Senior Elastic Engineer (Scott AFB) - 168867

Zachary Piper Solutions; Illinois; On-site; USD 190,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Zachary Piper Solutions seeks an experienced Senior Elastic Engineer to lead Elastic architecture and Kubernetes deployments for a high-visibility DoD modernization effort at Scott Air Force Base, IL. You will design scalable Elastic logging and observability platforms, migrate from Splunk, and implement secure data ingestion pipelines.

The role requires 7+ years in Elastic/SRE/infra with DoD experience and an active secret clearance.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in Elastic engineering, platform engineering, SRE, or infra engineering.
• Hands-on with enterprise Elastic Stack environments.
• Experience building data ingestion pipelines for large-scale logging.
• Advanced Kubernetes experience with Elastic Cloud on Kubernetes (ECK) deployments.
• Experience troubleshooting complex Elastic architectures and distributed systems.
• Experience in DoD/federal environments and security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Design, deploy, and maintain enterprise Elastic Stack environments for security logging and observability.
• Lead migration efforts from Splunk to Elastic with minimal disruption.
• Build custom data ingestion pipelines for enterprise security data.
• Configure and manage ILM policies and data retention strategies.
• Deploy Elastic Cloud on Kubernetes (ECK) environments using Kubernetes operators.
• Optimize Elastic clusters for performance, scalability, and reliability.
• Troubleshoot Elastic, Kubernetes, and distributed system issues.
• Support SIEM integrations and enterprise observability initiatives.
• Develop automation and best practices for Elastic administration.
• Maintain deployment standards and operational docs.

Skills

Elastic Stack

Kubernetes

SRE

Data ingestion

ILM

Security logging

Distributed systems

DoD environments

Secret clearance

Tools

ECK

Kubernetes Operators

Job description

Zachary Piper Solutions is seeking an experienced Senior Elastic Engineer to support a high-visibility federal modernization effort focused on migrating enterprise security logging and observability platforms from Splunk to Elastic. This position will support mission-critical infrastructure at Scott Air Force Base, IL, where the selected engineer will lead Elastic architecture, Kubernetes deployments, and custom data ingestion solutions within a secure DoD environment. The ideal candidate will have deep expertise with the Elastic Stack, Kubernetes/ECK deployments, and designing scalable, production-grade logging and security platforms.

Secret Clearance Required

Key Responsibilities

• Design, deploy, and maintain enterprise Elastic Stack environments supporting security logging, search, and observability.
• Lead migration efforts from Splunk to Elastic while ensuring minimal operational disruption.
• Build and implement custom data ingestion pipelines for enterprise security and operational data.
• Configure and manage Index Lifecycle Management (ILM) policies and data retention strategies.
• Deploy and administer Elastic Cloud on Kubernetes (ECK) environments using Kubernetes operators.
• Optimize Elastic cluster performance, scalability, reliability, and availability across production environments.
• Troubleshoot complex Elastic infrastructure, Kubernetes, and distributed system issues.
• Support security-focused logging, SIEM integrations, and enterprise observability initiatives.
• Develop automation and operational best practices for Elastic platform administration.
• Maintain technical documentation, deployment standards, and operational procedures.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience supporting Elastic engineering, platform engineering, Site Reliability Engineering (SRE), or infrastructure engineering.
• Strong hands-on experience designing and administering enterprise Elastic Stack environments.
• Experience building custom data ingestion pipelines and managing large-scale logging platforms.
• Advanced Kubernetes experience with Elastic Cloud on Kubernetes (ECK) deployments preferred.
• Experience troubleshooting complex Elastic architectures and distributed environments.
• Ability to work onsite at Scott Air Force Base, IL.
• Active Secret Clearance required (Interim Secret or Interim Top Secret may be considered).

Nice-to-Haves

• Experience leading Splunk-to-Elastic migration projects.
• Experience supporting SIEM, security logging, and enterprise observability platforms.
• Familiarity with Kubernetes operators and containerized infrastructure.
• Experience supporting DoD, federal, or classified environments.
• Elastic certifications (Engineer, Security, or Observability).

Soft Skills

• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to independently design and implement complex Elastic solutions.
• Comfortable working in fast-paced, mission-critical environments.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills across engineering and government stakeholders.
• Self-motivated with the ability to work independently while supporting a highly technical team.

Compensation & Benefits

• Compensation: $190,000-$230,000 annually.
• Fully funded, long-term federal engagement supporting a major enterprise modernization initiative.
• Opportunity to lead a high-impact Splunk-to-Elastic migration for a mission-critical DoD customer.
• Relocation assistance available (approximately $5,000+).

Keywords

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