Master's degree in STEM with 6+ years of experience or Bachelor's with 8+ years.
2+ years of hands-on experience with production Kubernetes clusters in non-cloud environments.
Experience building Kubernetes clusters using Kubespray, kubeadm, or similar.
Strong background in administering enterprise Linux systems in production.
Knowledge of Kubernetes architecture and lifecycle management.
Experience with automation scripting using Ansible, Bash, or Python.
Demonstrated ability to design high-availability infrastructure architectures.
Active Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility and willingness to obtain a polygraph.
Responsibilities
Design, deploy, and maintain enterprise Kubernetes platforms in isolated environments.
Perform advanced Linux systems administration and kernel optimization.
Install and troubleshoot container runtimes like containerd and CRI-O.
Implement Linux security hardening and manage operating system isolation mechanisms.
Design software-defined storage solutions and manage persistent volume provisioning.
Build and maintain production Kubernetes clusters using kubeadm or Kubespray.
Develop infrastructure automation and CI/CD pipelines for deployment and testing.
Benefits
Opportunity to work on mission-critical projects in a secure environment.
Collaboration with government stakeholders and cybersecurity personnel.
Access to advanced technologies and methodologies in Kubernetes and Linux.
Potential for professional growth in a specialized field.
Engagement in high-impact work supporting national security.
Full Job Description
Senior Platform Engineer - TS/SCI
Department: Government Customer - Chantilly Location: Chantilly, VA
ACTIVE TOP SECRET CLEARANCE REQUIRED. MUST BE ELIGIBLE FOR SCI ACCESS AND WILLING TO OBTAIN A CI POLYGRAPH.
Position Overview
We are seeking an experienced Senior Platform Engineer specializing in enterprise Linux infrastructure, Kubernetes, container orchestration, and platform automation.
This position supports the design, deployment, security, and sustainment of mission-critical Kubernetes platforms operating within on-premises, isolated, and air-gapped environments. The ideal candidate will possess hands-on experience building Kubernetes clusters without cloud-managed services, implementing high-availability architectures, and managing infrastructure from physical hardware through containerized application workloads.
Job Responsibilities
Design, deploy, configure, and maintain enterprise Kubernetes platforms operating within on-premises and isolated environments.
Perform advanced Linux systems administration, including systemd service management, kernel optimization, and SSH configuration.
Install, configure, and troubleshoot container runtimes such as containerd and CRI-O.
Manage Linux namespaces, cgroups, and operating system isolation mechanisms.
Implement Linux security hardening using SELinux, AppArmor, and applicable security profiles.
Design and implement software-defined storage solutions, distributed storage clusters, and persistent volume management.
Configure Container Storage Interface (CSI) drivers to support dynamic storage provisioning.
Monitor storage performance, resource utilization, capacity planning, and data replication.
Build and maintain production Kubernetes clusters using kubeadm, Kubespray, or comparable deployment technologies.
Design high-availability Kubernetes control planes, load balancing configurations, and resilient cluster architectures.
Manage etcd operations, including backup, restoration, snapshots, and cluster maintenance.
Perform Kubernetes upgrades, node maintenance, troubleshooting, and disaster recovery procedures.
Implement Kubernetes monitoring, logging, observability, and security controls.
Configure role-based access control (RBAC), network policies, admission controllers, and container security standards.
Support cluster certificate lifecycle management, vulnerability remediation, and infrastructure security assessments.
Develop infrastructure automation using Ansible, Bash, Python, and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) practices.
Implement GitOps workflows using ArgoCD or comparable continuous deployment platforms.
Develop and maintain CI/CD pipelines for infrastructure testing, validation, and deployment.
Support container image management and deployment within air-gapped environments.
Troubleshoot Kubernetes workloads, pod events, container logs, and cluster infrastructure using tools such as kubectl, k9s, and crictl.
Collaborate with infrastructure engineers, software developers, cybersecurity personnel, and government stakeholders to support platform reliability and operational requirements.
Develop and maintain technical documentation, architecture diagrams, configuration procedures, and operational support materials.
Required Qualifications
Master's degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) field with 6 or more years of relevant experience, or a Bachelor's degree with 8 or more years of relevant professional experience.
Minimum of two years of hands-on experience deploying and managing production Kubernetes clusters in on-premises or non-cloud environments.
Demonstrated experience building Kubernetes clusters using Kubespray, kubeadm, or equivalent technologies.
Strong experience administering enterprise Linux systems in production environments.
Knowledge of Kubernetes architecture, cluster lifecycle management, container runtimes, and infrastructure troubleshooting.
Experience developing automation scripts and playbooks using Ansible, Bash, Python, or comparable technologies.
Demonstrated experience designing and implementing high-availability infrastructure architectures.
Experience implementing GitOps workflows using ArgoCD or comparable continuous deployment tools.
Experience supporting air-gapped, isolated, or offline infrastructure deployment environments.
Understanding of container networking, software-defined storage, infrastructure security, and system performance optimization.
Strong analytical, troubleshooting, technical documentation, and communication skills.
Active Top Secret clearance with eligibility for SCI access and willingness to obtain a polygraph.
Desired Qualifications
Active TS/SCI clearance with CI Polygraph.
Experience supporting Department of Defense (DoD), Intelligence Community (IC), or other federal government infrastructure programs.
Expertise in enterprise identity and authorization standards, including X.509, SAML, OAuth 2.0, OIDC, and LDAP.
Experience integrating Kubernetes platforms with enterprise Identity, Credential, and Access Management (ICAM) solutions.
Familiarity with Oracle or comparable enterprise identity management technologies.
