Deputy Chief Engineer- Washington, DC - Public Trust Clearance Needed Technology Systems

Deputy Chief Engineer is needed for a contract opportunity with SOC's client in Washington, DC.

*Must have ability to obtain Public Trust Clearance

Job Description:

We are seeking a Deputy Chief Engineer to provide hands-on technical leadership and oversight in support of a large-scale IT operations and modernization program for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). This is a key on-site position responsible for driving engineering quality, systems integration, and the technical execution of services spanning infrastructure, cloud, cybersecurity, application platforms, and enterprise architecture.

This role is ideal for a senior-level engineer or architect who thrives in technically complex environments, can lead multidisciplinary teams, and understands how to balance innovation, stability, and compliance in a mission-critical federal setting.

Key Responsibilities:

Engineering Leadership & Technical Execution

• Serve as a senior technical authority across the program, providing direction and oversight for systems design, integration, and implementation activities.
  
• Ensure engineering approaches are aligned with the customer's enterprise architecture, security posture, and operational requirements.
  
• Lead technical planning and execution for modernization initiatives, including cloud adoption, DevSecOps integration, automation, and zero-trust architecture implementation.
  
• Collaborate with government engineers to define technical strategy, conduct architecture reviews, and support decision-making for new capabilities.
  
• Drive consistency and best practices across domains including networking, cloud, application development, cybersecurity, and endpoint services.
  

• Coordinate with service leads and SMEs to ensure end-to-end solution integrity and technical coherence across services.
  
• Support the design and validation of new systems, tools, and platforms to be transitioned into operations.
  
• Lead or support system engineering life cycle (SELC) activities, including requirements development, design, testing, and deployment planning.
  
• Ensure timely delivery of technical deliverables, documentation, and engineering artifacts.
  

• Monitor and enforce adherence to technical standards, security controls, and compliance requirements (e.g., NIST, FISMA).
  
• Identify and manage technical risks, dependencies, and impacts across engineering efforts.
  
• Support root cause analysis of complex technical issues and provide resolution strategies.
  
• Contribute to configuration management, change control, and versioning processes for critical systems.
  
• Documentation & Technical Deliverables
  

• Architecture diagrams, integration plans, and as-built documentation
  
• SELC artifacts such as technical specifications, test plans, and implementation guides
  
• Security documents: risk assessments, waivers, POA&Ms, and interconnection agreements
  
• Concepts of operations (CONOPS), use cases, SOPs, and support models
  
• Ensure deliverables meet established technical standards and contractual quality expectations.
  

• Bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering, Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related technical discipline.
  
• Minimum of 7 years of hands-on technical experience in engineering leadership roles within complex IT environments.
  
• Demonstrated experience supporting federal or enterprise-level IT programs involving multiple technical disciplines (cloud, cyber, networking, app dev, etc.).
  
• Experience with IT modernization efforts including DevSecOps, infrastructure as code (IaC), automation, and cloud-native platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP).
  

• Deep understanding of enterprise systems engineering, integration, and technical delivery practices.
  
• Familiarity with government security and compliance frameworks (e.g., NIST RMF, FedRAMP, FISMA).
  
• Excellent analytical, architectural, and problem-solving skills.
  
• Ability to lead and influence technical teams and collaborate across disciplines.
  
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with experience delivering technical briefings and documentation to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
  

• U.S. Citizenship is required.
  
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Public Trust clearance.
  
• On-site presence required in Washington, D.C.
  
• Minimal travel required (up to 10%).
  

• Master's degree in a technical field.
  
• Certifications such as AWS/Azure Architect, CISSP, ITIL, PMP, or SAFe.
  
• Experience with federal SELC or SDLC frameworks.
  
• Familiarity with ServiceNow, JIRA, Confluence, or other collaborative engineering platforms.
  

Employment Pre-requisites

The following requirements must be met to be eligible for this position: successful completion of a background investigation, and drug urinalysis.

SOC, a Day & Zimmermann company, is an Equal Opportunity Employer, EOE AA M/F/Vet/Disability.

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