Platform Engineer (FedD029)

Defense Unicorns; United States; On-site; USD 123,250 - 166,750; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Dental/Vision – 100% Company Paid

401(k) Retirement Plan

Flexible time off

Paid Parental Leave

Reimbursement for trainings

Job summary

Defense Unicorns is looking for a talented Platform Engineer to join their team in the United States. This role demands strong proficiency in Kubernetes and involves automating production environments. The ideal candidate will possess programming skills, problem-solving abilities, and a commitment to teamwork. We offer a competitive salary range of $123,250–$166,750, premium paid health benefits, flexible time off, and opportunities for training and development.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Platform Engineer or similar role.
• Experience with Kubernetes, Google Cloud, and Docker.
• Basic understanding of shell scripting.
• Familiar with architecture security design.

Responsibilities

• Automate and build a runtime Production Environment.
• Validate solutions and implementations.
• Independently solve problems and develop small components.
• Estimate time and effort for medium-sized tasks.

Skills

Kubernetes

Problem-solving skills

Cloud-native technologies

Programming proficiency

Communication skills

Agile framework

Security automation

Education

Secret clearance

DoD 8570 IAT II certification

Tools

Docker

Terraform

Ansible

GitOps

Job description

Employer Information

EMPLOYER IS A CONTRACTOR FOR THE U.S. GOVERNMENT. THIS POSITION WILL REQUIRE AN ACTIVE SECRET CLEARANCE TO APPLY.

Role Description

We are seeking a talented and experienced Platform Engineer to join our team. Possessing strong proficiency with Kubernetes, the ideal candidate will play a crucial role in the development and maintenance of our platform, demonstrating a strong understanding of system architecture, problem‑solving skills, and the ability to guide junior engineers.

As a Platform Engineer within our organization, you will join a team of dedicated unicorns who are focused on advancing freedom and independence globally. Our teams work on various different technical baselines depending on specific engagements. We focus our products on the Platform layer, but to deliver for our heroes, we also work on IaC automation, security, and implementation.

Responsibilities

You will help us automate and build a runtime Production Environment and serve as a link between the Applications, either custom development, COTS, or OSS, and that environment, advocating best practices and facilitating communication between the application teams and platform teams.

In This Position, You Will Be Expected To

• Validate solutions and implementations: Ensure that solutions and implementations align with the outlined tasks and business requirements. Conduct thorough validations to maintain the integrity and efficiency of the platform.
• Independently problem‑solve: Demonstrate the ability to identify and solve business problems independently. Develop small components to address specific challenges without relying on explicit architecture diagrams.
• Understand medium‑level tasking: Comprehend how medium‑level tasks contribute to the achievement of overall goals. Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to integrate various components into a cohesive and functional platform.
• Estimate time and effort: Provide accurate time and effort estimates for medium‑sized tasks. Assist in project planning and resource allocation based on estimated timelines.
• Demonstrate programming language proficiency: Possess familiarity with at least one programming language. Exhibit a basic understanding of when to use a programming language versus a shell for efficient task execution.
• Own the bridge between the Application Development team(s) and the Production Environment

Travel Expectations: 10%–25%

Additional responsibilities: The listed responsibilities are not exhaustive and additional responsibilities may be assigned based on the evolving needs of the organization. We are seeking a dynamic individual who is able to adapt and take on new responsibilities as they arise.

Preferred Experience And Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Platform Engineer or similar role, with a focus on system architecture and development.
• Demonstrated experience with cloud‑native technologies such as Kubernetes, Google Cloud, and Docker.
• Familiarity with continuous delivery, distributed architectures, systems, everything‑as‑code, containerization, and cloud services.
• Proficiency in at least one programming language (e.g., Python, Go, Ansible) and a basic understanding of shell scripting.
• Proficient with YAML.
• Experienced in working on a team following an Agile framework in a remote environment.
• Strong problem‑solving skills and the ability to work independently.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with cross‑functional teams.
• Experience with security automation and familiarity with API security, container security, and cloud security.
• Familiar with architecture security design, monitoring, and performance instrumentation in a complex enterprise environment.
• Comfort with debugging systems and reading/writing code.
• Secret clearance required.
• Possess a DoD 8570 IAT II certification.
• Experienced in Department of Defense work, specifically working on a production authority to operate (ATO'd) system.
• Knowledgeable about DevSecOps/DevOps and CI/CD theory.

Salary: Mid Platform Engineer: $123,250–$166,750

Primary Technologies

• Kubernetes
• Cloud environments (AWS/GCP and Azure)
• Infrastructure‑as‑code (Terraform, Pulumi)
• Continuous delivery and automation tooling
• GitOps
• Containers
• CNCF projects and open source products and packages
• Helm/Kustomize Value Stream Mapping
• Building and improving security delivery
• Building Kubernetes and cloud native applications

Health & Benefits

• Medical/Dental/Vision – Premiums 100% Company Paid
• Health Reimbursement Account
• Life Insurance
• Disability Insurance

Financial

• 401(k) Retirement Plan
• Company Stock Options
• Home Office Budget

Leave

• Full‑time flexible time off (FTO) plus all Federal Holidays, one week for Thanksgiving, and two weeks for Christmas and New Year’s
• Paid Parental Leave

Learning

• Reimbursement for approved trainings/subscriptions
• Conferences (travel, lodging, and fees)

Don’t have all the preferred experience or qualifications? Studies show that under‑represented groups like women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs if they don’t meet every requirement listed. At Defense Unicorns, we’re committed to diversity. If you’re enthusiastic about the role but don’t match every criterion, we encourage you to apply. You could be the perfect fit for this or another role! Defense Unicorns is an equal‑employment‑opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, union status and/or beliefs, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

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