System Engineer Sr Principal
- Fort Meade, United States
Posted 3 days ago
About the role
Clearance Level
Secret
Category
IT Infrastructure and Operations
Location
Fort Meade, Maryland
(Hybrid Workplace)Key Skills For Success
Cloud Based Services
DISA STIG
Microsoft Windows
Vulnerability Mitigation
Windows Azure Cloud
REQ#:RQ227278
Public Trust:None
Requisition Type:Regular
Your Impact
Own your opportunity to support our nation's defense. Make an impact by connecting and securing critical operations across the globe, keeping our country safe and secure.
Job Description
SYSTEMS ENGINEER PRINCIPAL
General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) is seeking a Systems Engineer Sr Principal with a strong cyber and vulnerability management background to support a mission-critical environment. This role will focus on end-to-end vulnerability management, including patching, STIG implementation, and sustainment of virtual machines, network devices, and containers in highly secure environments.
As a senior principal systems engineer, you will apply deep expertise in security configuration baselines, vulnerability assessment tooling, and remediation strategies to reduce risk and improve the security posture of enterprise systems.
This is hybrid position and requires regular on-site support and remote work.
Responsibilities- Lead the design, implementation, and optimization of vulnerability management and patching strategies for virtualized infrastructures, network devices, and containerized workloads.
- Interpret and implement DoD/DISA STIGs, CIS benchmarks, and other security baselines across operating systems, applications, networks, and container platforms.
- Own the lifecycle of patch management (assessment, planning, testing, deployment, and verification) to ensure timely and compliant remediation of vulnerabilities.
- Maintain and harden virtual machine environments (e.g., cloud-native VMs), ensuring availability, performance, and security.
- Configure and maintain network devices (e.g., routers, switches, firewalls) in accordance with security policies, STIGs, and best practices.
- Deploy and maintain container platforms (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes/OpenShift) with a focus on secure configuration, image scanning, and vulnerability remediation.
- Integrate and leverage vulnerability scanning tools (e.g., Tenable, Qualys, Rapid7, ACAS) and configuration/compliance tools to identify, track, and remediate findings.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams (cybersecurity, network engineering, systems administration, DevSecOps) to ensure cohesive and secure designs and operations.
- Participate in incident response and root cause analysis related to vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and system security issues, driving corrective and preventive actions.
- Ensure solutions meet applicable contractual, regulatory, and compliance requirements (e.g., DoD directives, RMF/ATO, NIST SP 800-53).
- Active DoD Security Clearance of SECRET, or higher
- 8+ years of relevant systems engineering experience, including work in secure or mission-critical environments.
- Compliance with DoD 8570/8140 requirements (e.g., CCSP, Security+ CE, CISSP, Security X/CASP+, or equivalent baseline certification).
- Demonstrated experience leading vulnerability management and patching activities across complex, multi-platform environments.
- Experience with Microsoft Azure Cloud services such as virtual machines, storage, resource manager, etc.
- Experience with implementing PKI and PIV standards, Active Directory or LDAP
- Experience with Group Policy Objects and management
- Hands-on experience implementing STIGs and security baselines for:
- Operating systems (e.g., Windows Server, RHEL Linux, Ubuntu)
- Network devices (e.g., Cisco, Juniper, firewalls)
- Virtualization platforms and/or container platforms
- Experience maintaining and securing virtual machine infrastructures (e.g. cloud-based VMs).
- Experience supporting network infrastructure including configuration, hardening, and troubleshooting of routers, switches, and firewalls.
- Experience deploying and maintaining container-based environments (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes) with an emphasis on secure configuration and image management.
- Expertise with vulnerability scanning and compliance tools (e.g., Tenable.sc/Nessus ACAS or similar), including interpreting results and driving remediation.
- Proficiency with automation and scripting (e.g., Ansible, PowerShell, Python, Bash) for patching, configuration management, and reporting.
- Strong understanding of networking fundamentals (TCP/IP, routing, witching, DNS, DHCP, VLANs, VPNs) and how they intersect with security best practices.
- Solid understanding of cybersecurity principles, controls, and frameworks, such as NIST, RMF, and defense-in-depth strategies
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate technical risk and remediation plans into language stakeholders understand.
- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively across engineering, cybersecurity, operations, and customer teams.
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, Cybersecurity, or related field;
- Experience in Microsoft Azure Cloud security implementations
- Familiarity with NIST 800-207 Zero Trust Architecture
- Familiarity with NIST 800-144 Guidelines on Security and Privacy in Public Cloud Computing
Work Requirements
Years of Experience
8 + years of related experience
- may vary based on technical training, certification(s), or degree
Certification
CompTIA SecurityX CE | CompTIA - CompTIA
Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) | International Information System Security Certification Consortium (ISC2) - International Information System Security Certification Consortium (ISC2)
Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) | International Information System Security Certification Consortium (ISC2) - International Information System Security Certification Consortium (ISC2)
CompTIA Security+ CE | CompTIA - CompTIA
Travel Required
25-50%
Citizenship
U.S. Citizenship Required
Salary and Benefit Information
The likely salary range for this position is $133,450 - $180,550. This is not, however, a guarantee of compensation or salary. Rather, salary will be set based on experience, geographic location and possibly contractual requirements and could fall outside of this range.
Our Identity Verification Process
As part of the hiring process, we will ask you to complete an identity verification process that leverages advanced biometrics and artificial intelligence to ensure authenticity and protect against identity fraud. You are expected to be on camera during virtual interviews. We reserve the right to take your picture to verify your identity and prevent fraud. By proceeding, you authorize the collection, processing, and use of your biometric data for identity verification and security purposes.
About Our Work
We are GDIT. A global technology and professional services company that delivers technology solutions and mission services to every major agency across the U.S. government, defense and intelligence community. Our 26,000 experts extract the power of technology to create immediate value and deliver solutions at the edge of innovation. We operate across 50+ countries worldwide, offering leading mission-ready capabilities in AI, cloud, cyber and software development.
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Equal Opportunity Employer / Individuals with Disabilities / Protected Veterans