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Vacancy Detail View vacancy list Senior System Engineer Role: Senior System Engineer Location: Fairfax, VA or Denver, CO Salary: $160,000 - $220,000 + Exceptional Benefits (Total Compensation up to $330,000) Clearance: Active TS/SCI (CI poly preferred) Benefits Employer-funded 401(k) contribution worth 25% of base salary Flexible benefits allowance worth 25% of base salary (take as benefits or additional compensation) 8 weeks PTO Medical, Dental & Vision coverage Life Insurance 100% tuition reimbursement (Degrees, Certifications & Professional Development) Flexible working hours Long-term, mission-critical programs supporting the US Intelligence Community Are you a senior Systems Engineer with deep experience across Linux, cloud-native technologies and software-driven systems within the Intelligence Community? We are supporting a specialist national security technology organisation looking to add a Senior Systems Engineer to its team in Fairfax, VA. This is a highly technical position for someone who can work across systems and software engineering, helping shape and modernise complex mission-critical environments. You'll work closely with developers and customers to solve technical challenges, improve system architecture and support the adoption of modern cloud-native and DevSecOps technologies. The environment includes an operationally supported container orchestration platform used across multiple government sites, enabling CI/CD and Continuous Operations. What you'll be doing Work with software and ground-processing teams to solve complex systems engineering challenges Help modernise existing systems through containerisation, Kubernetes and modern deployment techniques Evaluate architectures and conduct technical trade studies to improve system resiliency Develop prototypes and technical solutions Work across Linux and cloud-native environments Support DevSecOps, CI/CD and infrastructure-as-code initiatives Define and document system architectures, interfaces, CONOPs and technical plans Collaborate directly with developers and Intelligence Community customers Use Jira and Confluence to manage technical roadmaps and engineering activity The underlying position specifically covers Kubernetes-based modernisation, architecture resiliency, prototyping and detailed systems documentation. What we're looking for Active TS/SCI clearance 15+ years of relevant technical experience Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering or a related discipline Strong technical Systems Engineering background Strong Linux systems experience Experience with cloud-native technologies and architectures Previous experience supporting an Intelligence Community customer Strong understanding of software engineering and modern software architectures Ability to operate independently within complex technical environments Strong communication skills and confidence working directly with technical teams and customers Desirable Active CI Poly Master's degree in a relevant technical discipline Software Engineering background Kubernetes, Docker, Helm and container orchestration DevSecOps and CI/CD Ansible, Terraform or Puppet Python, Bash, Go or similar scripting/programming languages Prometheus, Grafana, ELK Stack or OpenSearch NRO ground systems experience SIGINT experience PKI, container security and zero-trust principles These technologies and domain areas align closely with the desired experience for the position. This is best suited to a Senior Systems Engineer, Principal Systems Engineer, Technical Systems Engineer or Systems Architect who has remained technically hands-on and wants to work on complex, mission-focused systems rather than move into purely managerial or programme-level work. Interested? Apply or get in touch for a confidential conversation. Keywords Senior Systems Engineer, Principal Systems Engineer, Cleared Systems Engineer, TS/SCI Systems Engineer, Top Secret Systems Engineer, Systems Architect, Technical Systems Engineer, Linux Systems Engineer, Cloud Systems Engineer, Software Systems Engineer, Systems Engineering, Linux, Cloud Native, Kubernetes, Docker, Helm, DevSecOps, CI/CD, Ansible, Terraform, Puppet, Python, Bash, Go, Containerization, Container Orchestration, Infrastructure as Code, IaC, Systems Architecture, Ground Systems, Ground Processing Systems, NRO, SIGINT, Intelligence Community, IC, National Security, Government Contractor, Cleared Jobs, Security Clearance Jobs, TS/SCI Clearance, CI Poly, Fairfax VA, Northern Virginia, NOVA Location: Fairfax, Virginia | Salary: $160000 - $220000 per year | Job type: Permanent | Posted: 19/08/2026 Apply for this Vacancy View vacancy list
Here's how to pick the right one and stand out in your application.
144.883Jobs
31.687IN
81%EN
That number is real. WorkMundi's database shows 144,883 open engineer roles across the world. India has the most with 31,687 jobs, followed by the United States with 30,084. If you just finished reading one job ad and felt paralyzed by choice, you're not alone—but this scale is actually an advantage. It means you can afford to be selective.
Start by geography and language. The majority of engineer ads—117,837 of them—have the job posting text written in English. Use that as one filter, but remember: the ad text language tells you nothing about whether the role actually requires you to speak English day-to-day. Read the job description carefully. Then check which countries have the volume you're targeting. Singapore, Poland, and Australia round out the top five after India and the US.
Next, learn who's hiring. Accenture has posted 2,801 engineer roles. andurilindustries, speechify, and jobgether are also actively recruiting. If you're applying to one of these names, research their hiring patterns and interview style before you apply. That homework pays off.
When you interview, expect the question every engineer hears: 'Tell me about a time you had to debug a problem that wasn't in your job description.' Have a specific story ready—not a general one. Name the tools, the deadline pressure, and what you learned. Hiring managers listen for whether you see problem-solving as part of the role itself, not a favour.