Systems Engineer SME
Trace3 · Colorado Springs, CO
$180,000–$200,000
Jul 17, 2026
Colorado Springs, CO
Jul 21, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A hands-on Systems Engineer role focused on test and integration work supporting a technical refresh of a classified military command-and-control system, specifically upgrading Oracle databases to version 19c and operating systems to RHEL 9.7. Day-to-day work involves developing and executing test plans, troubleshooting Linux, Windows, and Oracle environments, and verifying system configurations against a managed baseline. Suited to a seasoned engineer with DoD systems engineering experience and an active Secret clearance, based primarily near Colorado Springs.
Senior level · 10+ years · Colorado Springs, CO · Secret clearance · Full-time
Pay in the description: $180,000–$200,000
We read this from the posting text with AI. Skim the description below before ruling yourself out.
How this req sits in the market our data
Most people in this occupation already list these. Still required — just not what gets you shortlisted.
What the occupation pays Median $131,571 (middle half $103,691–$168,322). This posting is about at that midpoint.
Estimated from BLS employment for this occupation and area, per-skill prevalence across our listing corpus, and published wage benchmarks — as of Jul 28, 2026. It is a model, not a headcount.
Why we read it this way (9)
The role is classified as 'Systems Engineer' with a test and integration focus — it sits between systems analysis (15-1211) and QA/testing (15-1253). The primary day-to-day work described (developing and executing test plans, verifying configuration baselines, troubleshooting integration issues) leans toward systems analysis in a DoD/mission-systems context, so 15-1211 was chosen with 15-1253 as the runner-up.
A BS/MS in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field is listed as 'preferred,' not required, so the degree requirement is set to None.
Virtual server experience is explicitly listed as 'preferred'; scripting for data mining and network architecture knowledge are listed as 'a plus' — all treated as preferred.
DoD test methodologies, DoDAF, Systems Engineering V-Model, and ITW/AA operational systems experience are framed with 'should have knowledge of' or 'preferred' language rather than hard gates.
'Statistical analysis packages' is a named category of tools (e.g., MATLAB, R, SAS) rather than a single canonical tool; it is listed as preferred with no specific product named.
Work location is north Colorado Springs initially, with occasional work at Chidlaw and Peterson AFB — this is an on-site, classified workspace role; remote is not possible.
The minimum active SECRET clearance is explicitly required as a hard gate.
Ignored 1 non-technology phrase(s) as skills (responsibilities/concepts, not named tools): DoD test methodologies.
Requires a Secret clearance — the cleared population is a small fraction of this occupation, so the real candidate pool is materially smaller than the estimate below, which does not model clearance.
Read the full posting
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