Senior systems engineer (antarctic support contract)

Few IT jobs come with a mission like this one!

Leidos is looking for a Senior Systems Engineer to support the United States Antarctic Program (USAP) under the National Science Foundation’s Antarctic Support Contract. This is a rare opportunity to apply your advanced systems engineering expertise to one of the most unique and mission-critical environments in the world.

As a senior member of the Information Technology & Communications (IT&C) Data Systems Team, you’ll design, deploy, and maintain critical Linux-based infrastructure supporting the core production systems for the USAP. This position may include temporary deployments to Antarctica, depending on operational needs and management discretion.

This position is currently funded and there is approximately 1 year left on the Antarctic Support Contract.

The candidate in the position must complete the physical and dental examinations required by the NSF for deploying to Antarctica.

Due to contract requirements, US Citizenship is required.

Must obtain a Public Trust security clearance prior to start date. This process could take up to 4 months.

About the Antarctic Support Contract:

Leidos Antarctic Support Contract (ASC) is the prime contractor to the National Science Foundation (NSF) in support of the United States Antarctic Program (USAP). Leidos supports the NSF’s Office of Polar Program’s Antarctic Infrastructure and Logistics by aligning with their Mission and Vision Statements:

• Vision: Expanding our scientific reach in Antarctica through increased operational and logistical effectiveness.
• Mission: To provide the operational and logistical platform necessary for the U.S. to conduct world-class science in Antarctica and maintain its active and influential presence on the continent.

Leidos ASC provides science and logistics support for approximately 150 science and technical events across three geographically remote research stations; McMurdo Station, Palmer Station, and South Pole Station and several deep field sites across Antarctica. Each station or field site supports world class research across multiple science disciplines. The planning and implementation of science support requirements in Antarctica is a critical part of our mission.

To learn more about the Leidos Antarctic Support contract, click here.

Key Responsibilities

System Design & Implementation

• Design, engineer, and implement infrastructure projects aligned with USAP mission requirements.
• Analyze, specify, and document communications and systems requirements for distributed environments.
• Lead installation, configuration, migration, and upgrades across multi-platform systems (Linux, Windows, Hyper-V/VMware).

Operations & Administration

• Administer and maintain Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) systems and services.
• Manage containerized workloads and Red Hat OpenShift clusters.
• Perform backup and recovery operations and monitor system performance using tools like Veeam, Elastic Stack, and Zabbix.
• Maintain secure configurations aligned with DISA STIGs and other cybersecurity best practices.

Automation & Tooling

• Develop and execute automation using Ansible, bash, and Python scripts.
• Administer Red Hat Satellite and Git environments.
• Manage BIND DNS servers and contribute to DNS/DHCP configurations.

Collaboration & Support

• Work cross-functionally with Architecture, Network Operations, Information Security, and Client Services teams.
• Create and maintain technical documentation for infrastructure and operational procedures.
• Provide mentorship and code reviews for junior technical staff.
• Participate in a 24x7 support rotation and provide escalation-level troubleshooting.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field with 4+ years of relevant experience (additional experience may substitute for the degree)
• Proven Linux administration expertise, especially RHEL
• Experience with VMware and Hyper-V, Red Hat OpenShift and container orchestration, bash/Python scripting, Git and CI/CD, Red Hat Satellite, Ansible playbooks, security and patch management, Elastic Stack or Splunk with Zabbix, and MariaDB/MySQL
• Engineering design, implementation, and SME experience with complex enterprise applications
• Budget and time management skills for technical projects, plus project management experience
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills with a customer-service mindset
• Self-motivation and the ability to prioritize independently

Preferred Qualifications:

• Microsoft 365 / Azure experience
• Windows Server administration (2012/2016/2019) and PowerShell
• SAN and HP server hardware experience
• Sensor or weather satellite data acquisition and processing systems
• IBM Maximo OpenShift deployment and management

*Please be advised that during the interview, you will be required to keep your camera on, and your interviewer will be taking your picture for identification purposes if an offer letter is extended to you.

*This position is eligible for deployment to Antarctica. Per contract and National Science Foundation requirements, candidates must not have been disciplined for, or separated from an employer prior to discipline for, incidents of stalking, sexual assault, or sexual harassment within the past three (3) years. Eligibility for deployment is also subject to further review, including background investigation and security screening, and NSF retains final authority over deployment eligibility given the sensitive and remote nature of the location.

If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares.