Senior Platform Engineer (Capability Engineering Branch Chief)

Defense Information Systems Agency; Washington; On-site; USD 128,000 - 187,000; Full time

Job summary

Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) seeks a Senior Platform Engineer to direct day-to-day engineering for the enterprise platform, translating architectures into delivery across cloud, network, endpoint, and cyber domains.

The role combines hands-on Azure and AKS work with leadership across multidisciplinary teams, champions IaC, Zero Trust, and secure automation to sustain resilient, scalable enterprise systems.

Qualifications

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• National security position requiring favorable suitability review and security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day engineering for a multi-disciplinary team across Platform, Transport, Endpoint, and Cyber engineering disciplines.
• Drive hands-on DevSecOps platform development with Azure, AKS, and automated CI/CD pipelines.
• Translate architectures and roadmaps into actionable engineering sprints, ensuring cross-team collaboration.
• Champion Infrastructure as Code (Terraform) adoption and scalable deployments.
• Integrate Zero Trust and security testing into deployment pipelines and infrastructure.
• Mentor staff and oversee operational resilience and incident response.

Job description

Join the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), where we deliver the secure IT and communications capabilities that keep our Nation's Warfighters and senior leaders connected anytime, anywhere. Within Command, Control, