Lead DevOps Automation Engineer

Excella, Inc; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 149,469 - 213,019; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Distributed workforce / flexible work‑

Medical, dental, vision benefits

Parental leave (8 weeks)

Paid vacation 15 days + holidays

TechEleX program equipment replacement

Internet reimbursement $25/mo

Professional development 3 days/year

Wellness programs (HeadSpace, TalkSpac

Job summary

Excella, a leading technology firm, seeks a Lead DevOps Automation Engineer in Arlington, VA, to provide technical leadership and mentorship in designing and optimizing CD solutions. You will drive decisions on DevOps automation, cloud security, and infrastructure as code, helping teams deliver high‑quality software efficiently.

You will guide security in CI/CD, shape scalable pipelines, and collaborate with stakeholders to align tooling with business goals.

Qualifications

• 6+ years in DevOps, automation, or cloud engineering.
• Leadership in enterprise‑level automation.
• Strong CI/CD experience with multiple tools.
• Expert scripting in Python, Ruby, Go, Node.js, or C#.
• Cloud security, IAM, and network access management in AWS/Azure.
• Bash/PowerShell for OS management and scripting.
• Experience with config management tools (Ansible, Chef, Puppet, Packer).
• Familiarity with DevOps metrics and Agile methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and implementation of enterprise DevOps solutions.
• Define and enforce DevOps best practices across teams.
• Architect and manage automated infrastructure deployments in cloud environments.
• Guide security integration into CI/CD pipelines.
• Optimize test automation strategies for reliability.
• Develop test data management for automated testing.
• Influence tooling for VCS, CI/CD, and infra automation.
• Mentor and provide guidance to other DevOps engineers.
• Communicate DevOps strategy and progress to stakeholders.

Skills

DevOps leadership

CI/CD tooling

Cloud security

AWS & Azure

Automation scripting

Docker & Kubernetes

Configuration management

Stakeholder communication

Tools

GitLab/Jenkins/Bamboo/CircleCI/TravisCI

Docker

Kubernetes

Docker Swarm

Elastic Container Service (ECS)

Job description

Excella is a transformative technology firm that helps organizations unlock new possibilities. We believe the key to helping clients challenge the status quo and reach new heights lies in our talented people. That's why we're committed to developing talent and providing opportunities for career growth at every stage. Join our collaborative team dedicated to solving complex problems with sustainable solutions while building your future as a leader. At Excella, you're empowered to make lasting impact, turning today's challenges into tomorrow's mission successes.

Benefits

• Workplace locations look different for everyone. Excellians are a distributed workforce and whether you're working from your home office or a client site, we support a flexible work/life integration regardless of your location.
• We offer top of industry medical, dental, and vision benefits with multiple options to choose from such as an employer-contributed health savings account, infertility coverage, and orthodontia so you can select the plan that works best for you.
• Regardless of what stage of life you're in, Excella wants to support you. We provide 8 weeks of Parental Leave, discounted pet insurance, and a Care.com membership with 3 back‑up emergency child or elder care days annually - all available to you on your first day.
• Starting day one, every employee is bonus eligible and receives 15 days of paid vacation, 6 federal holidays, and 4 floating holidays.
• Doing your best work means having the best tools! Excella's TechEleX program provides you with multiple options to suit your technology needs. Choose between a variety of Mac or PC devices, and to ensure your hardware remains current, at the end of a 3‑year period Excella will replace your existing computer with a new model from the program. Plus, we'll even give you the original device to keep for your personal use!
• With Excella's Annual Internet Reimbursement benefit, all employees receive an additional $25 per month to help offset the cost of internet access. This initiative reflects our commitment to supporting you in staying connected and productive, no matter where you work.
• We'll invest in your career by providing 3 days of paid professional development every year, including an allowance for registration fees to attend classes, conferences, or obtain professional certifications.
• We encourage mindfulness and overall well‑being through employee wellness events, a HeadSpace membership, as well as access to TalkSpace and mental health coverage through our medical plans.

Overview

Lead DevOps Automation Engineers at Excella provide technical leadership and mentorship in designing and optimizing Continuous Delivery (CD) solutions. They drive strategic decision‑making around DevOps automation, cloud security, and infrastructure as code, ensuring teams deliver high‑quality software efficiently and securely.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and implementation of enterprise DevOps solutions, aligning with business goals.
• Define and enforce DevOps best practices across multiple teams, optimizing pipelines for scalability and efficiency.
• Architect and manage automated infrastructure deployment in cloud environments.
• Guide security integration into CI/CD pipelines, ensuring compliance with industry standards.
• Optimize test automation strategies to enhance system reliability and deployment confidence.
• Develop test data management solutions, ensuring high‑quality data for automated testing.
• Influence tooling and technology choices for version control, CI/CD, and infrastructure automation.
• Provide mentorship and technical guidance to other DevOps Engineers.
• Communicate DevOps strategy and progress to stakeholders and clients.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience in DevOps, automation, or cloud engineering.
• Proven leadership experience in enterprise‑level automation solutions.
• Expertise in CI/CD tools (GitLab, Jenkins, Bamboo, CircleCI, TravisCI).
• Advanced scripting and automation skills in Python, Ruby, Go, Node.js, C#.
• Strong understanding of cloud security, IAM, and network access management in AWS and/or Azure.
• Strong command‑line skills with Bash or PowerShell for operating system management with skills in package management, service configuration, logging, process/resource monitoring, and network configuration.
• Established experience creating, deploying, and orchestrating code changes using tools such as Docker, Kubernetes, Docker Swarm, Elastic Container Service.
• Experience in Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Azure. Should demonstrate skill with network and access security and the deployment via code of modern web and data applications and their constituent infrastructure.
• Strong background in configuration management tools (Ansible, Chef, Puppet, Packer).
• Familiarity with DORA metrics, DevOps Research and Assessment, and Agile methodologies.
• Excellent communication skills, with experience engaging executive stakeholders and decision‑makers.

Compensation

This range represents the minimum and maximum base salary that Excella reasonably and in good faith expects to pay for this role. Actual compensation within the range will depend on factors such as skills, experience, training, certifications, and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top or bottom of the range.

Your pay also includes the opportunity for an annual bonus in addition to the base salary. This variable pay opportunity is dependent upon the attainment of shared firm‑wide goals and objectives as determined by Excella's Executive Team. Certain eligibility and pro‑rata rules apply.

Should your experience and knowledge qualify you for a different position or title within Excella, we may consider you for positions that better align with your qualifications. In that case, we will provide the range for those positions as well.

Pay Range

$149,469 - $213,019 USD

EEO Statement

Excella is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law. Excella is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. To request reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, contact [e-mail] or 703-840-8600.

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