Staff Engineer Systems – Virtualization Architect (26-462)

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: No relocation assistance available
CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes
CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret
TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the TimeDescription
At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work — and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history.
Northrop Grumman Space Systems—Missile Defense Integration offers an excellent opportunity for a Staff Engineer Systems – Virtualization Architect (26-462) to join our team of skilled and diverse professionals. Based in Colorado Springs, CO, this role is essential to supporting the U.S. President, the Secretary of Defense, and combatant commanders at the strategic, regional, and operational levels.
This position does not provide relocation assistance and requires on-site work with no remote options.
Position Overview:
The Command and Control, Battle Management, and Communications (C2BMC) program is a key component of the Missile Defense System. It is a vital operational system that enables the U.S. president, the Secretary of Defense, and combatant commanders at strategic, regional, and operational levels to plan ballistic missile defense operations systematically, collectively monitor the battle, and dynamically control networked sensors and weapon systems to achieve global and regional mission goals. C2BMC supports layered missile defense capabilities that enable an optimized response to threats across all ranges and flight phases. It serves as a force multiplier by networking, integrating, and synchronizing autonomous sensor and weapon systems and operations, both globally and regionally, to improve performance. C2BMC is essential for all ground and flight tests that verify and demonstrate the current and future capabilities of missile defense systems.
In this role, the Staff Virtualization Architect will support the design, implementation, and operation of modern virtualized and software-defined networking environments for the C2BMC program. This role focuses on deploying and managing VMware vSphere and VMware NSX infrastructure to ensure secure, scalable, and highly available compute and network services. The ideal candidate will collaborate with infrastructure, storage, and security teams to troubleshoot issues, optimize system performance, enforce micro-segmentation, and maintain reliable connectivity across virtual and physical environments. The candidate will work within an agile Scrum team and plan work based on customer requirements and program contractual agreements.
Essential Functions:
Deploy, configure, and maintain VMware NSX environments, including transport zones, segments, edge nodes, and logical networking components (Tier‑0/Tier‑1 gateways, NAT, and routing protocols such as BGP)
Design and enforce network security rules and policies using NSX distributed firewall (DFW), gateway firewall, and micro-segmentation techniques to support secure C2BMC operations
Design, deploy, and manage VMware vSphere virtual infrastructure, including ESXi hosts, clusters, and vCenter, ensuring appropriate configuration of high availability (HA), Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS), and storage integration
Monitor and troubleshoot connectivity, performance, capacity, and security issues using tools such as Traceflow, packet capture, NSX CLI, and other VMware monitoring utilities
Integrate VMware NSX and vSphere with underlying physical network and storage infrastructure (e.g., NetApp NAS/SAN), collaborating with cross-functional teams to support upgrades, deployments, and infrastructure projects
Travel to remote locations to lead and perform network and virtualization installations, independently perform troubleshooting, and provide clear, timely status updates to program and customer personnel
Support critical activities outside of standard business hours, including evenings and weekends, as required to meet mission needs
Apply agile principles within a scrum team to plan, estimate, and execute work in alignment with customer priorities and program commitments
Develop and maintain technical documentation, including design artifacts, implementation procedures, and as-built configurations using tools such as Microsoft PowerPoint and Visio
Perform any other tasks required by the program to support reliable and secure C2BMC operations
Basic Qualifications:
Please list your current security clearance and IAT or relevant certifications on your resume, if applicable.
A Bachelor’s Degree in STEM Computer Science, Systems Engineering, Engineering, Information Technology, Mathematics, Physics, or a related field from an accredited university, along with 12 years of experience; or a Master’s degree (preferred) in a STEM-related field with 10 years of relevant work experience; or a PhD in a related discipline with 8 years of relevant work experience
Applicants must have a current, active Government-Issued 8140 certification at IAT Level II or higher (such as Security+, GSEC, SCNP, SSCP, CISSP, CISA, GSE, SCNA, etc.) at the time of application, which is required to start. The candidate is responsible for maintaining their 8140 certifications throughout the entire contract period
Applicants must have a current, active in-scope Government-issued Secret security clearance at the time of application, which is required to start, with the ability to obtain Top Secret clearance
Must have an active VCP – VCF Administrator and/or Architect Certification
Active legacy certifications such as VMware Certified Professional (VCP) in Data Center Virtualization (DCV) and/or Network Virtualization (NV) are also acceptable
Hands-on experience deploying, managing, and troubleshooting VMware NSX and vSphere environments, including ESXi hosts, vCenter, NetApp NAS/SAN, Windows Server, and SQL Server
Strong understanding of virtualization concepts such as vMotion, HA, DRS, storage integration, and software containerization concepts
In-depth understanding of networking, including the OSI Model, TCP/IP, routing protocols, network traffic analysis, and troubleshooting
Effective verbal and written communication and presentation skills, including proficiency with Microsoft PowerPoint and Visio
Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment and independently on large field projects
Experience with Agile frameworks and applying agile fundamentals in engineering work
Preferred Qualifications:
Master’s Degree in Systems Engineering is highly preferred
Graduate Certificate: Model-Based Systems Engineering (Ex: Stevens, Caltech, UCSD, USC, GWU, INCOSE cohort, etc.)
Certification: INCOSE Certified Systems Engineering Professional (CSEP) Certification
Certification: Object Management Group Certified Systems Modeling Professional - Model Builder Intermediate (OCSMP - MBI)
Applicants with a current, active in-scope Government-issued Top Secret security clearance at the time of application are highly desired
Experience with VMware storage solutions such as vSAN, Site Recovery Manager (SRM), and Storage Area Networks
Knowledge of automation tools or scripting for VMware administration (e.g., PowerCLI, Python, or Ansible)
Familiarity with hybrid cloud environments (e.g., VMware Cloud on AWS, Azure VMware Solution)
Exposure to monitoring and reporting tools (e.g., vRealize Operations, vROps, or similar)
Experience mentoring junior staff or leading virtualization projects or deployments
Experience creating VM deployment templates and automated deployments
Microsoft Windows Server and Red Hat Enterprise Linux server experience with multi-user applications
Understanding of standard DoD security practices, including STIG compliance and system accreditation
Knowledge of authentication and encryption methods/capabilities (e.g., ACS, Active Directory, GEM‑X)
Experience with Photon OS
Prior experience with C2B