AWS Cloud Systems Engineer (Top Secret)

Zachary Piper Solutions is seeking a Cloud Systems Engineer to support Research & Development for Intelligence customers in Fairfax, VA. The team is seeking an engineer well-versed across AWS services, Linux, and continuous deployment to support the development of critical software from the ground up.

Clearance: Top Secret
Location: Fairfax, VA or Denver, CO (100% onsite)

Responsibilities

• Design, build, deploy, and maintain cloud-native solutions within AWS environments supporting mission-critical Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) and Special Communications programs.
• Develop, implement, and optimize scalable AWS infrastructure utilizing services such as EC2, VPC, EKS, IAM, Route 53, CloudWatch, S3, and related cloud technologies.
• Architect and sustain secure, resilient, and highly available cloud environments that support data collection, processing, exploitation, and dissemination capabilities.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary engineering teams to solve complex, previously unsolved technical challenges in support of Intelligence Community customers.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and determine technical feasibility for innovative R&D initiatives, prototyping solutions from concept through operational deployment.
• Deploy, administer, and troubleshoot Kubernetes clusters in production and development environments, ensuring scalability, performance, and operational reliability.
• Develop and maintain Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and automation solutions to streamline provisioning, configuration management, and system lifecycle management.
• Create and maintain scripts using Linux-based scripting languages (Bash, Python, Shell, or similar) to automate operational processes, system monitoring, and deployment workflows.
• Administer Linux-based operating systems and services, including system configuration, patching, performance tuning, troubleshooting, and security hardening.
• Support cloud migration, modernization, and containerization efforts to improve application portability, maintainability, and operational efficiency.
• Monitor system performance, identify operational bottlenecks, and implement proactive solutions to improve system reliability and mission effectiveness.
• Research, test, and integrate new technologies to enhance cloud operations, signal intelligence capabilities, and mission support systems.
• Provide technical leadership in troubleshooting complex infrastructure, networking, containerization, and cloud architecture issues within highly secure environments.

Requirements

• Active Top Secret clearance
• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering (preferred) or relevant degree (CS, Physics, Computer Engineering, Math) required
• Minimum of 8 years of cloud engineering experience, 10+ years of experience desired
• AWS Cloud Services (EC2, VPC, EKS, S3, IAM, Route 53, CloudWatch, Lambda, and related services)
• Experience using Kubernetes orchestration and container technologies
• Linux systems administration
• Scripting: Bash, Python, Shell, or other Linux-based languages
• Cloud-native architecture and microservices
• Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, CloudFormation, or similar)
• Experience supporting Agile development and R&D environments

Pay

Total compensation based on experience level: $120,000 - $180,000+

Benefits

• 8 weeks PTO
• 100% certification/tuition reimbursement
• 25% 401k contribution
• 25% IBA covering the majority of Medical, Dental, Vision premiums
• Long-term, stable work (10+ year programs supporting various Intelligence customers)