Lead Deployment Engineer — DevSecOps / Site Reliability Engineer

Bridge Defense; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Robust benefits

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

Bridge Defense seeks a highly qualified Lead Deployment Engineer — DevSecOps / Site Reliability Engineer to establish and lead the deployment engineering function in Washington, D.C. This role focuses on operating software within accredited, air-gapped production environments while ensuring secure and scalable operations.

The successful candidate will manage Kubernetes clusters, automate workflows, and integrate security tooling into the deployment pipeline, partnering closely with software engineers and infrastructure providers.

This position offers competitive compensation, robust benefits, and opportunities for professional development.

Qualifications

• Experience with accredited, air-gapped environments.
• Strong troubleshooting skills in complex systems.
• Ability to automate deployment and operational tasks.

Responsibilities

• Lead the deployment engineering function and set operational standards.
• Manage Kubernetes clusters across various environments.
• Build and support CI/CD workflows and automate tasks.

Skills

Kubernetes management

CI/CD automation

Linux systems administration

Software deployment in high-side environments

Job description

About Bridge Defense.

Bridge Defense is redefining how modern defense technology is delivered. Based in Washington, D.C., we are built for the dynamic mission environment facing the Department of Defense, the Intelligence Community, and federal law enforcement agencies. We provide full-spectrum national security solutions that combine secure infrastructure, cleared talent, and mission‑ready software to meet evolving defense challenges. Our services include secure software development in classified environments and the design and implementation of advanced IT and cybersecurity capabilities ranging from secure cloud architectures and enterprise infrastructure to data center operations, scientific analysis, cutting‑edge cyber defense, and intelligence analysis.

We are led by technologists and veterans with firsthand mission experience, which enables us to understand both the operational realities and the innovation needed to succeed. Our approach is agile and outcome‑based, delivering results in weeks rather than months whenever possible.

At Bridge Defense we value people, integrity, and excellence. We foster an environment where innovation thrives in support of traditional mission requirements. Our team members receive competitive compensation, robust benefits, professional development and certification opportunities, and clear paths for growth while working on the nation’s most critical projects.

Core Values

• Innovation & Responsiveness: We push beyond legacy models with efficient, tech‑led solutions built to scale and evolve.
• Trusted Performance: Security, compliance, and deep experience in delivering to demanding environments guides all we do.
• Mission Focused Expertise: From veteran leadership to cleared engineers, our people understand both the technology and the mission.

Summary

Bridge Defense seeks a highly qualified Lead Deployment Engineer — DevSecOps / Site Reliability Engineer to build and lead the company's deployment engineering function responsible for operating software within accredited, air‑gapped, and high‑side production environments. This hands‑on role will establish the technical direction, operational standards, and deployment practices for mission‑critical software delivered into government environments. The successful candidate will own the end‑to‑end deployment lifecycle across cloud, on‑premises, and disconnected networks while partnering closely with software engineers, infrastructure providers, and customers to ensure secure, reliable, and scalable operations.

What You’ll Own

• Lead and grow the deployment engineering function as its first and founding engineer, setting standards for how Bridge Defense ships and operates software in accredited and high‑side environments.
• Own the full deployment lifecycle on top of our partners' managed orchestration platforms (packaging, configuration, release, upgrade, and rollback) for both CodeBridge‑developed software and third‑party mission applications (TAK, TRAX, and others).
• Manage Kubernetes clusters, workload configuration, resource allocation, and namespace/tenancy across cloud, on‑prem, and multiple network enclaves with differing accreditation and connectivity constraints.
• Operate and maintain availability of cloud and physical Linux infrastructure powering the platform in air‑gapped and high‑side production environments.
• Partner closely with CodeBridge engineers to make their software deploy and run reliably within the constraints of accredited, disconnected environments — advocating for sensible, scalable systems design and shared ownership of production.
• Build and support CI/CD and configuration‑management workflows, and automate routine deployment and operational tasks wherever possible.
• Integrate security tooling into the deployment pipeline; run scans, triage findings, and remediate vulnerabilities.
• Diagnose, resolve, and prevent production issues; participate in and help define the on‑call model for the team.
• Produce and maintain body‑of‑evidence artifacts (System Security Plans, architecture diagrams) and keep architectures within the scope of a granted ATO.

What We Value

• Confidence troubleshooting complex systems independently, with minimal supervision, including inside secure facilities.
• Comfort managing large‑scale production systems: configuration management, service mesh, monitoring/alerting, resource management, and container orchestration at scale.
• A bias toward automation, continuous learning, and novel solutions to evolving challenges.
• Experience deploying and operating third‑