Senior Sustainment Engineer

About the role

Aechelon Technology, a Shield AI company, is a leading producer of 3D simulator content, including Geospecific visual/sensor databases and realistic 3D models. We seek people who share our passion for real-time computer graphics and commitment to our mission of helping make our Nation's pilots safer. We will give you a chance to work with some of the most talented people in the graphics industry.

Aechelon is seeking a skilled candidate to join our Platforms team and help design, build, automate, and scale Windows-based storage systems deployed to customers, at scale.

This role goes beyond traditional Windows administration. You will be part of a product-focused engineering team responsible for building standardized, repeatable, and highly automated Windows Server platforms integrated with storage technologies such as Storage Spaces Direct (S2D).

You will partner with designers and staff engineers to implement platforms designs, designs, develop deployment automation, and support scalability and end-user enablement efforts. A strong candidate is a fully capable Windows infrastructure professional with strong automation and scripting skills and who works independently on tasks, with guidance available on novel or high-risk decisions.

Responsibilities will include, but not be limited to the following

• Collaborate with the team to build and maintain scalable Windows-based storage systems, implementing designs established with designers and staff engineers.
• Build and refine standardized, repeatable Windows Server deployments that can be reliably shipped to customers.
• Support clustering, failover, and high-availability architectures within established platform designs.
• Provide input on architectural decisions that impact performance, scalability, and reliability.
• Develop and enhance automation for:
• System provisioning
• Configuration management
• Deployment workflows
• Platform validation and health checks
• Lifecycle management, including patching, updates, and information assurance
• Develop and maintain advanced PowerShell-based automation, expanding into APIs and other scripting languages where appropriate.
• Improve tooling that reduces manual configuration and supports deterministic system builds.
• Contribute to CI/CD pipelines supporting Windows-based platform builds.
• Create automation that supports lifecycle management, including updates, patching, and configuration drift detection.
• Develop quality-of-life tooling to support System Engineers and customer deployments.
• Collaborate with hardware teams to provide structured feedback on performance, anomalies, and integration challenges.
• Follow security guidance from internal and customer-facing and help implement threat protection and best practices.
• Contribute to technical documentation, including system designs, release notes, integration workflows, and troubleshooting guides.

Minimum Qualifications

• 5+ years of engineering experience and supporting Windows Server deployment environments (or equivalent).
• Solid working knowledge of:
• Active Directory
• Group Policy
• Windows clustering and failover
• Storage Spaces Direct
• Authentication systems
• Strong PowerShell scripting and automation skills.
• Experience contributing to repeatable infrastructure deployments with an infrastructure-as-code mindset.
• Strong troubleshooting and systems analysis capabilities.; works independently with review at critical points.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced product engineering environment rather than traditional enterprise IT.
• Strong communication and documentation skills.
• Experience supporting hardware/software integrated systems.
• Exposure to enterprise security tooling and endpoint protection.
• Experience leading system upgrades or migration projects.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with infrastructure-as-code or configuration management tools.
• Knowledge of networking fundamentals, including VLANs, switching, and firewall rules.
• Exposure to compliance frameworks such as NIST 800-53 and 800-171.
• Familiarity with enterprise security tooling and system hardening.
• Familiarity with Linux-based storage solutions.

Compensation and Benefits

$123,000 - $153,000 per year

• The above range is specific to CALIFORNIA and may not be applicable to other locations. Final compensation is based on factors such as the candidate's skills, qualifications, and experience.
• We offer a very attractive compensation package including competitive base salary, company performance-based profit sharing, 401k, 100% employer paid health benefits (medical, dental, vision, life, std, ltd, and life insurance plans).
• No relocation reimbursement provided.

This position description is not intended to be a complete listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee holding this position. Duties, responsibilities and activities may be changed or others may be assigned at any time by the Company with notice to the employee.