Systems Engineering · Security · Technology Leadership

Building secure digital solutions.

Twenty years of hands-on systems engineering and technology leadership — from Windows domains and classified networks to cloud transformation and CMMC compliance. Ask my AI assistant anything about my experience.

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20+years in technology
TS/SCI + FSPclearance
$30M+annual budget
1,200+endpoints supported

// about

Strategy at the top, hands on the keyboard.

I'm a technology executive based in Los Angeles with over 20 years across IT operations, cybersecurity, enterprise architecture, and digital transformation. I've grown a 12-person help desk into a 60-person full-service technology organization supporting 1,200+ staff in defense research environments.

Through every leadership role, I've stayed close to the technology — architecting systems, administering environments, and debugging infrastructure. I'm as comfortable owning a budget as I am running a domain, and I'm open to roles on either side: senior systems engineering or technology leadership.

certification highlight
CMMC 2.0 L2 — 110/110
Among the first 50 defense contractors certified; perfect NIST 800-171 score.
education
B.S. · MBA · 3 NYU certificates
B.S. Computer Engineering (DeVry) · Pepperdine MBA · NYU Tandon CIO Program, Threat Intelligence, Enterprise Architecture.

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Professional history

2017 — 2026

Director, Information Technology & Information Security

HRL Laboratories · Malibu, CA
  • Directed IT across multiple sites for 1,200+ staff; $30M+ budget; 60-person team with <5% attrition
  • CMMC 2.0 Level 2 certification with a perfect 110/110 NIST 800-171 score
  • Enterprise Microsoft 365 (GCC-High) deployment; ServiceNow ITSM implementation
2015 — 2017

Systems Engineer

HRL Laboratories · Malibu, CA

Administered a 1,200-endpoint Windows domain; PowerShell automation for provisioning and monitoring; led enterprise vulnerability-response initiatives that strengthened security posture.

2011 — 2015

Sr. Systems Engineer

AeroVironment · Simi Valley, CA

High-availability storage, backup, and disaster-recovery architecture; optimized VMware clusters supporting 200+ virtual machines across multiple sites.

2010 — 2011

Systems Engineer

Cal Net Technology · Northridge, CA

Trusted advisor to 10+ small-business clients; end-to-end IT administration with 99.9% uptime through proactive monitoring and maintenance.

2023 — 2024
education

Executive Certificates — NYU Tandon School of Engineering

New York University
Chief Information Officer (CIO) Program Certificate ↗ Threat Intelligence & Cybersecurity Analytics Certificate ↗ Enterprise Architecture Certificate ↗
2009 — 2011
education

MBA, Global Business

Pepperdine University, Graziadio Business School
2002 — 2006
education

B.S., Computer Engineering

DeVry University

// capabilities

What I bring

[01]

Systems Engineering

Active Directory · M365 GCC-High
virtualization · HPC
classified networks
PowerShell automation

[02]

Cybersecurity & Compliance

CMMC · NIST 800-171
threat intelligence
DLP · incident response
CrowdStrike · Trellix

[03]

Infrastructure & Platforms

storage · backup · DR
VMware · networking
ServiceNow ITSM
ERP (Costpoint · Cognos)

[04]

Strategy & Leadership

digital transformation
budget ownership
team building
vendor management

// contact

Get in touch

linkedin/in/petermolina
locationLos Angeles, CA