Linux Systems Engineer

Nightwing provides technically advanced full-spectrum cyber, data operations, systems integration and intelligence mission support services to meet our customers’ most demanding challenges. Our capabilities include cyber space operations, cyber defense and resiliency, vulnerability research, ubiquitous technical surveillance, data intelligence, lifecycle mission enablement, and software modernization. Nightwing brings disruptive technologies, agility, and competitive offerings to customers in the intelligence community, defense, civil, and commercial markets. Nightwing is seeking a highly skilled Linux Systems Engineer to design, deploy, optimize, automate, and support large-scale Linux infrastructure supporting secure networking and remote-access services. This role is ideal for an engineer with deep expertise in Linux networking, policy-based routing, kernel performance tuning, infrastructure automation, and modern VPN technologies including WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IPSec. The successful candidate will collaborate closely with network engineering, systems administration, and platform engineering teams to deliver highly available, secure, and scalable infrastructure solutions in mission-critical environments. Primary Responsibilities Linux Infrastructure Engineering Design, deploy, administer, and maintain enterprise Linux environments. Develop standardized operating system configurations and hardened baseline builds. Perform operating system upgrades, patch management, lifecycle maintenance, and performance optimization. Troubleshoot complex operating system, networking, and application issues. Advanced Network Engineering Design and implement advanced routing architectures utilizing: Policy-Based Routing (PBR) Multiple routing tables Route maps and traffic steering Source-based and destination-based routing Multi-homed network environments Configure and troubleshoot: OSPF and static routing VLANs, LACP, and 802.1Q trunking Network namespaces VRFs NAT and firewall policies Analyze and troubleshoot network traffic using: tcpdump Wireshark iproute2 nftables iptables Linux Kernel Tuning & Performance Optimization Tune Linux kernel parameters for: High-throughput networking Low-latency applications VPN gateway performance Large-scale concurrent connections Optimize: TCP/IP stack performance Network buffer sizing IRQ balancing CPU affinity NUMA awareness Memory management Utilize performance analysis tools including: perf sar vmstat iostat eBPF observability tools systemd performance metrics VPN Engineering Design, deploy, and support secure VPN infrastructures using: OpenVPN 2.6+ WireGuard IPSec Implement and support: Site-to-site VPNs Remote-access VPNs Hub-and-spoke architectures High-availability VPN clusters Dynamic routing across VPN overlays Responsibilities include: Troubleshooting encryption, routing, MTU, and performance issues Implementing modern cryptographic standards and VPN hardening best practices Configuration Management & Automation Develop and maintain Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) solutions using SaltStack. Create and maintain: Salt States Pillars Custom modules Orchestration workflows Automate: System provisioning Configuration deployment Compliance enforcement VPN deployments Security baseline management Integrate SaltStack with CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure monitoring platforms. Required Qualifications: Current Top-Secret Clearance with SCI Eligibility Technical Experience 5+ years of Linux Systems Engineering experience 3+ years of advanced Linux networking experience 3+ years of VPN engineering experience 3+ years of SaltStack administration and automation experience Operating Systems Strong hands-on experience with: Debian Linux Ubuntu Linux Networking Expertise Demonstrated expertise with: Policy-Based Routing (PBR) iproute2 Routing tables and policy rules Linux bridges Bonding and teaming VLANs VRFs Network namespaces Dynamic routing protocols High-availability networking architectures VPN Expertise Strong practical experience with: WireGuard OpenVPN 2.6+ IPSec PKI and certificate management TLS authentication Multi-site VPN topologies VPN performance tuning Automation & Scripting Experience with: SaltStack Python Bash Git CI/CD workflows Preferred Qualifications Experience supporting cloud platforms including: Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Amazon Web Services (AWS) Microsoft Azure Experience with container technologies: Docker Kubernetes Experience supporting confidential computing environments Knowledge of CNSA-compliant cryptographic implementations Familiarity with eBPF-based observability and network diagnostics Industry certifications such as: RHCE LFCE CCNP Equivalent advanced certifications Desired Skills Exceptional troubleshooting and root-cause analysis capabilities Strong documentation and technical writing skills Ability to operate independently in mission-critical environments Experience designing highly available and fault-tolerant systems Security-first mindset with strong infrastructure design principles Excellent collaboration and communication skills Salary & Benefits The salary associated with this position ($99,000-$206,000) is commensurate with the selected candidate’s qualifications, years of relevant experience, and demonstrated level of expertise. Compensation will be determined based on these factors to ensure alignment with skills, responsibilities, and market standards. Nightwing offers medical, vision and dental insurance coverage in addition to a 401k plan, PTO, Holidays, and additional insurances. Nightwing is An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, dis