Job -> Senior Systems Engineer

Senior Systems Engineer

Location: Remote (5–10% travel as needed)
Employment Type: Full-Time
Role Type: Individual Contributor

Ramsec is hiring a Senior Systems Engineer to join its growing cybersecurity consulting practice. This is a client-facing, individual contributor role focused on delivering high-quality architecture, cloud, DevSecOps, and cybersecurity solutions to our clients, the broader Department of War (DoW), and the Defense Industrial Base. At its core, this role exists to help protect DoW systems and ensure the safety and integrity of the data they hold. The ideal candidate can work independently, balancing time and effort against client needs and priorities, and course correct as needed while focusing on the most valuable areas of delivery: deliverable timeline, cost management, risk management, complexity, and/or other factors that may affect system availability and security. The candidate will be pivotal in keeping systems secure from threats, while continuing to improve on system security, performance, and deployment velocity.

U.S. Citizenship is required for this role. No exceptions. An existing active SECRET security clearance is required (if candidate possesses an inactive SECRET clearance, it must have been granted no more than 7 years ago per the Security Executive Agent Directive 7). No exceptions. Ramsec urges candidates to apply as individuals and not through recruiters. Applications received via a recruiter will not be considered.

Key Focus Areas

This is a multidisciplinary role spanning several core areas:

  • Cloud architecture and systems engineering
  • Automation and DevSecOps practices (GitOps, CI/CD, infrastructure as code)
  • Security control implementation and support through the Authority to Operate (ATO) process
  • Observability: logs, metrics, and traces against service level agreements (SLAs)
  • Building tools to streamline deployment, troubleshooting, and issue resolution
  • Knowledge sharing with engineers, developers, and analysts

Responsibilities

  • Design, implement, and support end-to-end technical solutions across a mix of commercial, government, and custom-built systems
  • Build and maintain automated CI/CD pipelines using an automation-first, infrastructure-as-code approach
  • Participate in architecture reviews and design sessions, helping vet and de-risk technical decisions
  • Support security control implementation, testing, and documentation as systems move through the ATO process
  • Implement and monitor logging, metrics, and tracing to maintain observability against SLAs
  • Develop tools and scripts that streamline deployment, troubleshooting, and issue resolution
  • Partner with application teams to support secure deployment pipelines, environment provisioning, and troubleshooting across the infrastructure-to-application boundary
  • Support vulnerability management and remediation efforts, including tracking Plans of Action and Milestones (POA&Ms)
  • Mentor junior and mid-level engineers on systems and security best practices
  • Document architecture decisions and system changes for handoff and knowledge transfer
  • Assess third-party integrations and dependencies for risk as part of system design
  • Stay current on relevant cloud, systems, and security trends

Requirements

  • 6 to 10 years of experience in systems engineering, DevOps, or a related engineering role
  • Strong hands-on experience with a public cloud platform (AWS or Azure); federal/government cloud environments (GCC, GCC High, GovCloud) a plus
  • Experience with infrastructure as code (e.g., Terraform) and at least one scripting/programming language (e.g., Python)
  • Systems engineering experience across Linux (Red Hat preferred) and Windows environments
  • Experience with Kubernetes and containerized environments
  • Working knowledge of DevSecOps and GitOps practices
  • Solid networking fundamentals (TCP/IP, firewalls, network segmentation), including cloud networking (VPCs, subnets, load balancing)
  • Experience designing cloud IAM policies and roles following least-privilege principles
  • Familiarity with secrets/key management (e.g., cloud KMS, Vault, or equivalent)
  • Understanding of backup, disaster recovery, and resiliency design
  • General security exposure: vulnerability management, system/container hardening against standard baselines (e.g., CIS benchmarks), and common compliance frameworks (e.g., NIST 800-53); direct RMF/ATO experience a plus, not required
  • Understanding of identity and access management fundamentals (SSO, federated authentication)
  • Comfortable working in a client-facing or consulting environment
  • Must be a U.S. Citizen (no exceptions)
  • Must hold an active SECRET clearance; if inactive, SECRET clearance needs to have been granted no more than 7 years ago (no exceptions)

Benefits

  • 6 weeks paid vacation
  • 401(k) account
  • Bonus based on billable hours worked and compensation
  • Depending on the experience of the candidate, this may be a Staff or Principal position
  • Salary range: $130,000 – $160,000, subject to role type and experience

About Ramsec

Ramsec is a small, specialty cybersecurity consulting firm delivering and managing high-quality cybersecurity, cloud, and architecture solutions for the Department of War. We work with program teams to design, develop, secure, approve, and sustain complex DoW enterprise applications and systems across the full SDLC and acquisition lifecycle, ensuring systems are secured at the right risk and cost so teams can stay innovative and deliver capabilities that protect the warfighter.

We partner closely with program managers to understand the full application lifecycle, including functionality, requirements, threat modeling, compliance, and delivery mechanisms to provide the highest level of value and support. By combining deep technical expertise with the ability to quickly grasp mission objectives, Ramsec bridges the gap between compliance, security, and cost.

We’re seeking a candidate who’s interested in:

  • Autonomy and technical ownership: you will not only design and consult on architecture, but you will help build it. If you are looking to get back to hands-on engineering work, this role is for you.
  • Competition incentives: strong base and bonus tied to utilization
  • Balancing independent, heads-down work with being an active member of a team

Ramsec is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

To apply: Email jobs@ramsecconsulting.com with your resume.

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