Sr DevOps Engineer

We are hiring a Senior DevOps Engineer to architect and operate mission-critical data platforms aligned to Intelligence Community modernization efforts, including NGA Core-style environments and federated data ecosystems.

This role is not infrastructure maintenance. This is platform ownership at scale, driving a zero-copy, API-first, DevSecOps-enabled data environment that supports real-time access to distributed commercial and government data.

You will be directly contributing to systems similar to the ICDC model, where:

• Data is accessed in-place, not copied
• Systems operate in unclassified, high-scale cloud environments
• DevSecOps pipelines drive continuous delivery every 120 days or faster
• Observability, API standardization, and automation are non-negotiable design principles

What You'll Own (Mission Responsibilities) Platform Engineering & DevSecOps

• Build and operate Kubernetes-based platforms across AWS GovCloud or hybrid IC environments
• Implement CI/CD pipelines aligned to government-hosted repos and secure pipelines
• Drive infrastructure-as-code (IaC) using Terraform, Pulumi, or equivalent
• Enable automated rebuild cycles and continuous delivery (ICDC standard cadence)

NGA Core / IC Data Environment Alignment Engineer solutions compatible with NGA Core architecture patterns, including:

• Data mesh / federated data access
• Secure API mediation layers
• Multi-domain / multi-tenant environments Support API-first architectures using OpenAPI standards (OAS 3.1.1 alignment) Integrate with data catalogs, object stores, and distributed vendor APIs

Zero-Copy Data Infrastructure Design systems that:

• Query data at origin (vendor or external systems)
• Minimize replication and storage overhead
• Support on-demand compute and caching layers only when necessary Build scalable API gateways and proxy layers for federated access

Observability & Performance Engineering Implement full-stack observability:

• Metrics (Prometheus / CloudWatch)

• Logs (ELK / OpenSearch)

• Tracing (OpenTelemetry) Deliver real-time performance visibility aligned to IC expectations for:

• API latency

• Usage metrics

• Vendor/system health

Security & Zero Trust Enforcement Implement Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) controls:

• RBAC / ABAC enforcement
• Policy-as-code (OPA, Kyverno) Support privacy overlays and compliance controls (CNSSI 1253 alignment) Harden pipelines and runtime environments for IC-level compliance

Data Platform Integration Support:

• API ingestion pipelines
• Bulk data workflows (object storage, streaming)
• Metadata indexing and harmonization Enable developer and analyst access layers (API + UI + automation)

8+ years in DevOps / Platform Engineering / SRE Deep experience with:

• Kubernetes (EKS or on-prem clusters)

• CI/CD (GitLab CI)

• Infrastructure as Code Experience in IC / DoD environments or equivalent regulated systems Strong understanding of:

• API architectures

• Distributed systems

• Cloud-native patterns

Highly Desired (This is where you differentiate) Direct experience supporting NGA Core or GEOINT systems Experience with:

• Federated data architectures / data mesh

• API gateways (Kong, Apigee, AWS API Gateway)

• Event-driven systems (Kafka, Kinesis) Familiarity with:

• Zero-copy / query-in-place architectures

• Large-scale data platforms (petabyte-scale or multi-vendor ecosystems) Experience implementing:

• OpenAPI standards

• Developer portals / API catalogs Exposure to AI/ML pipelines or platforms (Bedrock, Morpheus, etc.)