Systems Engineer III - Federal
Unlimited Technology · Herndon VA
Come join our team! At Unlimited Technology, we are committed to our company's core values of Passion, Collaboration, Innovation and Adaptability. With offices throughout the United States, we are a premier cyber and physical security specialty contractor, and we are growing at a rapid pace. We have a wide range of talented and experienced individuals that deliver cutting edge technology solutions to meet our customers’ ever-changing needs. We secure the facilities and networks of the world’s leading brands and critical infrastructure and are recognized leaders in the physical and IT security, cyber, and managed services industries. UT offers a rewarding career, great benefits, and the chance to learn and work with ground-breaking technology and premier clients.
The Systems Engineer III is a senior technical resource responsible for the design, configuration, programming, integration, testing, and commissioning of security technology systems for Unlimited Technology’s Government/Federal business, including enterprise, multi-site, and mission-critical environments.
This is the Architect, Lead and Escalate level. The position releases the Bill of Materials on complex projects, resolves disputed scope, leads complex integrations and system architecture, and serves as the technical escalation point for Systems Engineer I and II personnel. The Systems Engineer III also reviews the deliverables of other engineers and develops and recommends engineering standards and best practices.
ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS
This position reports to the Systems Engineering Manager and has no direct reports. This position supports the Government/Federal business, and assignments may require clearance eligibility, badging, and government site access. Work is assigned through the Systems Engineering Ticket Request Queue. The Systems Engineer III escalates to the Systems Engineering Manager and works closely with Project Management, Installation, Service, the CAD and Design group, and Solution Engineering. Engineering levels are cumulative. This position performs the full scope of Systems Engineer work across all levels of project complexity; this includes scope and Bill of Materials review, port chart preparation, programming, integration, testing, commissioning, and support of field personnel. The responsibilities below reflect the highest level of independent work expected of this position.
EXPECTED LEVEL OF INDEPENDENCE
Works as a senior individual contributor and technical authority, providing technical leadership, peer review, mentoring, and escalation support without direct personnel management responsibility. Independently owns enterprise, multi-site, and mission-critical work, and serves as the assigned escalation point for Systems Engineer I and II personnel.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Scope, BOM & Technical Authority
- Review and release the as-sold Bill of Materials developed by Solutions Engineering to Project Management on all assigned projects, including complex, enterprise, and multi-site work, and resolve disputed or ambiguous scope prior to ordering, providing a technical verification in addition to the Project Manager’s review.
- Verify Bill of Materials compliance with Section 889 restricted-manufacturer rules and GSA Approved Products List (APL) requirements on federal and government projects as part of final technical verification.
- Validate sold designs against field conditions and contractual scope, and lead resolution of variance identified after award.
- Create port charts and system architecture documentation, including for complex and multi-site environments, and validate storage sizing and retention calculations on enterprise and multi-site systems.
- Review the deliverables of other engineers for accuracy, completeness, and constructability.
Programming, Integration & Commissioning
- Program and integrate complex, enterprise, and mission-critical systems, including multi-platform and third-party integrations.
- Design and configure system architecture, including high availability, redundancy, failover, and disaster recovery considerations, and lead backup and recovery configuration at commissioning.
- Design and manage Active Directory and LDAP integration and certificate management, including federated, multi-site, and mobile credential deployments.
- Own PKI integration design for PIV/CAC-enabled PACS deployments, including certificate chain validation, CRL and OCSP revocation checking, and OSDP Secure Channel key management architecture, accounting for legacy reader and hardware limitations that cannot support FICAM-compliant modes.
- Lead technical remediation strategy for complex or systemic ATO and vulnerability assessment findings, sequencing fixes to avoid downtime on active government facilities and validating resolution under retest.
- Work directly with ISSO, ISSM, and Authorizing Official stakeholders to scope NIST 800-53 control implementation, support continuous monitoring evidence collection, and defend risk-acceptance or compensating-control decisions when findings cannot be fully closed before an ATO deadline.
- Lead testing, commissioning, customer acceptance, and project closeout, including on complex and enterprise projects.
- Deliver client handover training to enterprise and multi-site customers.
- Lead application of cybersecurity, system hardening, and secure configuration requirements, including DISA STIG controls on government projects, across delivered systems.
Communication & Coordination
- Communicate design intent, configuration decisions, and technical requirements clearly to Project Management, Installation, subcontractors, and customer stakeholders.
- Provide timely status on assigned engineering work, and communicate proactively when a deliverable will be late, is blocked, or depends on information not yet received.
- Identify and request the information needed to complete assigned work, and follow up until it is received rather than proceeding on unstated assumptions.
- Communicate the technical impact of field conditions, scope changes, and design deviations to Project Management so schedule and cost implications can be addressed.
- Keep Project Management, Service, Solutions Engineering, and the CAD and Design group informed of engineering status, dependencies, and open items affecting delivery.
- Escalate promptly and with context when work exceeds available capacity, authority, or technical scope, providing documented findings so the receiving party can act without repeating work already performed.
- Communicate findings from redline, commissioning, and pre-order review back to Solutions Engineering so recurring issues are addressed in future designs.
Technical Leadership & Improvement
- Serve as the technical escalation point for Systems Engineer I and II personnel and provide coaching across the team.
- Develop and recommend engineering standards, design methodologies, documentation practices, templates, and technical procedures.
- Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend improvements to design, equipment selection, and engineering workflows.
- Maintain advanced manufacturer certifications across supported platforms, including recertification as platforms release new versions.
- Assume work from other engineers within the team during absence, deadline pressure, or capacity constraints as assigned.
- Participate in the on-call rotation and extended-hours coverage.
- Lead redline of project drawings on complex systems so as-built production by CAD and Design reflects installed and commissioned conditions.
- Ensure configurations, credentials, remote access, and system documentation are complete and accurate for turnover.
- Follow site-specific safety programs, participate in job hazard analyses, and stop work and escalate when conditions are unsafe.
- Maintain professional conduct in occupied, escorted, and secure customer environments, and protect the confidential