Lead DevOps Engineer

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

Job summary

STR is seeking a DevOps Engineer within the Mission Applications Group to lead software teams, architect CI/CD pipelines, and manage infrastructure for deployment in operational environments.

The role emphasizes collaboration with Agile teams, cloud-enabled tooling, and ensuring high reliability and security across classified deployment environments. Hybrid work allows remote time with on-site in STR or government facilities as needed.

Qualifications

• Must be a U.S. citizen.
• Active U.S. Security Clearance with SCI eligibility.
• Bachelor’s in Computer Science or related field with at least five years of work experience.
• Experience with CI/CD tools (GitLab) and pipeline automation.
• Cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud, and automated provisioning tools (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.
• Located in San Diego, CA; Denver, CO; Arlington, VA; or Boston, MA, or willing to relocate.

Responsibilities

• Support cloud toolsets in unclassified environments.
• Configure and maintain multiple CI/CD environments at different classification levels.
• Liaise with corporate IT to ensure toolsets are configured and compliant with DoD standards.
• Coach team members on DevOps best practices and process improvements.

Skills

GitLab CI/CD

Kubernetes

Docker/Podman

Cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP)

Python

Linux

Security awareness

Communication

Agile/SCRUM

Security clearance

Education

Bachelor’s in Computer Science or related field

Tools

ArgoCD

Flux

Terraform

Jira

Ansible

Chef

Job description

Company Overview

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.

Role Summary

As a DevOps Engineer in the Mission Applications Group, you will lead software teams to design, develop, and maintain infrastructure and tooling to deploy software in operational use. You will manage relationships with customer environments while simultaneously leading engineering teams to ensure that 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.

Responsibilities

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

Hybrid Work Arrangement

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 every week (2-3 days) in STR’s or U.S. Government facilities. You can expect to support software applications deployed on classified operational networks that can only be accessed at STR or government facilities.

Qualifications

• Must be a U.S. citizen.
• Active U.S. Security Clearance with SCI eligibility.
• Bachelor’s in Computer Science or related field with at least five 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 (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 able 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.
• Deploying and configuring static and dynamic code analysis tools (e.g., 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

Equal Employment Opportunity

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.

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.