Senior Systems Engineer

AIR's Information Technology team is seeking aSenior Systems Engineerto join its forward-thinking and supportive team. We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Systems Engineer to support the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) project and broader cloud infrastructure initiatives at AIR. This role is critical to maintaining and advancing our hybrid cloud capabilities, with a strong focus on Amazon Web Services (AWS) environments, security compliance, and operational efficiency. The ideal candidate will bring deep technical expertise, proven experience with FEWS NET systems, and a proactive approach to cloud architecture, monitoring, and disaster recovery. This position will also play a key role in supporting AI initiatives through Amazon Bedrock and ensuring seamless coordination with the InfoSec team. This position reports to the Director, IT Engineering. If you're looking to grow your impact and be part of a mission-driven organization, we invite you to bring your skills and perspective to AIR.

Established in 1946, with headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, AIR is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit institution that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance to solve some of the most urgent challenges in the U.S. and around the world. We advance evidence in the areas of education, health, the workforce, human services, and international development to create a better, more equitable world.

AWS Infrastructure Management

• Lead the configuration, optimization, and maintenance of AWS environments supporting FEWS NET.
• Ensure continuous monitoring and operational readiness of AWS production systems.

Hybrid Cloud Architecture & AI Integration

• Design and support hybrid cloud solutions across AWS and Azure.
• Provide technical leadership for Amazon Bedrock AI initiatives and integration.

Security & Compliance Coordination

• Serve as the primary liaison with the InfoSec team to ensure compliance with security protocols.
• Oversee AWS configuration management and enforce best practices in cloud security.

System Administration & License Compliance

• Manage system and user administration for FEWS NET.
• Monitor and ensure compliance with software licensing requirements.

Cost Optimization & Financial Planning

• Analyze and optimize AWS resource usage to align with budgetary goals.
• Provide strategic input on cloud financial planning and forecasting.

Disaster Recovery & Backup Strategy

• Maintain and enhance the backup and disaster recovery (DR) strategy across AWS and Azure.
• Lead implementation of East-West DR for SPP-R in compliance with state contract requirements.

Secure Project Portal (SPP) Oversight

• Provide technical and operational oversight for the Secure Project Portal, supporting 350+ projects.
• Support quarterly audits and formal project off-boarding processes.

Collaboration & Knowledge Sharing

• Work closely with cross-functional teams including Project Managers, DevOps, and InfoSec.
• Share expertise and mentor team members on AWS best practices and tools.

Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change, or new ones may be assigned at any time based on business needs.

Education, Knowledge, and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related discipline and at least 9 years of relevant experience in the IT industry, or a master's degree with at least 4 years of relevant experience, or at least 15 years of relevant industry experience.
• At least 5 years' experience in designing, architecting, provisioning, operating, and maintaining VMWare/vCenter environments and VMs within.
• Strong knowledge and experience with installation, administration, and troubleshooting of Windows Server Operating Systems.
• Extensive experience in designing, architecting, provisioning, and maintaining systems within the Azure cloud environment, with a strong background in deploying and supporting enterprise storage solutions and managing Microsoft SQL databases.

Skills:

• Effective communicator with demonstrated ability to communicate with and understand the needs of both technical and non-technical internal and external clients.
• Additionally, effectively collaborate in a virtual, cross-functional diverse team environment.
• Demonstrated ability to work well independently, and collaboratively as needed.
• Highly organized and capable of managing multiple priorities and projects simultaneously, consistently meeting or exceeding deadlines.
• Adept in a fast-paced environment to manage multiple concurrent deliveries.
• Demonstrated analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills with a focus on details and high quality.
• Passion for the craft with a demonstrated ability to learn and understand the technology both at a high level and at a detailed level.

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the U.S. on a full-time basis. Employment-based visa sponsorship (including H-1B sponsorship) is not available for this position. Depending on project work, qualified candidates may need to meet certain residency requirements.

American Institutes for Research is an equal employment opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability.

AIR adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo reference and background checks.

AIR maintains a drug-free work environment.

ACCESSIBILITY NOTICE:If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process due to a physical or mental disability, please send an email to Taliba Boone attboone@air.orgor call 202.403.5000.

Fraudulent Job Scams Warning & Disclaimer:

AIR is aware of individuals falsely presenting themselves as AIR representatives. Fraudulent job scams seek to extract sensitive information or money from victims. To protect yourself, please be aware that AIR recruitment will only email you from an "@air.org" domain. Please take extra caution while examining the email address, for example jdoe@air.org is correct and jdoe@aircareers.org is not a legitimate AIR email address. If you are unsure of the legitimacy of a communication you have received, please reach out to recruitment@air.org.

If you see a job scam, or lose money to one, report it to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. You can also report it to your state attorney general. Find out more about how to avoid scams at ftc.gov/scams.

#LI-DNI