Systems Automation Engineer

Salary Statement

Estimated Starting Salary Range: USD $62,550.00/Yr. - USD $104,250.00/Yr. Salary to be determined by the education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities of the applicant, internal equity, and alignment with market data.
Description

The Systems Automation Engineer architects, secures, and sustains enterprise infrastructure across hybrid environments, integrating Windows and Linux systems on-premises and in AWS. This role is built on an automation-first mindset, leveraging infrastructure-as-code, CI/CD pipelines, and containerization to deliver highly scalable, resilient, and secure solutions. The engineer drives standardization and operational efficiency by eliminating manual processes and enabling rapid, repeatable deployments while embedding security across the full system lifecycle to meet NIST, RMF, and STIG requirements.

Infrastructure Engineering

• Designing, deploying, and maintaining Windows Server and Linux-based environments
• Administering core services including Active Directory, DNS, Group Policy, and identity federation
• Managing Windows & Linux systems, including patching, hardening, and performance tuning
• Supporting virtualization platforms and associated features (Nutanix - AHV, Files, Objects)
• Designing HA/DR solutions with automated backup, failover, and multi-region resilience

Cloud Engineering

• Architecting and managing AWS environments (e.g., EC2, S3, EBS, VPC, IAM, RDS, Route 53)
• Designing securing, scalable network architectures (e.g., VPCs, subnets, routing, load balancers)
• Implementing infrastructure-as-code (IaC) using Terraform or CloudFormation
• Optimizing cloud cost, performance, and availability through efficient scaling and monitoring

DevSecOps Integration

• Implementing and maintaining CI/CD pipelines (GitLab) to enable automated, reliable deployments
• Integrating DevSecOps with code scanning, container security, and secrets management
• Supporting container platforms (Docker, Kubernetes, RKE2, EKS) for scalable, resilient operations

Automation & Scripting

• Developing automation solutions to reduce manual processes and improve consistency
• Writing and maintaining scripts using Ansible, Python, PowerShell, or Bash
• Automating provisioning, configuration management, and system patching

Security & Compliance

• Implementing system hardening in accordance with DISA STIGs and NIST standards
• Supporting RMF/ATO processes and continuous monitoring to maintain compliance
• Implementing centralized logging, monitoring, and alerting (CloudTrail, CloudWatch, Elastic)
• Ensuring IL5/IL6/TS-SCI compliance through enforced security controls and system hardening

Operations & Support

• Monitoring system performance, availability, and capacity to ensure reliability and scalability
• Troubleshooting complex system-related issues across hybrid environments to restore operations
• Providing Tier III support and lead root cause analysis to resolve issues and prevent recurrence
• Maintaining system documentation and standard operating procedures

#LI-LH1

Requirements

• Five plus years of experience in systems engineering or infrastructure roles (Windows & Linux)
• Three plus years of experience in DevSecOps, automation, and cloud environments
• Strong experience with Windows and Linux (2019/2022/2025/RHEL-8/9/10) and AWS services
• Experience with scripting/automation (PowerShell, Python, Bash, Ansible)
• Hands-on experience with Infrastructure as Code (Terraform or CloudFormation)
• Familiarity with DevSecOps practices and sustainment of CI/CD pipelines
• Basic understanding of networking fundamentals (e.g., routing, host firewalls, load balancers)

Certifications:

• Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate or equivalent Windows certification
• Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA) or higher
• Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA)
• CompTIA Security+ (or higher, e.g., CISSP)
• AWS Certified Solutions Architect (Associate or Professional)

Desired Skills

• Experience with Kubernetes (RKE2, EKS, OpenShift, NKP, Rancher Federal, or similar)
• Knowledge of zero-trust architecture and modern identity solutions
• Experience with HashiCorp Vault, ArgoCD, or GitOps workflows, and service mesh technologies
• Familiarity with monitoring tools (Prometheus, Grafana)
• Experience in DoD or regulated environments (RMF, IL5/IL6/TS-SCI)

Clearance Information

SRC IS A CONTRACTOR FOR THE U.S. GOVERNMENT. THIS POSITION WILL REQUIRE U.S. CITIZENSHIP AS WELL AS A U.S. GOVERNMENT SECURITY CLEARANCE AT THE TOP SECRET / SCI LEVEL.

Travel Requirements

• Locally within US Space Command's Colorado Springs AOR. Peterson SFB, Schriever SFB and other locations in Colorado Springs
• Up to two weeks per month to US Space Command facilities at Redstone Arsenal, Hunstville Alabama

About Us

Scientific Research Corporation is an advanced information technology and engineering company that provides innovative products and services to government and private industry, as well as independent institutions. At the core of our capabilities is a seasoned team of highly skilled engineers and scientists with multidisciplinary backgrounds. This team is challenged daily to provide cutting edge technology solutions to our clients.

SRC offers a generous benefit package, including medical, dental, and vision plans, 401(k) with a company match, life insurance, vacation and sick paid time off accruals starting at 10 days of vacation and 5 days of sick leave annually, 11 paid holidays, tuition reimbursement, and a work environment that encourages excellence and more. For positions requiring a security clearance, selected applicants will be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.

EEO

Scientific Research Corporation is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate in employment.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under federal, state or local law.

Scientific Research Corporation endeavors to make www.scires.com accessible to any and all users. If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please contact jobs@scires.com for assistance. This contact information is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.