Junior Systems Engineer
Peraton · United States
- Hybrid
- Full-time
- $100,000 / year
- United States
Tailored resume — keyword-matched to this role.
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Job highlights
- Design, build, and support cloud infrastructure in AWS.
- Operate and maintain Kubernetes/EKS production environments.
- Implement secure and scalable infrastructure components.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams on compliant environments.
- Utilize infrastructure-as-code and automation tools.
About the role
About Peraton
Peraton is a next-generation national security company that drives missions of consequence spanning the globe and extending to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. As the world's leading mission capability integrator and transformative enterprise IT provider, we deliver trusted, highly differentiated solutions and technologies to protect our nation and allies. Peraton operates at the critical nexus between traditional and nontraditional threats across all domains: land, sea, space, air, and cyberspace. The company serves as a valued partner to essential government agencies and supports every branch of the U.S. armed forces. Each day, our employees solve the most daunting challenges that our customers face. Visit peraton.com to learn how we're keeping people around the world safe and secure.
About The Role
The Systems Engineer will design, build, and support the core cloud infrastructure that underpins production workloads across AWS and Kubernetes environments.
In this role, you will:
- Implement reliable foundational services, maintaining secure and scalable infrastructure components, and ensuring the platform is stable, monitored, and operationally ready.
- Contribute to infrastructure architecture, support deployment and automation patterns, and help deliver resilient systems across a regulated cloud environment.
- Collaborate closely with platform, security, and application teams to maintain compliant environments, strengthen operational processes, and ensure infrastructure components-such as networking, compute, storage, and platform services-are configured and managed according to best practices.
Qualifications
Basic Requirements:
- 2 years with BS/BA; High School and 6 years experience in lieu of degree
- 2+ years of hands-on experience with AWS core services, including VPC, EC2, IAM, KMS, CloudWatch, and networking components.
- 2+ years of practical experience operating Kubernetes or EKS clusters in production environments.
- Ability to obtain a Public Trust Clearance
- Solid understanding of cloud networking concepts, including VPC design, routing, security groups, NACLs, and private connectivity.
- Experience implementing secure infrastructure configurations, including IAM least privilege, encryption, logging, and access controls.
- Proficiency with infrastructure-as-code tools such as Terraform, CloudFormation, or similar.
- Experience with CI/CD pipelines and deployment automation (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Argo CD, Jenkins, etc.).
- Familiarity with monitoring, logging, and observability tooling, such as CloudWatch, Prometheus/Grafana, ELK/EFK, etc.
- Experience troubleshooting distributed systems, including cloud networking, containers, and infrastructure failures.
- Experience operating in regulated or compliance-conscious environments, especially those involving sensitive data.
- Strong scripting skills (Python, Bash, or similar) for automation and operational support.
- Ability to collaborate effectively across security, platform, and application teams, communicating clearly in cross-functional environments.
- Must be a US Citizen or a Green Card holder and have been in the US for 3 of the last 5 years.
- Must be able to obtain and maintain a Public Trust clearance.
Desired Requirements:
- Experience using Terragrunt to manage Terraform modules and environment orchestration.
- Exposure to service mesh technologies such as Istio or Linkerd.
- Experience with secrets management platforms such as Vault or AWS Secrets Manager.
- Familiarity with zero-trust principles, network segmentation, or private service connectivity patterns.
- Experience participating in DR tests, backup/restore workflows, or audit evidence collection.
- Knowledge of container runtime security or Kubernetes admission controls.
Key Skills/Competency
- Systems Engineering
- Cloud Infrastructure
- AWS
- Kubernetes
- Networking
- Infrastructure as Code
- CI/CD
- Automation
- Security
- Troubleshooting
Skills & topics
- Junior Systems Engineer
- Systems Engineering
- Cloud Infrastructure
- AWS
- Kubernetes
- EKS
- Terraform
- CloudFormation
- CI/CD
- DevOps
- Python
- Bash
- Networking
- Security
- Troubleshooting
- National Security
- Public Trust Clearance
How to get hired
- Tailor your resume: Highlight AWS, Kubernetes, Terraform, and scripting skills. Quantify achievements in system reliability and security.
- Craft a strong cover letter: Emphasize your experience in regulated environments and your ability to collaborate across teams.
- Prepare for technical interviews: Review cloud networking concepts, Kubernetes operations, and infrastructure-as-code best practices. Be ready to discuss troubleshooting scenarios.
- Understand Peraton's mission: Research their role in national security and how your skills contribute to their critical missions.
- Ask insightful questions: Prepare questions about team structure, project challenges, and career growth opportunities at Peraton.
Technical preparation
Master AWS core services and networking.,Practice Kubernetes/EKS operations and troubleshooting.,Build projects using Terraform or CloudFormation.,Automate tasks with Python or Bash scripting.
Behavioral questions
Describe a complex system failure.,How do you ensure secure configurations?,Collaborate with diverse technical teams.,Explain your approach to learning new tech.
Frequently asked questions
- What are the key technical skills required for the Junior Systems Engineer role at Peraton?
- The Junior Systems Engineer role at Peraton requires hands-on experience with AWS core services (VPC, EC2, IAM, KMS, CloudWatch), Kubernetes or EKS operations, cloud networking concepts, infrastructure-as-code tools (Terraform, CloudFormation), CI/CD pipelines, and scripting (Python, Bash). Familiarity with monitoring and logging tools is also essential.
- What is the work arrangement for the Junior Systems Engineer position at Peraton?
- While the job description doesn't explicitly state the work arrangement (on-site, hybrid, or remote), Peraton is a national security company supporting government agencies, which often implies a need for on-site or hybrid work for roles requiring clearance. Candidates should clarify this during the application process. Given the nature of national security, on-site or hybrid is more probable.
- What kind of clearance is needed for the Junior Systems Engineer role at Peraton?
- A Public Trust Clearance is required for the Junior Systems Engineer position at Peraton. Candidates must be able to obtain and maintain this clearance.
- What is the typical career progression for a Junior Systems Engineer at Peraton?
- Entry-level Systems Engineers at Peraton can progress to more senior Systems Engineer roles, lead engineer positions, or specialize in areas like cloud architecture, security engineering, or DevOps. Opportunities for growth often involve taking on more complex projects and increasing responsibilities within national security missions.
- How does Peraton ensure infrastructure security in regulated cloud environments for this role?
- Peraton focuses on implementing secure infrastructure configurations by adhering to IAM least privilege, encryption, logging, and access controls. The Junior Systems Engineer will collaborate with security teams to maintain compliant environments and strengthen operational processes within these regulated settings.
- What are the opportunities for learning and development in the Junior Systems Engineer role at Peraton?
- The role offers opportunities to work with cutting-edge cloud technologies like AWS and Kubernetes, infrastructure-as-code, and CI/CD. Continuous learning is encouraged through hands-on experience, collaboration with experienced teams, and potentially access to Peraton's training resources to stay current with evolving technologies.