DevSecOps Project Lead (Sr DevSecOps Engineer)

DEFCON AI

$175K — $215K *
US-AnywhereRemote in United States
Aerospace & Defense
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 8+ years of DevOps/DevSecOps engineering experience, including ownership of a high-scale production pipeline.
  • 5+ years of experience in DoD cloud environments like Azure Gov IL-5 or AWS GovCloud.
  • Hands-on management of at least one complete ATO or cATO pathway in production.
  • US Citizenship required for security clearance.
  • Active Secret Clearance (TS/SCI preferred).
  • Willingness to travel up to 25% for operational needs.

Responsibilities

  • Design and scale hosting architecture in IL-5 with path to IL-6 compliance.
  • Evaluate deployment strategies across government networks and hybrid platforms.
  • Build a production environment supporting zero-downtime deployments.
  • Design and operate a CI/CD pipeline with integrated testing and security.
  • Establish and manage multiple environments (development, staging, production).
  • Lead transition from existing contractor and government environments.
  • Own the release cadence from initial capability intake to production deployment.

Benefits

  • Fully remote work environment focused on results.
  • Comprehensive health insurance (medical, dental, vision) at no cost to employees.
  • Unlimited PTO with managerial approval.
  • Flexible scheduling for personal workday management.
  • 14 weeks of fully-paid parental leave.
Full Job Description
About the Role

This is a rare opportunity to build a production deployment pipeline for mission-critical DoD software from the ground up.

As the DevSecOps Project Lead, you will own the end-to-end software delivery lifecycle-from code intake through secure, scalable production deployment. Your charter is simple but high-stakes: ensure that software can be deployed reliably, securely, and on mission timelines in DoD environments.

You will design and operate the DevSecOps pipeline, define the hosting architecture, and integrate security and compliance directly into delivery. This role spans both modern commercial DevOps practices and the realities of DoD deployment (IL-5 today with a path to IL-6), requiring you to make critical decisions across government networks, cloud environments, and hybrid architectures.

This is a senior role combining hands-on execution with system-level ownership. You will build key components directly while guiding the transition from an existing government-furnished environment to a scalable, long-term production system.

Key Responsibilities

Hosting Architecture & Production Environment
  • Design and scale hosting architecture in IL-5 environments with a path to IL-6
  • Evaluate and select deployment strategies across government networks, GovCloud, and hybrid platforms
  • Build a production environment that supports zero-downtime deployments and enterprise-scale growth

DevSecOps Pipeline Ownership
  • Design, build, and operate a modern CI/CD pipeline with integrated testing, security scanning, and compliance validation
  • Establish and manage development, staging, and production environments
  • Ensure alignment with DoD requirements (e.g., Iron Bank, STIGs, ACAS/OpenSCAP, FIPS)

Transition & System Consolidation
  • Lead transition from incumbent contractor and government-furnished environments
  • Inventory, assess, and rationalize existing services, dependencies, and infrastructure
  • Simplify and consolidate architecture into a scalable, maintainable system

Release Management & Delivery Performance
  • Own release cadence from capability intake through production deployment
  • Ensure deployment quality through monitoring, rollback readiness, and performance metrics (e.g., uptime, failure rates)
  • Support continuous delivery aligned with government timelines and operational needs

Security Integration & ATO Readiness
  • Partner with Platform Security and RMF leadership to align on ATO strategy
  • Ensure the pipeline generates required artifacts for authorization and continuous compliance
  • Embed security and compliance into the delivery lifecycle-not as a post-deployment step

Required Qualifications
  • 8+ years of DevOps/DevSecOps engineering experience, including at least one production pipeline owned end-to-end at scale
  • 5+ years experience operating in DoD cloud environments (Azure Gov IL-5, AWS GovCloud, or equivalent IL-5 authorized environment). Working knowledge of DoD impact-level boundaries and the CC SRG.3
  • Hands-on experience managing at least one complete ATO or cATO pathway in production.
  • US Citizenship Required
  • Active Secret Clearance (TS/SCI preferred)
  • Willingness to travel up to 25% to USMC sites, Defcon AI HQ, and industry vendor facilities as required

Preferred Qualifications
  • Active TS/SCI Clearance
  • Experience supporting USMC or similar Service environments ]
  • Experience transitioning systems from one contractor to another
  • Experience with Iron Bank container certification
  • Familiarity with platforms such as Second Front (Game Warden), Stormbreaker, or Black Pearl
  • Exposure to Palantir Foundry or Anduril Lattice environment

What Success Looks Like
  • A reliable, repeatable production deployment pipeline operating with a predictable cadence
  • A clear, effective deployment strategy across both government and industry environments
  • Seamless transition from incumbent systems with no disruption to mission capability
  • ATO and compliance requirements integrated directly into the pipeline
  • Infrastructure and deployment bottlenecks resolved to support enterprise-scale operations


What We Offer:
  • A fully remote, results-based environment
  • Competitive salary, bonus, and equity package
  • 100% employer paid, comprehensive health insurance including medical, dental, and vision for you and your family
  • Unlimited PTO, with your manager's approval
  • Flexible work environment where you manage your work day
  • 14 weeks of fully-paid parental leave

Salary Range: $175,000-$215,000. This represents the typical salary range for this position based on experience, skills, and other factors.

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