Principal DevOps Engineer

Sterling St James LLC; Wauwatosa (WI); Hybrid; USD 99,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

Sterling St James LLC in the Milwaukee, WI area is seeking a DevOps Engineering Lead to advance our high-velocity infrastructure and software delivery.

You will define the long-term DevOps roadmap, mentor a DevOps team, and architect automation across CI/CD, containerization, and IaC, working in a hybrid onsite/remote setup.

The role demands 6–8 years in DevOps/SRE with experience in CMake, Yocto, and scripting (Python/Kotlin/Ansible), and US citizenship or Permanent Residency.

Qualifications

• 6–8 years of software engineering in DevOps, SRE, platform or build systems.
• Build environment with CMake and Yocto, plus scripting in Python or Kotlin.
• CI/CD leadership with experience designing and deploying automation toolsets.
• Leadership mindset with mentorship and code-quality focus.
• Stable work history showing long-term growth

Responsibilities

• Define and lead the long-term DevOps roadmap with high-level architectural guidance.
• Mentor and scale a DevOps team, guiding professional growth and technical progression.
• Architect automation across development and release lifecycles, CI/CD, containers and IaC.
• Analyze build Performance metrics and testing data to improve infrastructure.
• Act as liaison between engineering groups and executives to ensure secure release pipelines.

Skills

CI/CD pipelines

TeamCity

Jenkins

Docker

Infrastructure as Code

Python

Kotlin

Ansible

CMake

Yocto

Embedded Linux

Tools

TeamCity

Jenkins

Docker

Ansible

Kubernetes

Job description

DevOps Engineering Lead

Up to $165,000 Base Salary, Milwaukee, WI Area, Hybrid (3 Days Onsite / 2 Days Remote), Full Benefits Package

EXPERIENCE DEPTH: 6–8 Years of Software Engineering Experience Centered in DevOps, SRE, Platform, or Build Systems Architecture

TECHNICAL STACK: CI/CD Pipeline Design (TeamCity/Jenkins), Docker, Infrastructure as Code, and Scripting (Python/Kotlin/Ansible)

EMBEDDED ENVIRONMENT: Practical Familiarity or Deep Expertise with Complex, Low-Level Build Frameworks (CMake, Yocto/Embedded Linux)

LEADERSHIP PROFILE: Senior or Principal Engineer Ready to Step Up, or an Experienced Lead with Strong Technical Mentorship Instincts

GOVERNMENT COMPLIANCE: Must Be a United States Citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident (Green Card Holder)

This opportunity offers an environment built to match high technical velocity for an elite build or platform engineer who is tired of the slow, stagnant bureaucracy found at massive corporate conglomerates. Operating as a global pioneer in industrial machine software and artificial intelligence, this organization thrives on a high-velocity, innovation-first engineering culture where individual determination is recognized and directly rewarded. Backed by rock-solid financial stability and an engineering-first mindset, this is a space where a technical leader can champion cutting-edge infrastructure and build a decades-long career.

This position provides a transparent, aggressive career trajectory where advancement paths are actively mapped out from Associate to Principal and straight into Senior Management at a pace that matches actual performance rather than corporate tenure metrics. The team values deep engineering engagement, collaborative cross-functional problem solving, and zero-politics technical execution. Whether looking to transition from a Senior/Principal contributor role into a formal leadership seat or wanting to scale an existing management track, this platform ensures individual expertise is fully supported, continuously challenged, and highly rewarded.

What You Will Be Doing

• Define and lead the long-term DevOps roadmap, providing the high-level architectural guidance necessary to scale automated software delivery across a global engineering ecosystem.
• Mentor, manage, and scale a specialized team of DevOps Engineers, utilizing structured career-mapping tools to drive their professional growth and technical progression.
• Architect next-generation automation strategies for the entire development and release lifecycle, overseeing the deployment of CI/CD environments, containerization, and Infrastructure as Code.
• Analyze complex build performance metrics and automated testing data to pinpoint architectural weaknesses and implement proactive, forward-looking infrastructure solutions.
• Serve as the primary technical liaison between cross-functional software engineering groups and executive leadership to ensure a unified, secure, and reliable release pipeline.

What We Are Looking For

• Technical foundation featuring a minimum of 6–8 years of direct experience in DevOps, Build Engineering, or Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) with an incredibly robust technical background.
• Build environment fluency with verifiable proficiency working alongside complex build systems such as CMake and Yocto, coupled with strong scripting capabilities in Python, Kotlin, or similar languages.
• Pipeline architecture depth backed by a comprehensive, conceptual understanding of CI/CD frameworks and a proven ability to recommend, design, and implement next-generation automation toolsets.
• Leadership mindset showing a proven capability (or strong, demonstrated desire) to lead a team, focusing heavily on technical mentorship, code quality, and high-level project delegation.
• Professional reliability and a stable, progressive work history that demonstrates long-term organizational loyalty and a commitment to professional growth.