Site Reliability Engineer

The Aerospace Corporation is the trusted partner to the nation’s space programs, solving the hardest problems and providing unmatched technical expertise. As the operator of a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC), we are broadly engaged across all aspects of space— delivering innovative solutions that span satellite, launch, ground, and cyber systems for defense, civil and commercial customers. When you join our team, you’ll be part of a special collection of problem solvers, thought leaders, and innovators. Join us and take your place in space.

At Aerospace, we are committed to providing an inclusive and diverse workplace for all employees to share in our common passion and aspiration – to carry out a mission much bigger than ourselves.

Job Summary

A classified site reliability engineer designs and participates in the implementation of an environment where many Linux or Windows systems are configured and sustained through largely automated processes and tools to meet challenging engineering requirements. Automation is performed through infrastructure-as-code (IaC) technologies. The implemented environment and tools help to ensure the systems are properly hardened, achieve accreditation, and retain that accreditation throughout their lifecycle. The person filling this role works with other corporate information technology (IT) teams and engineers to develop and maintain scientific and engineering workloads on-premises and in the cloud in support of mission success for critical national space assets.

Work Model

This position will be located 100% onsite in El Segundo, CA or Chantilly, VA.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Designs and develops processes and tools to:
  • Manage Linux or Windows systems at enterprise scale
  • Manage systems that are both on-premises and in the cloud
  • Automate security hardening of systems to ensure their accreditation
  • Automate processes that ensure ongoing compliance with security and continuous monitoring
• Leverage IaC techniques to automate and reduce repetitive operational tasks
• Identify and solve complex issues in any environment
• Work with scientists and engineers to optimize infrastructure
• Leverage containerization and related virtualization technologies to improve the performance, reliability, and manageability of engineering workloads
• Train operations staff to run, maintain, implement security updates and monitor Linux clusters and workloads

What You Need to be Successful

Minimum Requirements:

• Minimum 5 years of experience in enterprise Linux or Windows administration including provisioning, configuration, troubleshooting, performance tuning, and security hardening for classified and unclassified enterprise environments.
• Minimum 1 year experience automating repetitive tasks with scripting or DevOps tools such as Puppet, Powershell DSC, Ansible, Bash, PowerShell, or Python.
• Experience in source code management using Git and GitOps workflows
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Must possess strong organizational and time management skills
• Demonstrated flexibility and ability to adapt to changing organizational needs
• Strong sense of ownership, customer service, and integrity
• This position requires an active TS/SCI security clearance, which is issued by the U.S. government. U.S. citizenship is required.

How You Can Stand Out

It would be impressive if you have one or more of these:

• Current TS/SCI clearance with SSBI and CI polygraph 
• BS degree in Computer Science/Engineering/IT or equivalent experience 
• Minimum of 5 years of experience supporting an enterprise-scale Linux or Windows environment that includes NFS or Windows file system shares and Active Directory integration. 
• Linux:
  • Experience with High Performance Computing clusters and workload managers (Slurm)
• Windows:
  • Citrix XenApp application virtualization
  • MS SQL Always-On-Cluster
  • VMware ESXi, vCenter and high availability services
  • Hyper-V and Windows Admin Center
• Experience deploying and maintaining Linux or Windows systems in air-gapped environments

We offer a competitive compensation package where you’ll be rewarded based on your performance and recognized for the value you bring to our business.  The grade-based pay range for this job is listed below.  Individual salaries within that range are determined through a wide variety of factors including but not limited to education, experience, knowledge and skills. 

(Min - Mid - Max)

$121,128 - $160,564 - $200,000

Pay Basis: Annual

Leadership Competencies

Our leadership philosophy is simple: every employee, regardless of level and role, can demonstrate leadership. At Aerospace, our commitment is our people. To cultivate our talent and ensure that we have a strong pipeline of future leaders, we want individuals who:

• Operate Strategically
• Lead Change   
• Engage with Impact   
• Foster Innovation   
• Deliver Results  

Ways We Reward Our Employees

During your interview process, our team will provide details of our industry-leading benefits.

Benefits vary and are applicable based on Job Type.  A few highlights include:

• Comprehensive health care and wellness plans

• Paid holidays, sick time, and vacation

• Standard and alternate work schedules, including telework options

• 401(k) Plan — Employees receive a total company-paid benefit of 8%, 10%, or 12% of eligible compensation based on years of service and matching contributions; employees are immediately eligible and vested in the plan upon hire

• Flexible spending accounts

• Variable pay program for exceptional contributions

• Relocation assistance

• Professional growth and development programs to help advance your career

• Education assistance programs

• An inclusive work environment built on teamwork, flexibility, and respect

We are all unique, from diverse backgrounds and all walks of life, yet one thing bonds all of us to each other—the belief that we can make a difference. This core belief empowers us to do our best work at The Aerospace Corporation.

Equal Opportunity Commitment

The Aerospace Corporation is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. We believe that a diverse workforce creates an environment in which unique ideas are developed and differing perspectives are valued, producing superior customer solutions. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, color, religion, genetic information, marital status, ancestry, national origin, protected veteran status, physical disability, medical condition, mental disability, or disability status and any other characteristic protected by state or federal law. If you’re an individual with a disability or a disabled veteran who needs assistance using our online job search and application tools or need reasonable accommodation to complete the job application process, please contact us by phone at 310.336.5432 or by email at ieo.mailbox@aero.org. You can also review Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal, as well as the Pay Transparency Policy Statement.