Systems Senior Engineer / Team Lead (Onsite: Artesia, NM. - REF1879E)

Citizant is a leading provider of professional IT services to the U.S. government.  We seek to address some of our country’s most pressing challenges in the areas of Agile application development, Enterprise Data Management, Enterprise Architecture, and Program Management support services – focusing on the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security and Treasury. We strive to hire only ethical, talented, passionate, and committed “A Players” who already align with the company’s core values:  Drive, Excellence, Reputation, Responsibility, and a Better Future.  No matter how large we grow, Citizant will retain its collaborative, supportive, small-company culture, where successful team effort to address external and internal customer challenges is valued above all individual contributions.

Position Overview: 

The Systems Senior Engineer / Team Lead is a senior-level technical role responsible for the design, implementation, maintenance, and optimization of enterprise server and systems infrastructure supporting a large, mission-critical government environment.

This position requires deep technical expertise in system engineering and the ability to lead a team in troubleshooting, maintaining, and improving complex systems hosted across multiple data centers. The ideal candidate will have strong leadership skills, proven experience managing technical operations, and the ability to drive system performance, reliability, and modernization in alignment with federal IT standards.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead system engineering operations and guide a team of engineers and administrators to maintain and enhance enterprise server environments.
• Prioritize and resolve system outages, incidents, and performance issues; ensure timely root cause analysis and restoration of services.
• Design, configure, and deploy operational server systems and prototypes based on engineering data, mission needs, and government requirements.
• Maintain, troubleshoot, and repair physical and virtual infrastructure, ensuring high availability and optimal performance.
• Collaborate with Network Engineers, Data Center Engineering teams, vendors, and cross-functional stakeholders to identify and resolve technical issues.
• Develop and execute cloud engineering and migration strategies, supporting hybrid and full cloud environments (AWS, Azure, etc.).
• Review and contribute to Infrastructure Change Control Board (ICCB) submissions to ensure accurate technical content and compliance.
• Monitor system performance metrics, capacity, and utilization; implement proactive improvements to increase reliability and efficiency.
• Produce and maintain technical documentation including configuration standards, diagrams, and system operating procedures.
• Provide mentorship and technical guidance to junior engineers; assist management in project planning and resource allocation.
• Ensure systems compliance with DHS IT security standards, FISMA requirements, and other federal cybersecurity frameworks.

Required Qualifications

• Experience: Minimum of five (5) years of detailed technical experience in systems engineering, system administration, or a closely related field within the last seven (7) years.
• Technical Expertise:
  • Strong background in enterprise Windows and/or Linux server environments.
  • Expertise in virtualization technologies (VMware, Hyper-V) and system performance optimization.
  • Proven experience managing system outages, upgrades, and migrations in complex environments.
  • Familiarity with data center operations, ICCB processes, and enterprise configuration management.
  • Experience with cloud computing architectures (AWS, Azure, hybrid) and system modernization efforts.
• Leadership: Demonstrated ability to lead technical teams, manage competing priorities, and communicate effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Security: U.S. Citizenship required and ability to obtain or maintain a DHS Public Trust clearance (Secret preferred).

Preferred Qualifications

• Certifications such as Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE), VMware Certified Professional (VCP), AWS Certified SysOps Administrator, or equivalent.
• Experience working in a federal IT environment, particularly DHS or DoD.
• Familiarity with NIST 800-series standards, FISMA compliance, and ITIL-based service management practices.
• Experience with Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools and automation frameworks (e.g., Ansible, Terraform, SCCM).

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Systems Engineering, or related field preferred.

Clearance Requirement:

• U.S. Citizenship is required to be considered
• Active Public Trust or have the ability to obtain one.

Salary Range:

• The expected pay range for this position is up to $100,000 yearly. 
• The exact pay rate will vary based on skills, experience, and location.

Citizant offers a competitive benefits package, including:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k)
• Generous PTO
• Company-paid life and disability insurance
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Tuition Assistance & Professional Development Program

Citizant strives to be an employer of choice in the Washington metropolitan area. Citizant associates accept challenging and rewarding work and in return receive excellent compensation and benefits, as well as the opportunity for personal and professional development.

Citizant is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran status, or disability status.