The Opportunity:
Federal Sherpa is uniquely positioned to support the United States Army's Mission Command Training Program (MCTP) at Fort Leavenworth, KS by delivering strategic program and project management expertise tailored to MCTP. Leveraging a team of seasoned professionals - including U.S. Army veterans and former senior government executives - we provide mission-focused solutions that enhance Warfighter Exercises and SRM-aligned training. Our commitment to integrity, performance, and innovation ensures that operational forces are equipped to execute unified land operations and respond effectively to domestic crises, reinforcing the Army's readiness and command capabilities. Location: Onsite - Mission Command Training Program (MCTP) - Fort Leavenworth, KS; potential worldwide deployment or travel in support of training events.
Are you looking for an opportunity to combine your technical skills with big-picture thinking to make an impact on national security? You understand your customer's environment and how to develop the right systems for the mission. Your ability to translate real-world needs into technical specifications makes you an integral part of delivering a customer-focused engineering solution.
As an MCTP Technical Support Admin / Tech on our team, you'll support the integrated technical environment that enables large-scale, computer-based Army training. Depending on assignment, you may administer enterprise infrastructure and Mission Command Information Systems (MCIS), operate and sustain the Joint Land Component Constructive Training Capability (JLCCTC), or support the Archiving and Enhanced Retrieval (ARCHER) capability. Your work will keep constructive simulations, command-and-control systems, exercise networks, collaborative services, and After-Action Review (AAR) tools available, secure, interoperable, and exercise-ready for commanders and battle staffs from battalion through echelons above corps.
Key Responsibilities
- System architecture and integration: Plan and implement scalable server, storage, virtualization, and network architectures supporting JLCCTC, ARCHER, MCIS, and distributed exercise environments. Integrate and validate simulation stimulation and end-to-end connectivity between constructive simulations and live Army Mission Command systems.
- Systems administration: Install, configure, harden, operate, and maintain Windows and Linux servers, workstations, virtual machines, VMware/Hyper-V clusters, SAN/NAS storage, user accounts, role-based access controls, security settings, firmware, and supporting hardware and peripheral devices.
- Network and collaboration services: Configure, monitor, and troubleshoot switches, routers, firewalls, VLANs, VPNs, TCP/IP services, and secure LAN/WAN connectivity. Administer file shares, web portals, enterprise email, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, chat tools, and connectivity for up to 150 concurrent client devices across distributed training sites.
- JLCCTC operations: Install, configure, deploy, test, operate, optimize, and troubleshoot JLCCTC applications and constructive simulation tools, including WARSIM, Joint Deployment Logistics Model (JDLM), and FIRESIM. Validate simulation outputs and their stimulation of Mission Command environments across offensive, defensive, stability, and civil-support training scenarios.
- ARCHER operations and data management: Install, configure, troubleshoot, and maintain ARCHER hardware and software in stand-alone and networked modes. Configure ingestion of live and historical Ground, Air, Logistics, Intelligence, and Fires data; maintain data integrity, redundancy, synchronization, and on-site/off-site storage for future reuse.
- AAR, analytics, and visualization: Capture, centralize, replay, analyze, and export exercise data. Automate real-time and historical reports for combat power, effectiveness, weapon counts, logistics, and volume of fire; scale data to AAR themes; and export products to Microsoft PowerPoint, Word, and Excel.
- Common operational picture and GIS: Produce a three-dimensional Common Operational Picture showing BLUEFOR and OPFOR dispositions with time-stamped replay for adjudication. Conduct GIS terrain analysis, overlay exercise units on digital maps, and support situational-awareness briefs for leaders.
- Exercise preparation and execution: Collaborate with exercise planners to stage environments, allocate computing and network resources, configure ARCHER and JLCCTC capabilities, conduct mission rehearsals and pre-exercise validation, enable briefings and visual displays, and troubleshoot issues in real time to preserve exercise flow.
- Technical support and maintenance: Serve as a subject-matter expert and provide escalated/tier-III support for hardware, software, simulation, and basic-to-advanced networking incidents. Perform preventive and corrective maintenance, system enhancements, software and firmware updates, and routine health monitoring and backups.
- Cybersecurity and compliance: Apply DoD security policies, DoDM 8140 requirements, DISA Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs), Security Content Automation Protocol (SCAP) processes, patch management, vulnerability scanning, log monitoring, accreditation standards, and incident-response procedures.
- Configuration and change management: Maintain hardware and software accountability, baselines, system images, version control, change histories, configuration checklists, and post-deployment integrity validation. Participate in or lead change-control boards and coordinate deployment schedules.
- Backup, continuity, and recovery: Develop, test, and maintain backup, replication, high-availability, redundancy, and disaster-recovery solutions to protect exercise data and ensure mission continuity during system failure or data loss.
