DEVOPS Engineer

General Atomics; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 98,100 - 171,398; Full time

Job summary

General Atomics is seeking a DevOps Engineer to join the Core Services IT team supporting the DIII-D National Fusion Facility in San Diego, CA. The role focuses on bridging software development and SysOps, enabling efficient, secure deployments for researchers.

You will own the Proxmox VE cluster, automate infrastructure with Ansible, manage patch lifecycles, and implement CI/CD pipelines while ensuring DOE/NIST compliance and rapid security responses.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.
• Experience with real-time Linux, low-latency deterministic applications.
• Strong Ansible IaC and patch management experience.
• Docker containerization to build and troubleshoot reproducible environments.
• Experience architecting high-availability hypervisor clusters (Proxmox VE preferred).
• Familiarity with CI tools like Jenkins, CircleCI, TravisCI and Git/SVN.
• Scripting in Bash, Python, and JavaScript.
• DOE/NIST cybersecurity frameworks and Authority to Operate (ATO) compliance knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Act as technical bridge between PCS developers and physical infrastructure.
• Own high-availability Proxmox VE cluster for deployment and scaling.
• Create and maintain Ansible templates to automate deployments for Ops and Research teams.
• Oversee end-to-end patch management using Satellite or Foreman.
• Drive security monitoring and rapid response to meet DOE 48-hour SLA.
• Manage CI/CD pipelines to ensure reliable deployments.

Skills

Ansible

Docker

Bash

Python

JavaScript

Jenkins

Git

SVN

Proxmox VE

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field

Tools

Proxmox VE

Red Hat Satellite

Foreman

Job description

Job Summary

General Atomics (GA), and its affiliated companies, is one of the world’s leading resources for high-technology systems development ranging from the nuclear fuel cycle to remotely piloted aircraft, airborne sensors, and advanced electric, electronic, wireless and laser technologies.

We have an exciting opportunity for a DevOps Engineer to join our Core Services IT organization supporting the DIII-D National Fusion Facility. The position is located in San Diego, CA.

As our scientific mission increasingly relies on complex, time-sensitive software, our IT infrastructure must evolve alongside it. We are looking for an engineer to become an integral, supported member of our core technical group. Working closely with five experienced team members who are invested in your success, you will act as the mission-\u201ckritical link between our software developers and the Systems Administration (SysOps) team. By working hand-in-hand with Plasma Control Systems (PCS) programmers to offload their hardware and system deployments, your day-to-day contributions will bridge the historical gap and transition our IT framework from traditional support into a proactive enabler for fusion research.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Hardware-\u201cto-Software Optimization: Act as the technical bridge between Plasma Control Systems (PCS) developers and physical infrastructure, translating high-level control algorithms into optimized configurations tailored to bare-metal hardware limits.


• Virtualization Management: Take total ownership of the facility's high-availability Proxmox VE cluster to efficiently deploy, manage, and scale the virtualized environments required by our researchers.


• Infrastructure-as-Code Templating: As an integral part of the Core Services team, work closely with Storage and Network Systems administrators to architect and maintain robust Ansible configuration templates to automate infrastructure deployments for Operations and Research Science teams across our newly segmented network topology.


• Patch Management Lifecycle: Manage the end-to-end patch management lifecycle, utilizing enterprise platforms like Red Hat Satellite or Foreman for centralized provisioning and system deployments.


• Security & Rapid Response: Drive continuous security monitoring and execute rapid response deployments to consistently achieve the DOE-\u201cmandated 48-hour SLA for critical vulnerabilities without disrupting scientific runtime environments.


• CI/CD Pipeline Administration: Manage continuous integration and delivery pipelines to maximize efficiency, testing system integrity, and application deployments to ensure reliable performance.

We recognize and appreciate the value and contributions of individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences and welcome all qualified individuals to apply.

Job Qualifications

• Typically requires a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field and nine years of related experience.


• Understanding of system administration in various OS environments, with highly preferred experience managing specialized, real-time Linux operating systems required for low-latency, deterministic scientific applications.


• Strong knowledge of configuration management tools, with a heavy emphasis on Ansible for Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) deployment and automated patch compliance.


• Deep expertise in containerization technologies, specifically Docker, to build, manage, and troubleshoot reproducible environments for software developers.


• Hands-\u201on experience architecting, managing, and scaling modern high-availability hypervisor clusters (Proxmox VE experience is strongly preferred).


• Familiarity with continuous integration tools such as Jenkins, Travis CI, Circle CI, and source control systems (\"GIT and SVN\").


• Proficiency in scripting languages, including Bash, Python, and JavaScript.


• Experience operating within highly regulated federal or research environments, demonstrating a strong understanding of DOE or NIST cybersecurity frameworks and Authority to Operate (ATO) compliance standards.


• Full understanding of software development lifecycle best practices.


• Strong communication and documentation skills, with the ability to bridge the gap between software development teams and core infrastructure operations.


• Excellent judgment, analytical thinking, and problem-\u201csolving skills.


• Self-\u201dmotivated individual who possesses excellent time management and organizational skills.

Job Type: Full-Time Salary

Salary range: 98,100 - 171,398