Systems Engineering, Lead Associate

Peraton is seeking incumbent and external qualified candidates to support North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) Cheyene Mountain Complex (NCMC) – Integrated Tactical Warning/Attack Assessment (NCMC-ITW/AA) and Space Support Contract III (NISSC III).  

Please note that this is contingent upon contract award, with an anticipated decision expected mid to late 2026  

Qualified candidates will help operate, maintain, and sustain critical national mission systems to deliver resilient strategic threat warning and space capabilities as part of a world-wide architecture, providing strategic warning that our nation depends on during a conflict. This program will provide an opportunity to exploit the capabilities inherent in our diverse national systems to better meet the needs of the national command authority and warfighters to detect, track, and respond to strategic threats through 2030 and beyond  

The O&M Operations Support Engineer will provide 24x7 operational, technical, and sustainment support for mission-critical systems supporting NORAD and USSPACECOM operations within the Cheyenne Mountain Complex environment. This role supports onsite and on-call operational mission environments through system administration, troubleshooting, monitoring, incident response, maintenance, and operational sustainment activities across hardware, software, networking, cybersecurity, and enterprise mission systems. The ideal candidate will possess experience supporting secure, mission-critical DoD operational environments while collaborating closely with engineering, cybersecurity, integration, and operations teams to ensure mission readiness, operational continuity, system reliability, and rapid issue resolution in a 24/7 operational support environment. 

Responsibilities 

• Provide onsite and on-call 24x7 technical and operational support for mission systems within classified operational environments  

• Perform system administration, monitoring, health checks, and operational readiness activities across mission-critical systems and infrastructure  

• Troubleshoot and resolve hardware, software, networking, system performance, and operational issues in coordination with engineering and support teams  

• Conduct preventive and corrective maintenance activities including software patching, updates, configuration changes, and system performance tuning  

• Support operational sustainment and continuity of operations activities for mission-critical environments  

• Execute incident response activities including initial triage, escalation, coordination with higher-tier support teams, and closure documentation  

• Perform backup and restore operations to ensure data integrity, system availability, and operational continuity  

• Provide first-line technical support and user assistance for operational systems, access support, and issue resolution  

• Support system administration and operational database support activities where required  

• Collect, maintain, and update operational logs, incident reports, deficiency reports, checklists, and technical documentation in accordance with program and security requirements  

• Ensure compliance with operational procedures, configuration management standards, security requirements, and audit readiness activities  

• Support operational reporting, status tracking, and performance metrics for mission and program leadership  

• Coordinate with systems engineering, cybersecurity, software development, and integration teams to support operational readiness and issue resolution  

• Participate in shift turnover activities, operational briefings, and continuous operational support functions within a 24x7 environment 

Required Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree with 5+ years of relevant experience; OR Master’s degree with 3+ years of relevant experience. Additional four (4) years of experience may be considered in lieu of degree  

• Active Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility required, ability to obtain and maintain TS/SCI access required  

• Experience supporting systems administration, operational support, network operations, or technical sustainment activities within secure DoD or mission-critical operational environments  

• Experience supporting 24x7 operational support environments and shift-based operations  

• Experience troubleshooting hardware, software, networking, and system performance issues within operational environments  

• Experience supporting incident response, escalation, operational maintenance, and continuity of operations activities  

• Familiarity with Linux and/or Windows operating environments  

• Experience maintaining operational logs, incident reports, technical documentation, and operational procedures 

• Ability to collaborate across engineering, software development, cybersecurity, integration, and operations teams 

Desired Qualifications 

• Experience supporting NORAD, USSPACECOM, Space Force, missile warning, or space domain awareness missions  

• Experience supporting satellite ground systems, command-and-control systems, or enterprise mission systems  

• Familiarity with tools such as Jira, Confluence, SharePoint, GitLab, Remedy, or similar   Familiarity with virtualization, enterprise infrastructure, storage systems, and operational monitoring tools  

• Experience supporting operational sustainment activities within classified environments  

• Familiarity with incident management, operational reporting, and mission support processes  

• Experience supporting backup/recovery operations and operational continuity planning  

• Familiarity with tools such as Jira, Confluence, Splunk, SolarWinds, Remedy, or similar operational support platforms  

• Cloud+, GSEC, Security+, SSCP, or other DoD 8140/8570 compliant certification preferred