Systems Engineer V

The Digital Services Technical Manager leads complex, mission‑critical digital transformation and DevSecOps initiatives, guiding cross‑functional engineering teams to design, build, and operate secure, modern cloud‑based systems. This role combines deep hands‑on technical expertise with strategic leadership to mature software development practices, continuous delivery pipelines, observability, and incident management across a large enterprise environment.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a key technical leader driving the maturity of software development practices and continuous delivery for highly visible enterprise applications.
• Lead and mentor diverse technical teams, including software developers, site reliability engineers, automation engineers, testing engineers, network engineers, database engineers, cloud operations engineers, tools engineers, application developers, and security specialists.
• Drive strategic digital transformation and adoption of modern technologies and practices across multiple business units, with a focus on DevSecOps, artificial intelligence, advanced analytics, and emerging digital solutions.
• Assess complex technical and business environments to quickly determine the true impact and risk of incidents and provide clear, concise executive‑level communication on event status and remediation.
• Own and respond to requests for information (RFIs) by drafting technical approaches that align with the organization’s roadmap and strategic agenda.
• Provide accountability for digital services initiatives and coordinate other resources to ensure successful outcomes and delivery against commitments.
• Use modern tools, observability metrics, and monitoring platforms to identify, troubleshoot, and resolve recurring enterprise or cloud platform issues, and lead initiatives to prevent recurrence.
• Monitor and manage communications during high‑impact events through appropriate channels, ensuring stakeholders receive timely and accurate updates.
• Prioritize, manage, and own emerging and developing customer issues from initial identification through to full resolution and post‑incident review.
• Apply deep domain expertise in monitoring and alerting tools and practices to improve system reliability and responsiveness.
• Identify areas where standardization of processes and runbooks will improve incident response and operational consistency, and implement these standards across engineering teams.
• Ensure technical and engineering standards are defined, communicated, and maintained within all participating teams.
• Identify inefficiencies in team processes, workflows, and tool usage, and create and execute plans to address them.
• Establish foundational architectures and integration patterns for how data, systems, AI capabilities, and digital dashboards connect and work together, including tools for managing data, finances, design, equipment, and project progress.
• Create, review, and maintain high‑quality documentation, including incident reports, actions taken, root cause analyses, and new or updated standard operating procedures for mitigation and prevention.
• Participate in Agile sprints to evolve business processes, refine technologies, and drive continuous improvement across the digital services ecosystem.
• Manage workload, priorities, and performance of other resources, including both employees and consultants, ensuring alignment with technical and business goals.
• Lead the establishment and maturation of application development practices and CI/CD pipelines toward progressive delivery, leveraging modern DevSecOps tools and techniques.
• Support a 24/7 operational environment, including participation in off‑hours work as needed for critical issues, incidents, or planned changes.
• Provide strong leadership presence and clear communication to customers and stakeholders at all levels, especially during critical incidents and high‑visibility events.

• At least 10 years of experience in information technology, with supervisory or lead responsibilities.
• At least 10 years of experience building and operating solutions on AWS, including networking, IT security tools, databases, and associated tooling.
• Hands‑on technical expertise in DevSecOps, security, automation, application development, databases, implementation, integration, and release management.
• Proven experience establishing and maturing application development practices and CI/CD pipelines toward progressive delivery.
• Practical experience using Terraform to implement infrastructure as code solutions.
• Strong understanding of identity and access management concepts, including roles, permissions, and policy design.
• Experience using tools in an AWS cloud environment, including services such as CloudWatch and OpenSearch.
• Experience with security tools such as Aqua, DLP, and similar platforms.
• Strong hands‑on experience with Kubernetes‑based containerized applications, particularly AWS EKS, including spring boot‑based container services.
• Experience with GitLab CI/CD, including configuration of environments, feature flags, and aggregation of DORA metrics.
• Experience with tools used for real‑time monitoring, alerting, and diagnostics during incidents.
• Experience with observability platforms such as Datadog.
• Proficiency in at least one programming language such as Python, C, C++, Java, or Ruby.
• Ability to operate effectively as a self‑starter, executing at both tactical and strategic levels with strong attention to detail.
• Ability to support a 24/7 environment and work off hours to address issues or implement changes.
• Strong analytical skills, solid technology experience, and sound business judgment with the ability to dive deep into complex problems.
• Demonstrated leadership presence and communication skills to work effectively with customers and stakeholders at all organizational levels.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical matters clearly and concisely.
• Demonstrated passion for leading the resolution of critical incidents and improving incident management processes.
• Ability to manage communication for critical incidents in an impromptu manner, ensuring detailed, accurate, and timely updates.

• Experience in senior consulting or advisory roles, driving strategic change and digital adoption across multiple business units.
• Expertise overseeing and implementing technology transformation initiatives involving artificial intelligence, advanced analytics, and emerging digital solutions.
• Experience working in environments that support intelligence, defense, cyber, or space programs, or other mission‑critical national security work.
• Background working within Agile methodologies and participating in sprint‑based delivery cycles.
• Experience leading cross‑functional teams across infrastructure, cloud modernization, secure networks, and large‑scale enterprise architectures.
• Strong interest in solving challenging technical problems that have meaningful real‑world impact and long‑term value.

This position offers a fully remote work environment, providing flexibility while engaging in high‑impact, mission‑critical engineering initiatives. You will collaborate virtually with a distributed team of systems engineers and other technical professionals, using modern cloud, DevSecOps, monitoring, and collaboration tools to support complex enterprise systems. The work centers on advanced engineering and cloud modernization in a highly technical setting, with a 24/7 operational posture that may occasionally require off‑hours support for incidents or planned changes. The role is part of a broader engineering community that values long‑term stability, strong career mobility, and meaningful mission work on large‑scale, secure, and modern digital platforms.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract position based out of Herndon, VA.

The pay range for this position is $60.00 - $80.00/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:
• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

This is a fully remote position.

This position is anticipated to close on May 9, 2026.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

At Actalent, diversity and inclusion are a bridge towards the equity and success of our people. DE&I is embedded into our culture through:

• Hiring diverse talent
• Maintaining an inclusive environment through persistent self-reflection
• Building a culture of care, engagement, and recognition with clear outcomes
• Ensuring growth opportunities for our people

Actalent is an equal opportunity employer.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services. For more than 40 years, we’ve helped visionary companies advance their goals. Headquartered in the United States, our teams span 150 offices across North America, EMEA, and APAC—with four delivery centers in India led by 1,000+ extraordinary employees who connect their passion with purpose every day.

Our Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, and Chennai delivery centers are hubs of engineering expertise, with core capabilities in mechanical and electrical engineering, systems and software, and manufacturing engineering. Our teams deliver work across multiple industries including transportation, consumer and industrial products, and life sciences. We serve more than 4,500 clients, including many Fortune 500 brands. Learn more about how we can work together at actalentservices.com.