Principal DevOps Engineer

Fluence Energy, LLC; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Fluence Energy, LLC is seeking a Principal DevOps Engineer in Arlington, Virginia, to lead infrastructure automation and deployment for its SmartStack and OS7 platforms. This role includes defining scalable automation frameworks and acting as a technical authority on infrastructure-as-code and CI/CD integration.

The candidate should possess deep expertise in Ansible and have substantial Linux experience, along with a proven track record in automating enterprise-level deployments. This position offers a chance to mentor other engineers and drive the automation strategy across the organization.

Qualifications

• 12–16 years of professional experience in DevOps or related domains.
• Proven experience leading automation architecture for enterprise environments.
• Strong understanding of secure system hardening practices.

Responsibilities

• Define and own enterprise automation architecture using Ansible.
• Lead CI/CD integration for automated deployment pipelines.
• Establish automation standards and best practices across environments.

Skills

Ansible expertise

Linux systems (RHEL/Ubuntu)

Bash/Python scripting

CI/CD tools (GitLab CI, Jenkins)

Infrastructure-as-code principles

Network automation

Containerization (Docker/Podman)

Education

Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE)

Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA)

Job description

Job Description

Role Overview

We are seeking a Principal DevOps Engineer to define and lead infrastructure automation and deployment architecture for Fluence’s SmartStack and OS7 platforms. This role will establish scalable, secure, and standardized automation frameworks across lab, factory, and production environments, enabling repeatable global deployments. The Principal DevOps Engineer will act as the technical authority for infrastructure-as-code, CI/CD integration, and deployment automation, working closely with Product, Networking, Cybersecurity, and Deployment teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and own enterprise automation architecture using Ansible and infrastructure-as-code principles
• Design reusable, modular deployment frameworks for Linux-based platforms (RHEL/Ubuntu)
• Lead CI/CD integration for versioned software releases and automated deployment pipelines
• Standardize secure configuration management and system hardening practices
• Automate provisioning, patching, service deployment, and rollback mechanisms
• Collaborate with Networking and Cybersecurity teams to integrate secure automation (VPN, RBAC, firewall, hardening controls)
• Establish automation standards, governance, and best practices across environments
• Mentor engineers and elevate automation maturity across the organization

Required Qualifications & Experience

• 12–16 years of professional experience in DevOps, Infrastructure Automation, Platform Engineering, or related domains
• Deep expertise in Ansible (roles, collections, vault, dynamic inventory)
• Strong Linux experience (RHEL/Ubuntu)
• Proficiency in Bash and/or Python scripting
• Experience with CI/CD tools (GitLab CI, Jenkins, GitHub Actions, etc.)
• Strong understanding of infrastructure-as-code and configuration management principles
• Proven experience leading automation architecture across multiple teams or enterprise environments
• Experience in OT / Industrial / Energy systems environments
• Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) – Automation with Ansible
• Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA)
• Familiarity with IEC 62443 or secure system hardening practices
• Experience with network automation and secure deployment models
• Containerization experience (Docker/Podman)
• Experience supporting globally distributed deployments