Entry Level System Engineer Jobs in Ashburn, VA (NOW HIRING)

Position Description: CGI Federal has an exciting opportunity for Systems Engineers within our Intel sector advancing the national security mission through cutting edge technology. You must have a passion for keeping pace with rapidly evolving technology advancements and leveraging your knowledge on a highly collaborative team to deliver state-of-the-art capabilities. The Systems Engineer supports the design, installation, and maintenance of IT or physical hardware systems. Responsibilities include monitoring system performance, troubleshooting technical issues, and documenting technical configurations. It is a foundational role focused on learning infrastructure and ensuring smooth, continuous daily operations. CGI Federal is growing its high-performance team whose members share a passion for building high-quality, scalable, advanced IT solutions in a collaborative, fast-paced, outcome-driven mission. This position is located in our Arlington office; however, a hybrid working model is acceptable. Your future duties and responsibilities: Key Responsibilities (Entry Level)
• System Monitoring: Assist in monitoring daily operations and infrastructure to ensure systems are available and running efficiently.
• Maintenance & Setup: Help install, configure, and test operating systems, application software, and hardware components.
• Troubleshooting: Diagnose and fix 1st-tier technical issues, or escalate them to senior engineers.
• Documentation: Create and maintain accurate technical documentation, system schematics, and update test plans.
• Cross-Team Support: Attend project planning meetings and assist in coordinating different engineering teams during system integration. Key Responsibilities (Junior Level)
• System Monitoring: Actively observe server health, network traffic, and application performance to prevent system outages.
• Maintenance & Configuration: Install, configure, and maintain operating systems, hardware components, and software applications.
• Technical Support: Serve as a frontline or escalation point of contact to troubleshoot and resolve hardware and software issues.
• Security & Backups: Enforce basic security protocols and ensure regular data backups and system redundancies are functioning properly.
• Documentation: Create and update infrastructure configurations, standard operating procedures, and technical processes.
• Automation: Write and update basic scripts to increase efficiency and reduce the need for manual, repetitive tasks. Key Responsibilities (Mid-Level)
• Requirements & Architecture: Decompose high-level system requirements into specific, actionable hardware and software design specifications. Translate operational needs into functional low-level designs and interface control documents (ICDs).
• System Integration: Oversee the interfacing, integration, and testing of complex components. Develop scenarios, threads, and operational concepts to satisfy support, maintenance, and end-user needs.
• Testing & Quality Control: Author test plans, procedures, and reports. Conduct quantitative and qualitative analysis in system performance, reliability, and maintainability.
• Troubleshooting & Anomaly Resolution: Serve as a technical escalation point. Perform root-cause analysis on system failures, develop and track corrective actions, and log integration bugs to optimize performance.
• Documentation: Generate required Systems Engineering Artifacts, including architecture design documents, concept of operations, and deployment procedures. Maintain comprehensive technical documentation. Key Responsibilities (Senior Level)
System Architecture & Requirements Engineering
• Analyze highly ambiguous user needs, Concepts of Operations (ConOps), and high-level architectures to develop rigorous system requirement specifications.
• Perform functional decomposition, allocate process budgets to subsystems, and conduct trade studies (e.g., cost-benefit and risk analyses) to evaluate design trade-offs.
• Maintain complete traceability of requirements using systems engineering software and generate Interface Control Documents (ICDs).
Integration & Advanced Sustainment
• Provide Tier 3/escalated architectural support to troubleshoot advanced integration anomalies across operating systems, networking, storage, and application layers.
• Manage complex dataflow pipelines and multi-disciplinary systems (e.g., cloud-hosted microservices, virtualization, and RF/network transport environments).
• Support configuration control boards (CCBs) to implement change management protocols and system baselines.
Risk & Lifecycle Management
• Formulate verification and validation (V&V) methods to ensure total system compliance with performance metrics.
• Develop risk mitigation strategies and fallback plans. Key Responsibilities (SME Level)
System Architecture & Lifecycle Management
• Architect, prototype, and implement enterprise-wide computing, cloud, and hardware-software solutions from the initial concept phase through integration and deployment.
