Watch Desk Systems Analyst (Texas, Prime)

Intelliforce-IT Solutions Group • San Antonio, TX

11d • $161,000 - $207,000

About The Position

The Watch Desk Systems Analyst supports 24x7 mission operations in complex production environments. The role monitors operating systems, applications, services, data flows, networks, dashboards, alerts, logs, and performance metrics; identifies abnormal behavior; troubleshoots issues; coordinates incident response; and engages appropriate support teams when escalation is needed. The analyst helps determine issue severity and mission impact, supports system restoration, and communicates clear operational status to engineers, management, customers, and mission stakeholders.

The position also strengthens Watch Desk operations through incident documentation, operational reporting, SOP development and maintenance, accurate shift logs, and effective shift handoffs. It requires independent work and close coordination with engineers and support teams in a continuous mission environment. The role follows a rotating 12-hour schedule in the Central Time Zone, with day or mid shifts and continuous coverage.

Requirements

• Active Top Secret clearance with Polygraph; the employer cannot sponsor clearances.
• U.S. citizenship; the employer cannot sponsor visas.
• 20 years of Systems Engineering experience on programs and contracts of similar scope, type, and complexity.
• Demonstrated experience planning and leading Systems Engineering efforts.
• Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering Science, Engineering Management, or a related discipline from an accredited college or university; five additional years of Systems Engineering experience may substitute for the degree.
• Security+ certification or willingness to obtain it within six months.
• Strong Linux operating system knowledge and experience using Linux command-line tools.
• Systems troubleshooting experience across hardware and software, with strong network troubleshooting fundamentals.
• Experience monitoring operating systems, applications, services, and system performance.
• Experience troubleshooting application and data-flow issues and escalating when required.
• Ability to read and interpret system health, performance, and operational graphs.
• Experience using logs, alerts, dashboards, and performance metrics to identify abnormal system behavior.
• Experience creating and maintaining incident tickets, with strong incident documentation and operational tracking skills.
• Ability to follow established SOPs and escalation procedures, and experience developing, maintaining, and updating SOPs.
• Ability to prioritize multiple technical issues based on severity and mission impact.
• Ability to provide accurate technical and operational status updates and communicate technical information to engineers, management, customers, and other stakeholders.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently with limited supervision and operate effectively in a 24x7 mission environment.
• Comfort with a rotating operational schedule and supporting shift turnover, handoffs, and continuous mission coverage.

Nice To Haves

• Familiarity with Jira and Confluence.
• Familiarity with analytical applications and system health verification.
• Experience with Rancher, Elasticsearch, Redis, NiFi or other data-flow technologies, Docker, and Kubernetes.
• Experience with monitoring and observability tools such as Nagios, Grafana, and Prometheus.
• Familiarity with virtualization technologies.
• Understanding of AWS cloud concepts and services.
• Experience generating operational metrics and customer-facing reports.
• Experience supporting system restoration and incident response activities.

Responsibilities

• Monitor operating systems, applications, services, and production environments for availability, health, and performance.
• Use dashboards, logs, alerts, and system metrics to identify abnormal behavior and emerging issues.
• Troubleshoot Linux operating systems, applications, data flows, and basic network issues.
• Monitor data ingestion and processing pipelines and investigate interruptions or performance problems.
• Perform authorized restart and recovery procedures according to established SOPs.
• Create, update, and maintain incident tickets throughout troubleshooting.
• Document troubleshooting actions, results, incident timelines, and operational status.
• Follow Tier 1 troubleshooting procedures and escalate unresolved issues to Tier 2, Tier 3, management, or other support personnel.
• Support incident response and system restoration activities.
• Prioritize simultaneous incidents according to severity and mission impact.
• Provide concise, accurate technical and operational status updates to engineers, management, customers, and mission stakeholders.
• Generate metrics and operational reports using multiple data sources.
• Develop, update, and maintain SOPs for Watch Desk personnel and customers.
• Maintain accurate shift logs and operational documentation.
• Conduct effective shift turnover and handoff activities.
• Work independently while coordinating with engineers and support teams in a 24x7 operational environment.

Benefits

• Ample PTO, federal holidays, and birthday off.
• Multiple medical plan options, including options with zero deductible or premium for employees.
• 401(k) with immediate vesting.
• Bonus opportunities, including profit sharing, quarterly awards, and President’s Club recognition.
• Regular team activities and a culture of collaboration, connection, and fun.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior