Lead Platform Engineering Architect

General Dynamics Information Technology, Inc.; San Antonio (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401K with company match

Comprehensive health and wellness

Internal mobility team

Paid education and certifications

Paid vacation and holidays

Cutting‑edge technology

Job summary

General Dynamics Information Technology, Inc. is seeking a Lead Platform Engineering Architect to drive hybrid cloud and on‑prem platform engineering for DoD systems in a mission‑driven environment. You will design, implement, and govern scalable, secure baselines across Kubernetes, OS, and network layers.

The role demands expert AWS/multi‑cloud architecture, IaC/CaC practices, and hands‑on work within SCIFs to uphold resilience, patch validation, and enterprise continuity for critical systems.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field with 10–12 years in platform engineering.
• 5+ years Kubernetes and container orchestration experience; 5+ years hybrid cloud architecture.
• U.S. citizenship required; Top Secret with SCI eligibility.

Responsibilities

• Lead hybrid cloud and on‑prem platform engineering across applications and services.
• Design, build, and manage Kubernetes baselines, resources, namespaces, and helm charts.
• Govern disaster recovery, patching, and business continuity for global hybrid env.
• Integrate Iron Bank hardened containers and certificates for platform services.
• Engage in daily SCIF activities and ensure secure, resilient infrastructure.

Skills

Kubernetes at scale

DevSecOps CI/CD

Hybrid cloud design

AWS architecture

Infra as Code (IaC/CaC)

Terraform

Ansible

SDN/SD-WAN

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field

Tools

Terraform

Ansible

Job description

Job Information

Type of Requisition: Pipeline Clearance Level Must Currently Possess: Top Secret Clearance Level Must Be Able to Obtain: Top Secret/SCI Public Trust/Other Required: None Job Family: IT Infrastructure and Operations Job Qualifications: Skills: Cloud Platform, Hybrid Clouds, Platform Development, System Platform Certifications: None Experience: 10 + years of related experience US Citizenship Required: Yes

Job Description

Lead Platform Engineering Architect: Join GDIT's mission‑driven team supporting the Department of Defense as we help unify the Air Force’s cyber defense to outpace threats with shared insight, faster decisions, and stronger mission protection.

MEANINGFUL WORK AND PERSONAL IMPACT

The Lead Platform Engineering SME leads the hybrid cloud and on‑premises platform engineering effort underpinning all applications and services. The Lead Platform Engineer designs, builds, and manages baselines that are highly available, secure, and scalable (e.g., the PMO-prescribed Kubernetes distribution and Operating System(s)) across hybrid cloud and on‑premises infrastructures. This role configures, integrates, hardens, and manages Kubernetes environments, including precise allocation of resources, namespaces, pod specifications, helm charts, and orchestration logic while adhering to best practices, and integrates DoW Iron Bank hardened containers and certificates to field applications as the foundational baseline for all platform services. The role also governs disaster recovery and patching strategy, as designing, sustaining, and governing the enterprise Disaster Recovery, Backup Solution, and Business Continuity strategy for the globally dispersed, hybrid environment, defining strict Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) and Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) for diverse data types and mission‑critical systems.

Technical acumen required

Expert AWS architecture and multi‑cloud/hybrid infrastructure design, Kubernetes administration at scale, Infrastructure as Code / Configuration as Code (IaC/CaC) practices, software‑defined networking (SDN/SD‑WAN), and System Integration Lab (SIL) operations. Must be fluent in installing, configuring, integrating, and sustaining the Enterprise Hybrid Network Infrastructure, including advanced routing and switching, SDN, SD‑WAN architectures, and network segmentation. Daily SCIF access reflects continuous hands‑on platform build, patch validation, and infrastructure management Review Boards, and Change Control Boards. Daily SCIF access reflects the need for sustained hands‑on engagement with classified architecture baselines and JCWA integration data. This role is central to the win theme of tested resilience and continuity, validating patch and updating execution in the SIL to reduce exposure windows.

Priority Technical Skill Sets

• Deep expertise in designing, hardening, and operating Kubernetes environments at enterprise scale.
• Experience implementing DevSecOps CI/CD pipelines, IaC/CaC (e.g., Terraform, Ansible), and automated security gates.
• Strong mastery of hybrid network engineering (SDN, SD‑WAN, routing/switching, NAC, OOB management).
• Ability to integrate Iron Bank hardened containers, manage OS baselines, and operate boundary security systems (NGFW, IDS/IPS).
• Skilled in platform‑level testing, system update orchestration, virtualization ecosystems, and SIL operations.

QUALIFICATIONS - WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO SUCCEED

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field and 10-12 years in platform engineering; 5+ years Kubernetes and container orchestration; 5+ years hybrid cloud (AWS/Azure/on-prem) architecture.

Security Clearance Level: Top Secret with SCI eligibility

Certification: AWS Certified Solutions Architect-Professional

Location: San Antonio Region, TX

US citizenship required

Why Join GDIT

• Own the architecture of a flagship cyber modernization effort
• Work alongside elite cyber, platform, and software engineering teams
• Shape enterprise‑scale solutions that directly strengthen national defense
• Innovate at the intersection of MBSE, Zero Trust, cloud, and mission systems

GDIT IS YOUR PLACE

• 401K with company match.
• Comprehensive health and wellness packages.
• Internal mobility team dedicated to helping you own your career.
• Professional growth opportunities including paid education and certifications.
• Cutting‑edge technology you can learn from.
• Rest and recharge with paid vacation and holidays.

OWN YOUR OPPORTUNITY

Explore a career in program management at GDIT and you’ll find endless opportunities to grow alongside colleagues who share your passion for the mission and delivering results.

The likely salary range for this position is $140,250 - $189,750. This is not, however, a guarantee of compensation or salary. Rather, salary will be set based on experience, geographic location and possibly contractual requirements and could fall outside of this range.

Scheduled Weekly Hours: 40 Travel Required: Less than 10% Telecommuting Options: Onsite Work Location: USA TX Lackland AFB Additional Work Locations:

Total Rewards at GDIT

Our benefits package for all US-based employees includes a variety of medical plan options, some with Health Savings Accounts, dental plan options, a vision plan, and a 401(k) plan offering the ability to contribute both pre and post‑tax dollars up to the IRS annual limits and receive a company match. To encourage work/life balance, GDIT offers employees full flex work weeks where possible and a variety of paid time off plans, including vacation, sick and personal time, holidays, paid parental, military, bereavement and jury duty leave. To ensure our employees are able to protect their income, other offerings such as short and long‑term disability benefits, life, accidental death and dismemberment, personal accident, critical illness and business travel and accident insurance are provided or available. We regularly review our Total Rewards package to ensure our offerings are competitive and reflect what our employees have told us they value most.

Identity Verification Process

As part of the hiring process, we will ask you to complete an identity verification process that leverages advanced biometrics and artificial intelligence to ensure authenticity and protect against identity fraud. You are expected to be on camera during virtual interviews. We reserve the right to take your picture to verify your identity and prevent fraud. By proceeding, you authorize the collection, processing, and use of your biometric data for identity verification and security purposes.

About Our Work

We are GDIT. A global technology and professional services company that delivers technology solutions and mission services to every major agency across the U.S. government, defense and intelligence community. Our 26,000 experts extract the power of technology to create immediate value and deliver solutions at the edge of innovation. We operate across 50+ countries worldwide, offering leading mission‑ready capabilities in AI, cloud, cyber and software development.

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Equal Opportunity Employer / Individuals with Disabilities / Protected Veterans Opportunity Owned From working with technologies like AI, cyber and cloud to careers in intelligence and health, we offer endless opportunities to apply your expertise to create a safer, smarter world.

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