Automation Systems Engineer

A leading provider of edge computing hardware and defensive cybersecurity solutions is seeking a highly skilled Automation Systems Engineer e to join its engineering team.

This role focuses on designing and engineering a complex automation framework to deploy secure production environments to physical hardware. You will support mission-driven customers by integrating hardware, software, networking, virtualization, and cybersecurity controls into cohesive, “secure by default” environments for cyber defense operations.

The ideal candidate is an experienced automation or systems engineer with deep expertise in Ansible, Linux administration, infrastructure security, and DevSecOps practices.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, implementation, testing, and maintenance of advanced Ansible playbooks, roles, and modules to automate deployment of defensive cyber infrastructure
• Engineer automation frameworks that deploy networking, server hardware, operating systems, containers, virtualization, and application stacks
• Automate configuration of physical hardware and network appliances (routers, firewalls, etc.)
• Integrate security controls such as STIG hardening and SELinux into automated deployment pipelines
• Develop and maintain CI/CD pipelines (e.g., GitHub Actions) to support automated testing and validation
• Collaborate with software development teams to build highly parameterized automation aligned with product stacks
• Translate mission and technical requirements into scalable automation solutions
• Support technical demonstrations and customer engagements
• Ensure engineering standards, cybersecurity controls, and best practices are consistently applied
• Document processes, workflows, and system configurations

Qualifications

• 6–8 years of experience as a Systems Engineer and/or Automation Engineer
• Expert-level proficiency with Ansible, including:
• Development and maintenance of playbooks, roles, modules
• Deep knowledge of Jinja2 templating, Collections, and configuration management
• Experience with Ansible Galaxy and Ansible Vault
• Automation of physical hardware and network devices
• Strong analytical and debugging skills within complex automation workflows
• Extensive hands-on experience with Fedora-based Linux distributions (RHEL, Rocky, Oracle), including:
• Driver and firmware management
• File systems and networking
• Security configuration and hardening
• Proficiency in Python and Bash scripting
• Experience with virtualization and container platforms (e.g., VMware, Kubernetes, Docker/Podman)
• Strong understanding of cybersecurity principles, infrastructure hardening, defense-in-depth, and compliance frameworks
• Knowledge of network protocols and architecture design
• Experience with patching strategies, authentication models, and log retention policies
• Experience with Git/GitHub, CI/CD pipelines, and Agile project workflows (e.g., Jira)
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Active driver’s license with clean driving record
• Experience supporting Defensive Cyber Operations within U.S. Government or Service Cyber Command environments
• Hands-on experience with defensive cyber platforms such as Security Onion, Splunk, Elastic, Zeek, and pfSense
• Security certifications (e.g., CySA+, CISSP)
• Active Secret clearance or ability to obtain one
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related technical field

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