Lead Automation Engineer

UIC Arctic Response Services, LLC; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Bowhead seeks a Lead Automation Engineer to design, secure, and implement IaC and scripting to move from on-prem to a cloud-enabled environment. Located in Rosslyn, VA with travel to nearby sites, the role emphasizes automation to boost efficiency and DoD-aligned security.

You will lead DevSecOps practices, define standards, mentor sub-teams, and manage CI/CD pipelines in GitLab with AWS Terraform; collaborate with security teams and STIG adherence.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of technical experience, with 4+ years in cloud automation and DevSecOps.
• Expertise in AWS and Terraform IaC; experience with CI/CD pipelines.
• Strong knowledge of DoD security standards (STIGs, RMF) and cloud security.
• Experience with Kubernetes and virtualization technologies (VMware).
• Proven leadership and mentoring abilities for technical teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, development, and security of IaC and scripting across the system lifecycle.
• Identify manual tasks and implement automation to improve efficiency and quality.
• Define standards and architecture patterns for automation and IaC.
• Lead cloud solution deployment in alignment with security best practices.

Skills

Terraform

GitLab CI/CD

AWS Cloud

Kubernetes

VMware virtualization

DoD standards (STIGs/RMF)

Infrastructure as Code (IaC)

DevSecOps

Leadership & mentoring

Security governance

Education

BA/BS in a relevant technical field

Tools

Flux

Packer

Terragrunt

HashiCorp Vault

Job description

Overview

LEAD AUTOMATION ENGINEER (NAUT):

Bowhead seeks a high-performing Lead Automation Engineer to join our team in Rosslyn, VA. The Lead Automation Engineer will act as the technical specialist responsible for developing, securing, and implementing robust Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and scripting solutions to drive the transition of a legacy on-premises infrastructure to a modern, cloud-enabled environment. This role will focus on maximizing efficiency through automation, optimizing resource utilization, and mentoring sub-teams on DevSecOps practices.

This position is located near a metro station and a travel stipend may be provided if necessary.

Responsibilities

Automation Engineering & Leadership:

• Serve as the lead technical engineer for the design, development, and securing of various IaC and scripting technologies across the full system lifecycle.
• Pro-actively identify manual, repetitive, or cross-functional tasks and develop automation solutions to improve team efficiency and operational quality.
• Define and enforce technical standards, architecture patterns, and design principles for all automation and IaC solutions.
• Lead the development and implementation of the new target cloud solution, ensuring alignment with engineering and security best practices.

Cloud & DevSecOps Implementation:

• Design, implement, and maintain robust Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) pipelines utilizing tools like GitLab for source control and automation.
• Manage and provision cloud infrastructure on AWS using Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools, primarily Terraform.
• Implement containerization and orchestration strategies for cloud-native workloads.
• Responsible for monitoring and optimizing cloud spend by implementing cost-aware designs and automated governance tools.
• Ensure all cloud deployments and operational practices adhere to security baselines, including DoD security requirements and Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs).

Mentorship & Governance:

• Coach and train sub-teams on new automation technologies, cloud best practices, DevSecOps methodologies, and security compliance.
• Collaborate with security and governance teams to ensure the environment meets all required federal and DoD standards.
• Assist with documentation related to automation architecture, security controls, and operational procedures.

This position is an 'in office' position, based out of Rosslyn, VA, with occasional travel to Herndon, VA, Joint Base Anacostia Bolling, and the Pentagon.

Qualifications

• BA/S in a relevant technical field preferred. Years of experience may substitute the education requirement.
• Ten (10+) years of relevant technical experience, with at least four (4+) years focused on cloud automation and DevSecOps, and at least six (6+) years focused on DoD aligned problem sets.
• Expertise in developing and implementing robust automation solutions within a major public cloud platform, specifically AWS.
• Strong proficiency with Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using Terraform.
• Extensive experience with CI/CD implementation and management using tools like GitLab.
• Deep understanding of DoD security standards, hardening baselines, and compliance frameworks (e.g., STIGs, RMF).
• Ability to design scalable, secure, and highly available enterprise-level cloud solutions.
• Experience with container orchestration technologies (e.g., Kubernetes), virtualization technologies (VMWare)
• Strong communication and leadership skills, with proven experience mentoring and leading technical teams.

Nice to Have:

• Experience with advanced IaC tooling like Flux, Packer and Terragrunt.
• Familiarity with secrets management platforms such as HashiCorp Vault.
• AWS Certified DevOps Engineer - Professional or AWS Certified Advanced Networking - Specialty certification.

Physical Demands

• Must be able to lift up to 25 pounds
• Must be able to stand and walk for prolonged amounts of time
• Must be able to twist, bend and squat periodically

The pay scale for this position is between $140,000 - $160,000.

Please note that the salary information is a general guideline only. Bowhead considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, as well as, market and business considerations when extending an offer.

SECURITY CLEARANCE REQUIREMENTS: Must be able to maintain a security clearance at the Top Secret level with SCI eligibility and maintain SAP eligibility. Due to work requirements, this position will not entertain work from home capabilities. US Citizenship is a requirement for this contract.