DevOps Development Lead (Clearance Required)

Kroll; Fort Meade (MD); On-site; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare Coverage

Generous paid time off

401(k) plans with company matching

Job summary

Kroll is seeking a DevOps Development Lead in Fort Meade, MD, to lead the orchestration of microservices and infrastructure management. Responsibilities include architecting AWS services and managing CI/CD pipelines while ensuring system reliability in a fast-paced Agile environment.

The ideal candidate has a Bachelor's degree, active TS/SCI clearance, and extensive experience in AWS, Terraform, and Kubernetes. Benefits include comprehensive medical coverage, generous PTO, competitive salary structures, and 401(k) plans with matching.

Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI clearance with Full Scope Polygraph (FSP) required.
• Experience in architecting and managing AWS infrastructure using Terraform.
• Strong background in containerization and orchestration required.

Responsibilities

• Architect, build, and maintain AWS infrastructure.
• Develop Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and automation tasks.
• Manage containerized workloads using Docker.

Skills

AWS architecture

Kubernetes

Docker

Terraform

GitLab CI/CD

Python

Ansible

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Tools

AWS services

GitLab

Job description

DevOps Development Lead (Clearance Required)

Technology | Washington, DC, United States | 21014379

Location: Fort Meade, MD (On‑Site)

Clearance Required: Active Top Secret/SCI with Full Scope Polygraph (FSP); CI Polygraph within the last 7 years – must be active prior to start

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.

Key Responsibilities

• Architect, build, and maintain AWS infrastructure including EC2, Lambda, S3, SNS, SQS, Event Bridge, 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree from an accredited college in a related discipline, or equivalent combined education and experience (12 or more years of professional experience; or 10 years with a related Master's degree).

• 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.
• 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.

Nice to Have (2 or more):

• AWS services depth: EC2, Lambda, S3, SNS, SQS, Event Bridge, 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.

Benefits

• Healthcare Coverage: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans.
• Time Off and Leave Policies: Generous paid time off (PTO), paid company holidays, generous parental and family leave.
• Protective Insurances: Life insurance, short and long‑term disability coverage, and accident protection.
• Compensation and Rewards: Competitive salary structures, performance‑based incentives, and merit‑based compensation reviews.
• Retirement Plans: 401(k) plans with company matching.

The current salary range for this position is $100,000 to $150,000

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and will consider all qualified applicants regardless of gender, gender identity, race, religion, color, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, age or disability.