Platform Engineer: Cloud-Native, Kubernetes & CI/CD

defenseunicorns; United States; On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

defenseunicorns seeks a Platform Engineer to join the Navy Delivery team, bridging application development, DevOps, and security. You’ll package, deploy, and operate software on the Unicorn Delivery Service (UDS) and Kubernetes environments, translating needs into repeatable deployment artifacts.

The role emphasizes secure, reliable deployment with exposure to React/Vue/NGINX front-ends and .NET/Python services, plus build/run of Kubernetes and Helm configurations. Travel 4–12 times/year.

Qualifications

• Professional experience deploying or operating production applications or platform environments.
• Hands-on experience with cloud-native technologies, containers, CI/CD, infrastructure as code, or Kubernetes-based environments.
• Strong Linux/Unix skills and ability to troubleshoot across application and platform layers.
• Experience with application architectures, source code, APIs, containers, runtime dependencies, or deployment requirements.
• Experience with YAML-based configuration such as Kubernetes manifests, Helm, CRDs, or CI/CD pipelines.
• Familiarity with security practices related to applications, APIs, containers, cloud infrastructure, or vulnerability remediation.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to work independently with unfamiliar tech.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a link between applications and the Navy platform environment, promoting best practices.
• Collaborate with application teams to translate needs into repeatable deployment artifacts and processes.
• Innovate and solve complex problems across 2–3 knowledge domains.
• Demonstrate expertise in 1–2 key technologies such as full-stack development, CI/CD, Kubernetes, or cloud platforms.
• Contribute to strategic planning and align tech advances with mission objectives.
• Exhibit strong programming skills and Linux/Unix proficiency.
• Implement infrastructure as code and help build/maintain Kubernetes clusters across distributions (e.g., EKS, RKE2).
• Apply secure coding practices and vulnerability remediation; collaborate with external teams.
• Travel 4–12 times per year.

Skills

CI/CD

Kubernetes

Linux

Security

Cloud-native

Tools

Helm

YAML

Terraform

Job description

defenseunicorns seeks a Platform Engineer to join the Navy Delivery team, bridging application development, DevOps, and security. You’ll package, deploy, and operate software on the Unicorn Delivery Service (UDS) and Kubernetes environments, translating needs into repeatable deployment artifacts.

The role emphasizes secure, reliable deployment with exposure to React/Vue/NGINX front-ends and .NET/Python services, plus build/run of Kubernetes and Helm configurations. Travel 4–12 times/year.