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Operating System Engineer Jobs in Illinois (NOW HIRING)

SAIC

IL · On-site

Proficient knowledge of Redhat Enterprise Linux operating system and command line administration ... ing services, and professional services. We integrate emerging technology, rapidly and securely ...

SAIC

Cloud Systems Engineer

Scott Air Force Base, IL · On-site

$54 - $72/hr

Information Technology Subcategory: IT Systems Engineer Schedule: Full-Time Shift: Day Job Travel ... Proficient knowledge of RedHat Enterprise Linux operating system and command line administration.

SAIC

Cloud Systems Engineer

Scott Air Force Base, IL · On-site

$54 - $72/hr

Proficient knowledge of RedHat Enterprise Linux operating system and command line administration ... engineering, intelligence, and enterprise information technology markets. SAIC is Redefining ...

SAIC

IL · On-site

$62.25 - $83.25/hr

Proficient knowledge of RedHat Enterprise Linux operating system and command line administration ... ing services, and professional services. We integrate emerging technology, rapidly and securely ...

Oakton College

Senior Systems Administrator

Des Plaines, IL · On-site

$83K - $112K/yr

Includes Hypervisor (Currently VMWare/Hyper-V), Linux, and Windows. • Installs system software and operating systems for the college's computing systems. • Performs system programming tasks to ...

GRVTY

Mid-Level Systems Engineer

Virginia, IL · On-site

System Design & Implementation: Design, install, configure, and test operating systems, application ... Work closely with developers, management, and other departments to understand requirements and ...

Grubhub

Senior Site Reliability Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site

Deep, expert-level proficiency in Linux operating systems with proven experience in low-level ... Strong engineering experience with AWS services (specifically EC2, Load Balancers, and AMI building ...

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All JobsOperating System Engineer JobsOperating System Engineer Jobs in Illinois

Operating System Engineer information

See Illinois salary details

$51.8K

$123.3K

$161.8K

How much do operating system engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 6, 2026, the average yearly pay for operating system engineer in Illinois is $123,274.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $95,000.00 and $152,100.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are some common challenges faced by operating system engineers when maintaining system stability in large-scale environments?

Operating System Engineers often encounter challenges such as managing software patching across diverse hardware, ensuring compatibility with legacy applications, and minimizing downtime during critical updates. In large-scale environments, balancing security with performance and reliability can be complex, especially when multiple teams depend on the systems. Effective communication with development, security, and IT operations teams is essential to address these issues proactively and maintain overall system stability.

What does an operating system engineer do?

An Operating System Engineer is responsible for designing, developing, maintaining, and optimizing operating systems that run on computers and servers. They work on the core components that manage hardware resources, enable software applications, and ensure system security and stability. Their duties often include writing system-level code, troubleshooting performance issues, implementing updates, and collaborating with hardware and software teams. Operating System Engineers play a critical role in ensuring that computing environments are efficient, reliable, and secure.

What is the difference between Operating System Engineer vs System Administrator?

AspectOperating System EngineerSystem Administrator
Primary FocusDesigning, developing, and optimizing operating systemsMaintaining, configuring, and supporting existing systems
Skills & CertificationsLinux/Unix, scripting, OS architecture, certifications like RHCE or Linux FoundationSystem management, network setup, troubleshooting, certifications like CompTIA Server+ or Microsoft Certified
Work EnvironmentDevelopment teams, R&D, engineering projectsIT support, data centers, enterprise environments
Industry UsageTech companies, hardware firms, software developmentCorporate IT, government agencies, healthcare, finance

While both roles involve working with operating systems, Operating System Engineers focus on designing and developing OS solutions, whereas System Administrators manage and support existing systems. The roles complement each other but serve different stages of the system lifecycle.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an operating system engineer?

To thrive as an Operating System Engineer, you need a deep understanding of computer science principles, operating system internals, and strong programming skills in languages like C, C++, or Rust, often backed by a relevant degree. Familiarity with kernel development, debugging tools, virtualization platforms, and experience with version control systems (such as Git) are typically required. Problem-solving abilities, attention to detail, and effective communication are soft skills that set top performers apart. These skills ensure the reliability, performance, and security of operating systems, which are foundational to all computing environments.
What are popular job titles related to Operating System Engineer jobs in Illinois? For Operating System Engineer jobs in Illinois, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Operating System Engineer jobs in Illinois look for? The top searched job categories for Operating System Engineer jobs in Illinois are:
What cities in Illinois are hiring for Operating System Engineer jobs? Cities in Illinois with the most Operating System Engineer job openings:
Operating System Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Operating System Engineer job openings in Illinois as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 80% Full Time, 14% Part Time, 3% Temporary, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 91% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 7% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $123,274 per year, or $59.3 per hour.