- Software development and automation: Develop, test, and deploy ARCHER enhancements, patches, and data-collection modules for JLCCTC and future exercise platforms. Work in Agile teams; participate in sprint planning, code reviews, testing, and CI/CD pipelines; and coordinate scalable releases with DevOps and network teams.
- Documentation, training, and knowledge transfer: Create and maintain SOPs, runbooks, network diagrams, user guides, curricula, technical documentation, and training materials. Deliver technical briefings, classroom instruction, hands-on coaching, and workshops to operators, exercise participants, technicians, and junior IT staff; verify operator proficiency.
- Team leadership and continuous improvement: As assigned, supervise daily technical operations, oversee and mentor technical support specialists and JLCCTC/ARCHER technicians, coordinate hardware and software deployments, and recommend improvements to simulation fidelity, scalability, maintainability, and ease of use.
Key System Knowledge Assignments may require integration and support of JLCCTC, ARCHER, and a broad spectrum of Army and Joint Mission Command platforms, including:
- Tactical Mission Command (TMC)
- Global Command and Control System-Army/Joint (GCCS-A)
- Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below (FBCB2), Blue Force Tracker (BFT/BFT2), Joint Capabilities Release (JCR), JCR-Log, and JCR-Field Level Maintenance
- Joint Battle Command-Platform (JBC-P)
- Command Post Computing Environment (CPCE) and Command Post of the Future (CPOF)
- Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS) and Joint Automated Deep Operations Coordination System (JADOCS)
- Army Intelligence Data Platform (AIDP) and Distributed Common Ground System-Army (DCGS-A)
- Air and Missile Defense Workstation (AMDWS) and Tactical Airspace Integration System (TAIS)
- Capability Drop 1 (CD1), Integrated Command and Control Support Framework (ICSF), and Battle Command Common Services (BCCS)
- GEOINT Workstation (GWS) and other intelligence warfighting-function systems
This position may require access to restricted facilities. Due to the nature of work performed within those facilities, U.S. citizenship is required. Join us. The world can't wait.
Qualifications:
- Associate's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent experience.
- Meet and maintain DoDM 8140.03 qualifications for the assigned DoD Cyber Workforce Framework (DCWF) roles: Primary - Technical Support Specialist; Secondary - System Administrator and Product Support Manager; Intermediate proficiency level. If not qualified at hire, must obtain qualification within 12 months. Continued employment is contingent upon maintaining applicable qualifications and annual continuing professional development requirements.
- At least one (1) year of experience with military training and training support.
- At least one (1) year of experience integrating training environments, planning architectures, and stimulating Army Mission Command Information Systems in support of unit training events and distributed exercises.
- At least one (1) year of experience performing system enhancements and installing software updates.
- Proficiency with JLCCTC applications such as WARSIM, JDLM, and FIRESIM, or equivalent constructive simulation tools, as applicable to assignment.
- Working knowledge of Windows and Linux administration; VMware or Hyper-V virtualization; storage, backup, and recovery; and hardware/software installation and maintenance.
- Solid networking fundamentals, including TCP/IP, routing, switching, VLANs, VPNs, and secure LAN/WAN operations.
- Familiarity with DoD configuration, cybersecurity, and patch-management processes, including DISA STIGs and SCAP.
- Strong analytical, troubleshooting, configuration-management, and technical-documentation skills.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills, including the ability to brief leaders and instruct technical and non-technical military personnel.
- U.S. citizenship and the ability to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance; Secret clearance is required. Employment start date contingent on being granted an interim Secret clearance.
- Must have a valid passport with at least 1 year prior to expiration from date of employment.
Nice If You Have:
- One or more years of professional software-development experience in an Agile environment.
- Programming experience with Python, Java, C++, or C#.
- Experience with relational (SQL) and NoSQL databases, data modeling, and ETL processes.
- Experience with test-driven development, unit/integration testing frameworks, and code-quality tools.
- Hands-on experience with GIS platforms, three-dimensional visualization technologies, and Common Operational Picture products.
- Automation experience using PowerShell, Bash, or Python for deployment, administration, and monitoring.
- Experience with CI/CD, DevOps coordination, or software version-control practices.
- An Information Assurance Technician certification, such as CompTIA Security+, or an equivalent credential aligned to the assigned DoDM 8140 role.
Clearance: (Used for ability to obtain a clearance or specific clearance requirements)
Applicants selected will be subject to a security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information; a Secret clearance is required.
Vetting: (Used for Public Trust or DHS suitability)
Public Trust: Applicants selected will be subject to a government investigation and may need to meet eligibility requirements of the U.S. government client; a Public Trust determination is required when applicable to the assignment.