• Decompose, refine, and document complex system-level requirements and capabilities, establishing a comprehensive traceability matrix linking designs to code, testing, and verification.
• Author and maintain Interface Control Documents (ICDs) and rigorous architectural blueprints across diverse domains.
Integration, Verification & Validation
• Oversee the end-to-end performance assessments of highly complex systems (e.g., aerospace, defense, space constellations, or high-performance computing centers).
• Define sequence of interactions, use-case scenarios, and system processes to drive continuous software and hardware integration.
• Balance complex variables and performance budgets (power, weight, space, processing, cost) to ensure absolute system reliability and fault tolerance.
3. Strategic Leadership & Mentorship
• Provide technical leadership and project direction to cross-functional scrum teams without necessarily holding direct management authority.
• Act as an escalation point and subject matter expert for complex troubleshooting, debugging, and Root Cause Analysis (RCA).
• Mentor junior engineers (Levels 1-3) and clear technical roadblocks to ensure high-priority deliverables are met. Required qualifications to be successful in this role: All roles require an active TS/SCI with Poly Entry Level:
• Education: o High School Diploma/GED with 4 years of relevant experience,
o Associates Degree with 2 years of relevant experience, o or Bachelor's Degree with 0 years of relevant experience
• Technical Skills: Foundational knowledge of operating systems (Windows, Linux), basic networking, and hardware.
• Soft Skills: Strong analytical problem-solving skills, desire to learn, and excellent communication abilities. Junior Level/Moderate:
• Education: o High School Diploma/GED with 6 years of relevant experience,
o Associates Degree with 4 years of relevant experience, o Bachelor's Degree with 2 years of relevant experience, o or Masters Degree with 0 years of relevant experience
• Certifications: Foundational certifications such as CompTIA Server+, CompTIA Network+, or entry-level Microsoft/Linux credentials are highly valued. Mid-Level/Complex:
• Education: o High School Diploma/GED with 8 years of relevant experience,
o Associates Degree with 6 years of relevant experience, o Bachelor's Degree with 4 years of relevant experience, o or Masters Degree with 2 years of relevant experience,
o or PhD with 0 years of relevant experience
• System Modeling & Agile: Proficiency with system modeling languages (e.g., SysML) and tools (e.g., Atlassian Suite/JIRA) in Agile development environments.
• Scripting & Automation: Capability in scripting or programming languages (e.g., Python, MATLAB, Unix/Linux Shell, C++) to automate processes and analyze metrics.
• Project & Stakeholder Management: Collaboration across cross-functional teams, external vendors, and clients to align technical capabilities with business objectives. Senior Level/Exceptionally Complex:
• Education: o High School Diploma/GED with 10 years of relevant experience,
o Associates Degree with 8 years of relevant experience, o Bachelor's Degree with 6 years of relevant experience, o or Masters Degree with 4 years of relevant experience,
o or PhD with 2 years of relevant experience
• Technical Breadth: Expert proficiency in Linux environments, containerization (Kubernetes/AWS), enterprise storage, and IP networking/PKI security infrastructure.
• Security & Compliance: Familiarity with implementing and maintaining system hardening standards, Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs), and Risk Management Framework (RMF) guidelines. SME Level/Exceptionally Complex:
• Education: o High School Diploma/GED with 12 years of relevant experience,
o Associates Degree with 10 years of relevant experience, o Bachelor's Degree with 8 years of relevant experience, o or Masters Degree with 6 years of relevant experience,
o or PhD with 4 years of relevant experience
• Methodologies: Advanced proficiency in Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) and Agile/Scrum frameworks.
• Tools: Deep familiarity with engineering, version-control, and architecture tools (e.g., Jira, Confluence, Atlassian Suite, SysML modeling tools). CGI is required by law in some jurisdictions to include a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role. The determination of this range includes various factors not limited to skill set, level, experience, relevant training, and licensure and certifications. To support the ability to reward for merit-based performance, CGI typically does not hire individuals at or near the top of the range for their role. Compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range for this role in the U.S. is $89,600.00 - $204,000.00. CGI Federal's benefits are offered to eligible professionals on their first day of employment to include: . Competitive c