Systems Engineer SME

SAIC

IL • On-site

Full-time

Re-posted 19 days ago

SAIC rating

7.9

Company rating: 7.9 out of 10

Based on 79 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

76th of 221 rated it services

Job description

Job Description
Description
SAIC is seeking a Systems Engineer for the Cloud team to support an IT Service Management effort for USTRANSCOM located at Scott Air Force Base (AFB) in Illinois. The USTC Managed Information Technology Services (MITS) contract is intended to provide strategic, technical, and program management guidance and support services to facilitate the operations and modernization of the combatant command's infrastructure, systems, and applications. This support will be provided to the USTC Command, Control, Communications & Cyber Systems Directorate (TCJ6).
The successful candidate initiates, supervises, and/or develops requirements from a project's inception to conclusion for complex to extremely complex programs; Provides strategic advice, technical guidance and expertise to program and project staff; Provides detailed analysis, evaluation and recommendations for improvements, optimization development, and/or maintenance efforts for client-specific or mission critical challenges/issues; Consults with client to define needs or problems, supervises studies and leads surveys to collect and analyze data to provide advice and recommend solutions.
Responsibilities:
  • Providing technical leadership and hands-on development and implementation of commercial cloud solution architectures that modernize the way our customers architect, deploy, and use cloud technology, focusing on security, scalability, and resiliency
  • Planning, designing, and managing the migration, re-platforming, integration, implementation and operation of our client's complex cloud environments enabling managed shared services
  • Ensuring commercial cloud service offerings (CSO) adhere to DoD Cloud Computing policy/guidelines
  • Providing specific, detailed information for hardware and software selection, cloud service provider selection, implementation techniques, application data migration techniques and tools for the most efficient solution to meet business needs, including present and future capacity requirements
  • Maintaining technical expertise relevant industry standards and in cloud computing and virtualization technologies such as cloud service provider architecture, design, and configuration; cloud deployment models including public, community, private, and hybrid; cloud service delivery models including infrastructure-, platform-, and software-as-a-service; automation; hypervisors; containers; virtual compute, storage, and networks; virtual infrastructure management; self-provisioning; and scaling
  • May also provide systems engineering activities such as: Concept of Operations Formulation, Requirements Definition, Analysis and Engineering, System Architecting, System Analysis and Design, Interface and Data Architectures, Validation and Verification, System Integration, System Op. Performance Analysis, Lifecycle Cost Analysis Estimation, Decision Analysis and Physical Configuration Analysis (PCA)
  • Participating with senior managers to establish strategic plans and objectives
  • Recommending/making decisions on administrative or project work matters and ensures effective achievement of program, project, or organizational objectives
This position is for Monday through Friday, normal business hours. However, employee may be required to provide after-hours and weekend support during planned or emergency events.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications:
  • Ten (10) years or more experience
  • Active DoD Secret Clearance
  • IAT Level III certifications (CASP+ CE, CCNP Security, CISA, CISSP (or Associate), GCED, GCIH)
  • Computing Environment (CE) certification or certificate for the technical area of responsibility for Cloud or virtualization (e.g., Azure, AWS, oracle, IBM, etc.) with a preference in Azure
  • Proficient knowledge of Redhat Enterprise Linux operating system and command line administration
  • In-depth understanding of Terraform, Terraform state management, and Cloud Formation
  • Experience implementing environment workflows for development, staging and projection environments
  • Strong understanding of CI/CD automation pipelines using gitlab-ci
  • Experience troubleshooting end to end connectivity issues within DOD networking infrastructure
  • Ability to utilize a variety of tools like Git ,YML, and AWS security capabilities (WAF, GuardDuty, Security Groups, IAM, etc.)
  • General knowledge of AWS EC2, S3, System Manager, CloudFormation, CloudTrail, Lambda, IAM
  • Experience using Gitlab and Gitlab-runners
  • Experience creating, managing and updating gitlab-ci pipelines
  • Experience working with docker & podman
  • Strong understanding of Container networking
  • Experience working in a team environment with the ability to mentor junior team members
  • Proactively identify and resolve operational, tooling and process inefficiencies
Desired Qualifications:
  • MA/MS
  • Fifteen (15) or more years of experience
  • DoD TS/SCI clearance
  • AWS Cloud Solutions Architect Professional Certification
  • ITIL V4 Foundations Certification
  • Experience with F5 Big-IP devices specifically the LTM and ASM modules
  • Experience with AWS networking and AWS Transit Gateway
  • Familiarity with AWS Site-to-Site Connections
  • Experience with Azure commercial cloud services
  • Knowledge of Route53 DNS

Target salary range: $120,001 - $160,000. The estimate displayed represents the typical salary range for this position based on experience and other factors.
Overview
SAIC accepts applications on an ongoing basis and there is no deadline.
SAIC® is a premier mission integrator focused on advancing the power of technology and innovation to serve and protect our world. Our robust portfolio of offerings across the defense, space, intelligence, and civilian markets includes secure high-end solutions in mission IT, enterprise IT, engineering services, and professional services. We integrate emerging technology, rapidly and securely, into mission critical operations that modernize and enable critical national imperatives.
We are approximately 23,000 strong; driven by mission, united by purpose, and inspired by opportunities. SAIC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, SAIC has annual revenues of approximately $7.3 billion. For more information, visit saic.com. For ongoing news, please visit our newsroom.

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