Job Type
Full-time, Contract
Description
The DevOps Engineer (Development Lead) provides a reliable, highly available platform that orchestrates the microservices of a modernized operational system using cutting-edge technologies. The contractor leads sprint planning and team tasking, drives infrastructure technical direction, and owns CI/CD pipeline management and cloud infrastructure cost optimization.
This is a senior individual-contributor and team-lead role requiring strong Agile execution discipline, AWS architecture depth, and the ability to communicate and collaborate across engineering and program stakeholder communities.
Requirements
AWS Infrastructure Architecture & IaC- Architect, build, and maintain AWS infrastructure including EC2, Lambda, S3, SNS, SQS, EventBridge, Athena, and Step Functions using Terraform with auto-scaling
- Develop Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and scripting to automate tasks, provision managed services, and build internal tooling using Python, Ansible, and Terraform
- Apply AWS networking principles including VPCs, NAT gateways, and IP gateways to design secure, segmented environments
- Evaluate infrastructure costs iteratively; recommend and implement cost-savings measures to reduce AWS service spend and maintenance burden
Containerization & Orchestration- Install, configure, performance-tune, and operate Kubernetes environments with focus on EKS, ECS, and/or Fargate
- Manage containerized workloads using Docker and Docker Compose across the microservices architecture
- Troubleshoot infrastructure issues and ensure system uptime and availability for mission-critical operational systems
- Collaborate with development teams to optimize application performance and reliability in containerized environments
CI/CD Pipeline Management- Develop and manage GitLab CI/CD pipelines to automate build, test, and deployment processes
- Implement and maintain Argo CD for GitOps-based continuous delivery workflows
- Track ticket execution and drive technical direction of infrastructure to align with program and product needs
- Perform high-level functional systems analysis, design, integration, documentation, cost analysis, and complex issue resolution
Agile Team Leadership & Sprint Execution- Decompose sprint priorities and generate tickets aligned with internal team priorities and program objectives
- Manage team tasking and sprint workloads; keep the team on task and executing in an orchestrated manner
- Participate in all Agile ceremonies: sprint planning, stand-ups, refinement, reviews, and retrospectives
- Communicate and collaborate with engineers, product owners, and program stakeholders across the program
Required Qualifications- Current DoD 8140 (CWIP) certification - must be active prior to start
- Extensive experience architecting and managing AWS infrastructure using Terraform and IaC practices
- Strong background in containerization and orchestration: Kubernetes (EKS, ECS, Fargate), Docker, Docker Compose
- Experience developing and managing GitLab CI/CD pipelines and Argo CD GitOps workflows
- Proficiency in DevOps scripting languages: Python, Ansible, Terraform
- Experience performing high-level systems analysis, design, integration, documentation, and cost analysis
- Experience managing sprint workloads and driving team technical direction in an Agile environment
- Strong communication and collaboration skills with engineers, product owners, and program stakeholders
Preferred Qualifications Two or more of the following:
- AWS services depth: EC2, Lambda, S3, SNS, SQS, EventBridge, Athena, Step Functions with auto-scaling
- AWS networking: VPCs, NAT gateways, IP gateways, and network segmentation design
- GitLab CI/CD pipeline design and deployment automation
- Application performance and reliability optimization in collaboration with development teams
- Infrastructure troubleshooting and system uptime management for mission-critical environments
- Kubernetes advanced operations with EKS, ECS, and/or Fargate focus
- Cloud infrastructure cost optimization and AWS spend reduction strategies
Education and Clearance Requirements- Bachelor's degree from an accredited college in a related discipline
- OR Master's degree and 10 years of professional experience
- OR equivalent combined education and experience (12 or more years of professional experience)
- Active TS/SCI clearance with Full Scope Polygraph (FSP) - must be active prior to start
- CI Polygraph within the last 7 years - must be active prior to start