Systems Engineer - Level II

Position Summary

We are looking for a Systems Engineer to drive continuous software sustainment and operational stability across secure production environments. You'll bring architectural oversight, hands-on server administration, and a strong command of cybersecurity compliance to a mission-critical defense environment.

This position is contingent upon contract award, with an anticipated salary range of $120k-$130k based on candidate qualifications and final contract requirements.

Work Environment:

Clearance Required: Active Top Secret/SCI

Location: San Diego, CA

Program: NIWC-PAC Application Arsenal Enterprise Engineering and Lifecycle Support

Salary: $120 - $130K

Compensation:

Karthik Consulting is committed to providing competitive compensation based on the responsibilities of the role, required qualifications, security clearance level, relevant experience, certifications, customer requirements, geographic location, and overall business needs. The salary range listed for this position represents a good-faith estimate of the current compensation range for this role.

At Karthik Consulting, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the salary range. Final compensation decisions are based on the facts and circumstances of each candidate's experience, qualifications, certifications, clearance level, contract requirements, and overall alignment with the role.

Employees may be eligible for company benefits and additional compensation programs, subject to company policy, contract requirements, and individual eligibility.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform systems engineering activities including architectural oversight, requirements traceability, and system integration within secure environments
• Conduct continuous software sustainment, including operational support, proactive vulnerability management, and technical debt remediation
• Actively apply Agile frameworks (Scrum, Kanban, or SAFe) tailored to defense software environments
• Push software updates to live production environments with zero or near-zero downtime and minimal operational disruption
• Administer and maintain scalable Linux and Windows enterprise server environments, including virtualized platforms (e.g., VMware vSphere, AWS)
• Execute continuous monitoring and enforce DISA STIG compliance to meet cybersecurity and Information Assurance (IA) mandates

Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI or TS/SCI Eligible with completed Tier 5 investigation
• 3+ years of demonstrated experience in systems engineering and continuous software sustainment using modern Agile methodologies, with proven ability to deliver zero/near-zero downtime production updates
• 2+ years of recent (within the last 5 years), demonstrated operational experience in enterprise server administration for both Linux and Windows, including deployment, configuration, and maintenance of scalable virtualized environments (e.g., VMware vSphere, AWS)
• Demonstrated proficiency in continuous monitoring and DISA STIG compliance
• Must satisfy 'Intermediate Proficiency' for the '451 - System Administrator' role per the DoD 8140 Dashboard and maintain eligibility for privileged/administrative system access at all times