However if an outage occurs they may be one of the first called to help troubleshoot.

Basic Qualifications

• A Master’s degree in systems engineering or an IT related discipline. Additional years of experience may be considered in lieu of degree.

• At least 12 years of relevant experience with IT organizational structure, Acquisition policies, and ITSM processes.

• Technical leadership experience (3 years minimum) leading a medium-to-large program supporting design, development, integration, and testing of a complex, multi-component system.

• Working experience with CMDB and ITSM systems.

• Experience with ITIL, ITSM and hardware and software utilized for operations and support of data center resources utilized to manage, operate, or run applications, database systems, and end user access. 

• Ability to work independently and as a team member under tight deadlines with changing priorities.

• Ability to mentor and lead a technical team to include functional management of direct reports.

• Understanding of and experience with a managed services approach.

• Excellent oral and written communication skills. Ability to communicate and work effectively with other contractors and Government civilians. Able to brief Government leadership.

• Highly organized with strong troubleshooting, problem solving, and verbal/written communication skills.

• Strong project management skills

• Experience mentoring others and supervising others.

• Candidate must, at a minimum, meet DoD 8570.11- IAT Level II certification requirements (currently Security+ CE, CCNA-Security, GSEC, or SSCP along with an appropriate computing environment (CE) certification)

Clearance

• Active TS/SCI clearance with Polygraph required.

• US Citizenship is required due to the nature of the government contracts we support.

Preferred Qualifications

• 5-7 years' experience with the current ITIL & ITSM processes.

• 5-7 years' experience with current NMEC IT organizational structure, Acquisition policies.

• Current technical certifications in Cisco, networks storage, or HP and Dell computers.

• PMP certification or equivalent certification.

• ITIL v3 professional certification

• Experience in implementing managed services approach in a multiple contractor environment.

• Customer-service and goal oriented.

• Knowledge of end user and data center technologies, related scientific principles, theories, and concepts.

• Experience with Agile or Waterfall development methodologies

Experience working with hardware and software vendors to provide highest availability, highest throughput and processing for applications and end user access 

Original Posting Date:2025-02-20

While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.

Pay Range:Pay Range $126,100.00 - $227,950.00

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.