Remote Systems Engineer jobs

About the Systems Engineer role

What the work looks like

• In IT settings, builds and patches Linux or Windows servers and automates configuration with Ansible or PowerShell.
• Manages identity, virtualization, backups, and monitoring, and resolves escalated incidents that help desk staff cannot fix.
• In product settings, writes and decomposes requirements and traces each one to a design element and a test.
• Defines interface control documents between subsystems and runs trade studies to compare design options.
• Plans integration and verification activities and reviews test results against the original requirements.

What employers ask for

• Linux and Windows Server administration
• Scripting with PowerShell, Bash, or Python
• VMware, Active Directory, and networking fundamentals
• Requirements management tools such as DOORS
• Model-based systems engineering with SysML
• Security clearance for many defense roles

Doing this job remotely

IT infrastructure that lives in the cloud or is reachable over a VPN can be managed from anywhere, though on-call duty and occasional data center visits are common. Product systems engineering is harder to do fully remotely because integration and testing happen with hardware in a lab. Defense work with classified material generally has to be done on site.

Where it comes from and where it leads

IT systems engineers usually rise from help desk and systems administration, while product systems engineers come from mechanical, electrical, or software engineering. The former move toward cloud, platform, or architecture roles, the latter toward chief engineer or technical program leadership.