Senior System Engineer

Systems Engineer V – Infrastructure & Automation

Jessup, MD | Infrastructure Operations & Automation | Active TS//SCI Clearance Required

Join Talos Mission Solutions as a Systems Engineer V and make hyperscale Linux fleets faster, safer, and more autonomous. You'll design self-healing, measurable systems through Python and shell automation, diving deep to resolve problems at root cause and simplifying aggressively. Build the operational standards that scale across globally distributed data centers. This role is for seasoned infrastructure engineers who obsess over efficiency, automate themselves out of firefighting, and think systemically about operational resilience.

⚠️ Government Shutdown Status: This position operates on a contract vehicle that is not impacted by federal government shutdowns. Work continues uninterrupted.

What You'll Do

• Infrastructure Design: Understand and architect how commodity servers, operating systems, and networks function, perform, and scale; design solutions for large, geographically diverse environments
• Operational Innovation: Drive technical innovation and efficiency via automation; design server monitoring and management solutions that enable self-repair and reduced mean-time-to-recovery
• Root-Cause Problem Solving: Dive deep to resolve infrastructure problems at their root; identify failure patterns amenable to long-term solutions through simplification and automation
• Process Development: Create repeatable, scalable processes that enhance operational workflow, reduce manual toil, and provide measurable customer impact
• Metrics & Measurement: Develop appropriate metrics to demonstrate performance improvements in operational efficiency, system reliability, and resource utilization
• Best Practices: Recognize and adopt—or establish—best practices in documentation, testing, security, operational support at scale, and efficient resource use

Who You Are

Required:

• Active Top Secret/SCI clearance with polygraph capability US citizenship
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Systems Engineering, or equivalent discipline
• 8 years of professional experience deploying and operating Linux or other UNIX variants in datacenter environments
• Advanced proficiency in Python and shell scripting for automation and systems troubleshooting
• Deep understanding of standard internet protocols (Ethernet, ARP, IP, ICMP, UDP, TCP, SSL, DNS, HTTP)
• Demonstrable grasp of security best practices in server configuration, tool development, and access controls
• Excellent troubleshooting, project management, and problem-analysis skills
• Relentless passion for frugality and out-of-the-box engineering

Preferred:

• Proficiency in C, C , or Java
• Experience with version control systems (Git, Mercurial, SVN)
• Knowledge of AWS or other large-scale cloud infrastructure technologies
• Experience managing large-scale, geographically diverse server deployments
• Understanding of SQL query development and large-scale disk subsystem management
• Operational knowledge of enterprise switching and routing platforms
• Experience building custom monitoring and alerting solutions at scale

Compensation & Total Rewards

Salary: $275,000–$315,000 (based on experience and clearance level)

Benefits Package:

• Retirement: 7% of base salary employer contribution to 401(k), immediately and fully vested
• Health Coverage: 100% company-paid premiums for health, dental, and vision insurance (CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield VSP)
• Paid Time Off: Accrued monthly PTO 11 discretionary paid holidays annually; additional week after 3 years
• Insurance: Company-paid short-term disability, optional group long-term disability, and term life insurance (amount equal to base salary)
• Professional Development: Annual training and education reimbursement allowance (pre-authorized)
• Wellness: Up to $60/month gym/health club membership benefit
• Performance Bonus: Discretionary annual bonuses distributed on fiscal year cycle (distributed every year since inception)
• Referral Program: $2,500–$10,000 bonus for qualified referrals (paid in two increments: 6 and 12 months post-hire)
• Culture: Up to 8 hours annually for team-building and morale events