Systems Engineer

VTG•Chantilly, VA

About The Position

VTG is seeking a Systems Engineer in Chantilly, Virginia, with strong Information Systems Security Engineering (ISSE) and data engineering experience to design, secure, and optimize mission-critical cloud and data solutions. The role combines systems engineering, secure cloud architecture, advanced analytics, ETL and AI/ML data engineering, virtualization technologies, and modern development practices. The position supports classified AWS environments and uses technologies such as Cypher, Python, Java, JavaScript, and graph databases. The engineer will communicate complex concepts to technical and nontechnical stakeholders.

Requirements

Active TS/SCI clearance with relevant polygraph.
Minimum experience depends on education: 8 years with a bachelor's degree, 6 years with a master's degree, or 3 years with a Ph.D.; each pathway requires at least 2 years of Sponsor experience. An additional four years of experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
Experience designing, securing, and operating data-flow solutions in high-security or classified environments.
Strong ISSE background, including A&A/ATO, security architecture, vulnerability analysis, accreditation documentation, and continuous monitoring.
Hands-on experience with ETL pipelines, data modeling, activity modeling, and AI/ML-supportive data engineering.
Proficiency in at least one of Cypher, Python, Java, or JavaScript.
Experience with graph database technologies; Neo4j and Cypher expertise are preferred.
Experience cleaning, modeling, and visualizing medium-to-large datasets.
Ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly to technical and nontechnical audiences.
Customer-specific experience supporting mission systems or classified programs.

Nice To Haves

Experience with enterprise data strategy, data governance, stewardship practices, and metadata management.
Experience developing dashboards or system visualizations.
Exposure to AI/ML or LLM system engineering and data workflows.
Familiarity with Agile development frameworks and cloud-native design patterns.

Responsibilities

Lead and execute ISSE activities throughout the system lifecycle, including security architecture, security control selection and implementation, and compliance with NIST and customer-specific requirements.
Develop, maintain, and update A&A/ATO documentation, including SSPs, POA&Ms, test procedures, compliance evidence, and continuous monitoring artifacts.
Conduct system security scans and vulnerability assessments, and perform patching, updates, and remediation for cloud and on-premises systems.
Integrate security-by-design principles into system architectures, data flows, ETL pipelines, and mission workflows.
Work with system engineers, developers, and mission customers to align technical solutions with accreditation requirements, classification constraints, and operational risks.
Design, build, and optimize ETL pipelines, including data flows that support AI/ML/LLM projects and large-scale analytics.
Perform functional and technical analysis, internal control and risk analysis, cost estimation, timeline assessments, and trade studies for mission solutions.
Apply systems engineering disciplines and concepts of operations across organizational environments to support secure, scalable system design.
Clean, preprocess, analyze, and visualize medium-to-large datasets using modern analytic and statistical methods.
Build and optimize Neo4j graph database solutions, including schema design, relationship modeling, and efficient Cypher queries.
Develop software components in Cypher, Python, Java, or JavaScript using secure development practices.
Collaborate in Agile development frameworks and contribute to iterative planning, sprint activities, and CI/CD processes.
Maintain documentation for datasets, queries, security artifacts, engineering decisions, and developed software components.