Lead DevOps Engineer

Systemstechnologyresearch; Denver (CO); Hybrid; USD 175,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

STR’s Mission Applications Group seeks a Lead DevOps Engineer to design, build, and maintain infrastructure and tooling for deployment in operational environments. You will lead Agile teams to implement robust CI/CD pipelines across various classification levels.

Responsibilities include cloud toolset support, ensuring DoD compliance, and mentoring engineers in DevOps best practices. A hybrid work setup is available with on-site requirements for government facilities.

Qualifications

• U.S. citizen required.
• Active DoD clearance with SCI eligibility.
• BS in Computer Science or related field with 5+ years of work experience.
• Experience with CI/CD tools GitLab and pipeline automation.
• Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and IaC tools (Ansible or Chef).
• Containerization with Docker and Podman.
• Kubernetes management with EKS and Rancher.
• Experience deploying and monitoring Kubernetes clusters.
• Linux systems administration basics.
• Python and Linux shell scripting.
• Cybersecurity fundamentals.
• Strong communication and teamwork; able to work independently.
• Located in Denver, CO or willing to relocate.

Responsibilities

• Lead software teams to design and maintain deployment infra and tooling.
• Develop CI/CD pipelines for multiple environments.
• Coordinate with IT and DoD compliance requirements.
• Coach team members on DevOps best practices.

Skills

CI/CD

Cloud platforms

Kubernetes management

Linux administration

Python

Security fundamentals

Communication

Team leadership

Agile/SCRUM

Relocation willingness

Education

BS in Computer Science or related field

Tools

GitLab

Docker

Podman

Kubernetes (EKS, Rancher)

Ansible

Chef

Terraform

ArgoCD

Flux

Nexus/Artifactory

Job description

LeadDevOpsEngineer

The Team:

Information processing and sense‑making systems are the lifeblood of national security efforts, facilitating an understanding of the global situation, strategic planning, and tactical execution. The reliability, accessibility, and sophistication of these systems can determine the outcomes of conflicts before they begin. STR’s Analytics and Command & Control (AC2) Division focuses on developing actionable, advanced technology solutions to provide asymmetric advantages within the information domain. The Mission Applications (MA) Group within the AC2 Division creates outsized mission impact with our customers through specialized application and deployment of STR technology. Staff within the MA group have a deep understanding of missions and technology needs for national security with skills targeting transition of technology to operational use, including product management, UX product implementation, software integration & mission engineering, platform engineering, DevOps, and program management. MA staff combine with other engineering staff from the various STR research and development groups to form dedicated product teams focused on accelerating the operational transition of cutting‑edge software technologies.

The Role:

As a DevOps Engineer in the Mission Applications Group you will work as a leader of software teams to design, develop, and maintain infrastructure and tooling to deploy software in operational use. You have experience managing relationships with customer environments while simultaneously leading engineering teams to ensure the delivered product meets the highest standards of quality, reliability, and performance. You will work as part of tightly knit Agile software teams to design and implement Continuous Integration / Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines for various unique deployment environments.

This role includes:

• Supporting cloud (e.g., AWS) toolsets in unclassified environments
• Configuring and maintaining multiple CI/CD environments at different classification levels, focusing on developer productivity, application performance, security monitoring, and alerting
• Liaising with corporate IT to ensure team infrastructure toolsets are configured, maintained, reliable, and in compliance with Department of Defense standards
• Coaching team members on DevOps best practices while continuously helping to improve processes

This role will take advantage of STR’s flexible, hybrid environment – when the work does not require use of STR’s facilities, you are welcome to work remotely. You should expect to spend some portion of time each week (2‑3 days) in STR’s or US Government facilities. You can expect to support software applications deployed on classified operational networks that can only be accessed at STR or government facilities.

Who You Are:

• Must be a U.S. citizen
• Active U.S. Security Clearance with SCI Eligibility
• BS in Computer Science or related field with at least 5 years of work experience
• Experience with all relevant technologies including CI/CD tools (GitLab) and pipeline automation
• Cloud platforms (such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud), and automated provisioning tools (such as Ansible or Chef)
• Containerization technologies such as Docker and Podman
• Kubernetes management solutions such as EKS and Rancher
• Experience deploying and monitoring Kubernetes clusters and pod configurations
• Basic knowledge of Linux System Administration
• Knowledge of Python and Linux Shell
• Knowledge of Cyber Security fundamentals
• Organized, detail‑oriented, and ability to work both independently and collaboratively
• Demonstrated experience as an effective communicator to both technical and non‑technical audiences
• Located in San Diego, CA, Denver, CO, Arlington, VA, or Boston, MA, or willing to relocate

Even Better:

• Active Security Clearance at the Top Secret level
• Advanced Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field
• Experience in full web‑service stack, including databases, logging, and monitoring
• Project tracking tools such as Jira
• Designing, deploying, and monitoring Kubernetes clusters
• GitOps tools like ArgoCD or Flux
• Deploying and maintaining artifact repositories (such as Nexus, Artifactory)
• Deploying and configuring static and dynamic code analysis tools (such as SonarQube, Coverity)
• Platforms such as ArgoCD, Flux or Terraform
• Leading teams in an Agile/SCRUM software development process
• Current Security+ Certification

Pay Information

Full‑Time Salary Range: $175,000 - $240,000

The salary range listed is based on external market data. Offers are based on factors such as but not limited to, the candidate’s experience, education, training, key skills/critical skills, security clearances, and prevailing market and business conditions.

Equal Opportunity Statement

STR is an equal opportunity employer. We are fully dedicated to hiring the most qualified candidate regardless of race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

If you need a reasonable accommodation for any portion of the employment process, email us at [e-mail] and provide your contact info.

Pursuant to applicable federal law and regulations, positions at STR require employees to obtain national security clearances and satisfy the requirements for compliance with export control and other applicable laws.