COTS System Engineer

Cayuse Holdings•Washington, DC

1d•$100,000 - $185,000•Onsite

About The Position

COTS System Engineer will support enterprise Time and Attendance (T&A) and payroll reporting systems, with a primary focus on GovTA. This role will provide expert-level support, strategic oversight, and hands-on program management in close collaboration with Human Resources (HR) and other key stakeholders. This position aligns with Cayuse’s core values of Innovation, Excellence, Collaboration, Adaptability, and Integrity by fostering technical solutions that meet customer needs, promoting teamwork, and prioritizing quality in deliverables.

Requirements

4-year degree in Information Technology or related field, or equivalent experience.
10+ years of relevant professional experience, including:
At least 3 years in a federal program management or SME role supporting GovTA, WebTA, or equivalent federal timekeeping/payroll systems.
Demonstrated experience working with:
Relational databases such as PostgreSQL and/or Oracle.
Cloud environments (e.g., AWS) and Linux-based infrastructures.
Proven experience leading large-scale federal system implementations, upgrades, or modernization projects, preferably involving mission-critical HR, payroll, or financial systems.
Strong knowledge of federal payroll, time and attendance, OPM, and HR regulations, and the ability to interpret and apply these requirements within a complex enterprise system.
Exceptional communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills, with a demonstrated ability to brief and advise senior executives and senior government officials.
Proven ability to manage multiple priorities and initiatives in a large, complex, and fast-paced environment, with strong organizational and coordination skills.
Active Top Secret Security Clearance is required.
Must be able to pass a background check. May require additional background checks as required by projects and/or clients at any time during employment.
Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
Ability to respond effectively to customers with a sense of urgency.
Proficient in Microsoft and Adobe toolsets, including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Acrobat, etc.
Highly motivated with the ability to handle and manage multiple tasks at any one time.
Ability to forge new relationships, individual and teaming in nature.
Must be a Self-starter, that can work independently and as part of a team.

Nice To Haves

Previous experience supporting federal agencies or organizations of 20,000+ employees, ideally with distributed or multi-component organizational structures.
Knowledge of federal audit, compliance, and reporting standards related to time and attendance, payroll, and financial management.
Experience integrating GovTA or similar systems with other financial, HR, or ERP systems (e.g., NFC and related federal shared service provider platforms).
Experience working in or with law enforcement, intelligence, or national security organizations is a plus.
Relevant certifications (e.g., PMP, PMI-ACP, ITIL, HR/payroll certifications) are preferred but not required.

Responsibilities

Lead the engineering, implementation, and maintenance of enterprise applications hosted in AWS
Serve as the primary SME and central liaison for all technical and functional matters related to the GovTA system.
Interface directly with the GovTA software vendor to address product-related issues, enhancements, roadmap items, and incident resolution.
Provide authoritative guidance on system capabilities, limitations, and configuration options to support mission and business needs.
In conjunction with government Program Managers (PMs) or equivalent leadership, collaborate with other organizational and interagency groups to support and optimize the T&A system.
Coordinate with internal stakeholders—including HR, payroll, finance, IT, and operations—to resolve system issues, address business needs, and implement best practices.
Facilitate working groups, tiger teams, and governance forums to ensure coordinated decision-making and prioritization.
Assist in providing strategic direction, planning, and program management for GovTA to ensure alignment with federal regulations, organizational policies, and enterprise priorities.
Support the development and execution of multi-year roadmaps for GovTA and related T&A and payroll capabilities, including modernization and integration initiatives.
Track and report on program performance, risks, issues, and dependencies; recommend mitigation strategies and corrective actions.
Oversee and coordinate testing, implementation, and deployment activities for new system features, patches, and upgrades.
Work closely with technical teams and vendors to plan and execute release cycles, including regression testing, user acceptance testing (UAT), and production cutovers.
Ensure changes are documented, communicated, and implemented in accordance with change management and configuration management procedures.
Assist in developing and maintaining process documentation, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), user guides, and knowledge articles for GovTA-related workflows.
Identify opportunities for process optimization, automation, and standardization to improve accuracy, timeliness, and user satisfaction.
Contribute to the development of business cases and recommendations for system enhancements, integrations, and capability improvements.
Provide advanced troubleshooting and problem-resolution support for complex system and process issues impacting timekeeping and payroll operations.
Analyze incident trends and root causes, recommend and drive implementation of corrective and preventive measures.
Serve as an escalation point for critical and high-impact issues, working closely with technical, functional, and vendor teams to restore normal operations.
Train, mentor, and provide structured knowledge transfer to government staff and other team members on GovTA functionality, processes, and best practices.
Develop and deliver briefings, workshops, and training sessions for end users, HR/payroll practitioners, and management.
Support change management activities, including communication plans, stakeholder engagement, and adoption strategies for new features and processes.
Other duties as assigned.