Akima

Platform Engineering Coach (Army Software Factory)

Akima$110K — $130K *
Education, Government & Non-Profit
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 3 years of experience as a Platform Engineer.
  • Experience coaching junior platform engineers in cloud computing service models.
  • Proficient with container management in AWS and CI/CD tools.
  • Knowledge of integration testing and software release processes.
  • Understanding of the entire software project lifecycle.
  • Current IATII or higher certification (Security+ acceptable).
  • Must possess a REAL ID.

Responsibilities

  • Pair daily with Soldiers to provide hands-on guidance and support.
  • Champion development practices for secure and scalable mission-specific software.
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams on product development and delivery.
  • Coach Soldiers towards ownership in architecture and team management.

Benefits

  • Direct impact on mentoring junior engineers and developing future leaders.
  • Engagement in real-world, cloud-native application development.
  • Support through the Interim Secret clearance process for eligible candidates.
  • Work within a modern, agile implementation of engineering disciplines.
Full Job Description
About the Mission

The Army Software Factory (ASWF) in Austin is one of the most ambitious software initiatives in the federal government. We operate like a modern, high-growth technology startup embedded within the military, transforming active-duty Soldiers into software engineers through real-world, production-level development.

We don't just build software to support the mission; we build the people who build the software. We utilize modern methodologies like Extreme Programming (XP), Lean Product Development, and User-Centered Design (UCD) inside cross-functional, balanced teams. We are looking for experienced engineers to embed directly within this environment to act as the catalysts for this transformation.

Why This Role is Unique
  • Real Engineering Practices: This isn't a typical government IT contract. You will practice true continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD), test-driven development (TDD), and cloud-native application development.
  • Direct Impact through Coaching: Your success isn't measured just by lines of code shipped, but by the acceleration, autonomy, and confidence of the Soldiers you coach. You will watch your mentorship directly impact the applications and products Soldiers build and use.

The Tech Stack & Ecosystem

We build and ship real-world, cloud-native applications. Our general technical environment includes:
  • Languages/Frameworks: Java / Spring Boot, TypeScript / React, PostgreSQL.
  • Methodologies: Agile/Extreme Programming (XP), Lean Software Development, User-Centered Design (UCD).
  • Infrastructure & CI/CD: GitLab CI/CD, cloud-native hosting (AWS/EKS), containerized workloads (Kubernetes), and modern deployment pipelines.

Responsibilities

  • Pair Daily: You will work side-by-side with Soldiers every single day. This is a role for an engineer who loves the keyboard, leading by doing rather than lecturing from a slide deck.
  • Cultivate Engineering Disciplines: You will champion and model services and tooling so that application teams can develop mission specific software in a secure and scalable cloud environment.
  • Collaborate in Balanced Teams: Work closely with Product Managers, Product Designers, and Software Engineers to ensure the team builds the right thing and builds it right.
  • Accelerate Independence: Your ultimate goal is coaching Soldiers to a level where they progressively own the architecture and development, eventually leading teams of their own and continuing to build solutions for other Soldiers.

Qualifications

  • 3 years of experience as a Platform Engineer.
  • Ability to coach and train junior platform engineers in the following: Knowledge of cloud computing service models Software as a Service (SaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), and Platform as a Service (PaaS) and continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) processes and pipeline tools.
  • Knowledge of portable, extensible, open-source platform for managing containerized workloads and services in AWS.
  • Knowledge of the steps for release to higher levels of integration testing, certification activities, and/or operations using testbeds, modeling and simulation to synchronize software releases with the development of an operations environment(s) to ensure compatibility.
  • Knowledge of every stage in the software project lifecycle, from initial design and build to rollout and maintenance.
  • Must hold a current and valid IATII or higher certification (Security+ acceptable).
  • MUST have REAL ID.
  • Who You Are:
    • An Empathetic Educator: You have a passion for mentoring. You understand that a novice engineer needs patience, empathy, and clear mental models to thrive.
    • A Pragmatic Full-Stack Engineer: You possess a strong technical foundation in full-stack development. You care about clean code, architecture patterns, and automated testing.
    • A Collaborative Teammate: You thrive in an environment focused on collective code ownership and balanced teams. You value feedback, continuous improvement, and the diverse perspectives of a multi-disciplinary squad.
  • Clearance Note:
    • Interim Secret Clearance Required: Because of the mission context, candidates must be eligible to obtain an Interim Secret clearance to start. Don't let this deter you if you don't currently hold one-we support and guide qualified candidates entirely through the clearance process.

Job ID

2026-25249
Work Type

On-Site

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