DevOps Engineer | Secret Clearance

Paylocity; Columbia, Northern (MD, KY); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision Insurance

STD, LTD, and Life Insurance

401(k) – 10% company contribution

PTO – 4 weeks/year

Holidays – 11 paid/year

Birthdays Off With Pay

Referral Bonuses

Open Source Bonuses

Professional Development

Job summary

Phoenix Operations Group is seeking an experienced DevOps Engineer to support critical systems from Columbia, MD. You will work in a hybrid environment, with 1–2 days onsite weekly, and focus on cloud and on-prem infrastructure, automation, and container orchestration.

The role requires strong AWS/EKS expertise, Kubernetes, Terraform/Ansible, and scripting in Python/Bash/Go. Security clearances and DoD-aligned practices are important for success in this position.

Qualifications

• Active Secret U.S. Government Security Clearance required.
• U.S. Citizenship required.
• 5+ years of relevant DevOps Engineering or Software Development experience.
• Strong knowledge of Kubernetes or comparable container orchestration technologies.
• Hands-on AWS experience including EKS, EC2, EBS, S3, Lambda.
• Experience with configuration management and Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, Ansible).
• Programming or scripting in Python, Bash, or Go.
• Familiarity with Git, Flux, and related deployment tools.
• Strong Linux knowledge and terminal proficiency.
• Understanding of Agile software development methodologies.
• DoD 8140/8570 compliant certification or ability to obtain within 60 days.
• Onsite work in Columbia, MD ~1–2 days per week.

Responsibilities

• Support AWS cloud infrastructure, including Amazon EKS.
• Develop and maintain automated deployment processes.
• Manage Kubernetes containers and AWS infrastructure.
• Build reliable, scalable, highly available infrastructure.
• Collaborate with software teams to integrate applications into cloud/container environments.
• Monitor production and troubleshoot infrastructure, apps, containers, and OS.
• Improve automation, deployment, monitoring, reliability, and performance.
• Support IaC initiatives and configuration management.
• Perform Linux system administration and troubleshooting.
• Develop scripts using Python, Bash, and Go.
• Stay current with DevOps, cloud, containerization technologies.

Skills

DevOps engineering

AWS

Kubernetes

CI/CD

Linux systems administration

Scripting

Python

Bash

Go

Git

Flux

Agile methodologies

DoD 8140/8570 security certification

DoD 8140/8570 compliant certification

Education

Bachelor's degree in a related technical field

Master's degree in a related field

High school diploma/equivalent with 9+ years experience

Tools

Terraform

Ansible

AWS CLI

K9s

EC2

S3

EKS

Terraform and Ansible

Job description

Description

Phoenix Operations Group is seeking an experienced and highly motivated DevOps Engineer to support a fast-paced technical environment in Columbia, Maryland.

The ideal candidate will bring strong experience with DevOps engineering, AWS cloud infrastructure, Kubernetes/container orchestration, CI/CD, configuration management, automation, Linux systems administration, and scripting/programming.

In this role, you will help develop and maintain cloud and non-cloud infrastructure, automate deployment processes, support containerized environments, and ensure the reliability, scalability, availability, and performance of mission-critical systems.

This position operates in a hybrid environment, with an average of 1–2 days per week onsite in Columbia, MD. Onsite requirements may vary depending on customer, program, and contract needs.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the development and deployment of cloud infrastructure within AWS, with a particular focus on Amazon EKS.
• Support the development and deployment of non-cloud and edge infrastructure, including on-premises and portable systems.
• Develop and maintain automated deployment processes.
• Manage and maintain Kubernetes containers and AWS cloud infrastructure.
• Build and support reliable, scalable, and highly available infrastructure.
• Collaborate with software development teams to integrate applications into cloud and containerized environments.
• Monitor production environments and troubleshoot infrastructure, application, container, and operating system issues.
• Identify opportunities to improve automation, deployment, monitoring, reliability, and system performance.
• Support configuration management and Infrastructure as Code initiatives.
• Perform Linux systems administration and troubleshooting.
• Develop scripts and automation using technologies such as Python, Bash, and Go.
• Stay current with emerging DevOps, cloud, containerization, and infrastructure technologies.
• Perform additional duties as required to support program and customer objectives.

Requirements

Required Qualifications

• Active Secret U.S. Government Security Clearance required.
• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Bachelor's degree in a related technical field with 5+ years of relevant DevOps Engineering or Software Development experience; OR
• Master's degree in a related field with 3+ years of relevant experience; OR
• High school diploma/equivalent with 9+ years of relevant experience.
• Strong knowledge of Kubernetes or comparable container orchestration technologies.
• Strong hands-on knowledge of AWS, including:
  • EKS
  • EC2
  • EBS
  • S3
  • Lambda
• Experience with configuration management and Infrastructure as Code tools such as Terraform and Ansible.
• Experience deploying, scaling, administering, and troubleshooting applications, containers, and operating systems.
• Programming or scripting experience with languages such as Python, Bash, or Go.
• Familiarity with Git, Flux, and related software development and deployment tools.
• Strong knowledge of Linux, including system administration and troubleshooting.
• Comfortable working extensively within terminal/command-line environments.
• Understanding of Agile software development methodologies and common software development toolsets.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to troubleshoot complex technical issues.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Current DoD 8140/8570 compliant certification, such as Security+, OR ability to obtain the required certification within 60 days of hire.
• Ability to work onsite in Columbia, MD approximately 1–2 days per week, with flexibility based on customer and program requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI security clearance.
• Experience working with big data technologies, including one or more of the following:
  • Hadoop
  • Accumulo
  • Ceph
  • Spark
  • NiFi
  • Kafka
  • PostgreSQL
  • Elasticsearch
  • Hive
  • Drill
  • Impala
  • Trino
  • Presto
• Experience with K9s and the AWS CLI.
• Experience with additional AWS technologies such as SNS and SQS.
• Experience supporting DevOps infrastructure in DoD, Intelligence Community, or other mission-focused environments.

Benefits Offered

Medical, Dental, Vision Insurance – 100% Company Paid Premiums

STD, LTD, and Life Insurance – 100% Company Paid

401(k) – Automatic 10% company contribution; no matching required

PTO – 4 weeks/year

Holidays – 11 paid/year

Birthdays Off With Pay

Referral Bonuses – Upfront AND Annually Recurring

Open Source Bonuses – Contribute to our GitHub projects

Professional Development – Paid training, certifications, and enrichment

About Phoenix Operations Group

Phoenix Operations Group is a high-end engineering services company dedicated to protecting and advancing our national cyber resources. As a small company, we rely on innovation to continually advance our employees' skills and provide game-changing solutions to our customers.

Our technical competencies include Big Data analytics (batch and streaming), Cloud Computing infrastructure, multi-INT visualization, and enterprise architectures. We support mission-critical programs by bringing together highly skilled engineers and innovative technologies to solve complex technical challenges.