Systems Integration Engineer

Overview

i3 is looking for a Systems Integration Engineer to support US Air Force RPA training systems as well as other RPA-related development activities. The successful candidate for this position will serve as a technical integrator for robust, high-performance on-premises virtualization platforms. They will architect and maintain hybrid operating environments bridging Linux kernel subsystems and Windows infrastructure. They will also optimize low-level hypervisor performance and hardware passthrough for secure, mission-critical operations.

Working in this role will include being a member of a highly technical team in a System Integration Lab environment to aid in development of new systems or modification of existing systems to meet customer requirements. This position is located in Huntsville, AL.

• Hypervisor Architecture:
  
  Deploy, tune, and maintain QEMU/KVM virtualized environments and libvirt management layers, and Ansible scripting for automation.
• Virtual Machines and Containerization:
  Deploy, develop and manage virtual machine in multiple environments (Hyper-V, VMWare) and development of container solutions developed using podman and docker.
• Kernel & Hardware Passthrough:
  
  Configure Linux kernel parameters, IOMMU groups, and VFIO drivers for dedicated PCIe hardware passthrough (GPUs, NICs, storage controllers).
• VirtIO Optimization:
  
  Implement and configure VirtIO device drivers for accelerated networking, storage, and balloon memory handling.
• Hybrid Systems Management:
  
  Integrate and maintain heterogeneous systems running Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 9 and Windows OS/Windows Server.
• Network Operations:
  
  Configure Layer 2/3 routing, manage network isolation across the 7-layer OSI model, and troubleshoot routing issues with modern Linux networking toolsets.
• Security & Compliance:
  
  Apply required security baselines, DISA STIGs, and hardening standards across all physical and virtual assets.

• Education:
  
  Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Information Technology, Computer Engineering, or related technical discipline.
• Experience Level:Mid-to-Senior (3–7+ years)
• Linux Expertise:
  
  Advanced proficiency in Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 9, system administration, kernel configuration, and bash scripting.
• Windows Administration:
  
  Solid operational familiarity with Windows OS and Windows Server environments.
• Virtualization & Passthrough:
  
  Proven hands‑on experience with QEMU, KVM, VirtIO, and hardware passthrough (PCIe/VFIO/IOMMU).
• Networking Fundamentals:
  
  Strong working knowledge of the OSI Model, TCP/IP protocols, Layer 3 routing, subnetting, and Linux firewall management (nftables/iptables).

• Certifications:
  
  Security+

Security Clearance

• Secret security clearance required.

Desired & Preferred Skills

• CICD pipeline experience (Gitlab, JIRA, ADO, etc.)
• Familiarity with containerization tools on RHEL (Podman).
• Proficiency with network debugging tools (tcpdump, wireshark, iproute2).

Knowledge/Skills

• Knowledge of office administration and procedures.
• Exceptional judgment capabilities and relationship management skills.
• Excellent communication, teamwork, and client service skills; ability to clearly communicate in discussions and written documents, and to deliver feedback clearly and tactfully.
• Interact with a diverse array of customers and staff in a professional and courteous manner.
• Work independently with accountability for accurate and complete results.
• Be extremely organized and exceptionally detail oriented.
• Work well both independently and in a team environment.
• Be energized by a fast-paced work environment.
• Must be able to communicate with others effectively.
• Analyze information and respond appropriately.
• Manage time wisely and prioritize tasks.
• Provide superior customer service.
• Multi-task in a…