Installation Engineer - Cyber Range

By Light Professional IT Services LLC readies warfighters and federal agencies with technology and systems engineered to connect, protect, and prepare individuals and teams for whatever comes next. Headquartered in McLean, VA, By Light supports defense, civilian, and commercial IT customers worldwide.

Position Overview

By Light Professional IT Services is seeking an Installation Engineer to support the Persistent Cyber Training Environment (PCTE) and RangeOS deployment and integration efforts in Orlando, FL.

The selected candidate will join a multi-disciplinary engineering team responsible for building, configuring, and deploying software installation packages and system environments across classified and isolated networks. This role focuses on ensuring the successful delivery, configuration, and operational readiness of cyber range systems used by U.S. Cyber Command and DoD components. You'll work closely with developers, DevSecOps engineers, and cyber operators to deliver reliable, secure, and high-performance training environments.

Responsibilities

• Build, test, and maintain software installation packages and deployment scripts for PCTE and RangeOS.
• Install and configure software components, microservices, and system dependencies across virtualized and cloud-based environments.
• Support the deployment of cyber range environments in classified, grey-space, or isolated networks.
• Validate installation procedures and troubleshoot deployment issues across Linux and Windows systems.
• Collaborate with DevSecOps teams to integrate installation processes into CI/CD pipelines.
• Maintain detailed installation documentation, including procedures, versioning, and configuration baselines.
• Participate in system integration efforts, ensuring interoperability and performance across the PCTE ecosystem.
• Support installation readiness reviews (IRRs), configuration audits, and fielding events.
• Apply systems-level thinking to evaluate deployment efficiency, security posture, and maintainability.
• Contribute to Agile ceremonies and collaborate with cross-functional teams to continuously improve deployment processes.

Required Experience/Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Systems Engineering, or related field.
• IAT Level II certification in accordance with DoDD 8570.
• Minimum of 5+ years of experience in software installation, deployment engineering, or systems integration.
• Proven experience designing, implementing, and maintaining CI/CD pipelines using tools like GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins, or similar.
• Deep understanding of pipeline runners, including self-hosted and cloud-based execution environments.
• Strong expertise in source control systems (e.g., Git), including branching strategies, pull request workflows, and repository management.
• Solid grasp of semantic versioning, release tagging, and artifact lifecycle management.
• Hands-on experience with ArgoCD for GitOps-based continuous deployment in Kubernetes environments.
• Proficient in AWS services, including EC2, S3, IAM, EKS, CloudFormation/Terraform, and networking fundamentals.
• Experience with infrastructure as code (IaC) and automated environment provisioning.
• Ability to troubleshoot and optimize build and deployment workflows for performance, reliability, and scalability.
• Familiarity with monitoring and alerting tools to ensure pipeline health and deployment success.
• Strong scripting skills (e.g., Bash, Python, or Go) for automation and tooling development.
• Experience with installation packaging tools (e.g., WiX Toolset, InstallShield, NSIS) and scripting (Python, Bash).
• Strong understanding of Linux-based systems, network configuration, and virtualization (VMware, KVM, Docker).
• Experience deploying cloud-based or microservices-based architectures.
• Working knowledge of Agile and DevSecOps methodologies.
• Ability to interpret deployment requirements and translate them into repeatable installation procedures.

Preferred Experience/Qualifications

• Experience supporting PCTE, RangeOS, or other DoD cyber range programs.
• Background in Cybersecurity, Modeling & Simulation, or Distributed Interactive Simulation (DIS) environments.
• Familiarity with container orchestration platforms (Kubernetes, OpenShift).
• Experience integrating installation validation into CI/CD dashboards and automated reporting.
• CompTIA Security+, CEH, or other relevant certifications.
• Familiarity with DoD software accreditation, RMF, and secure deployment practices.

Special Requirements/Security Clearance

• Active Secret clearance required; TS/SCI strongly preferred.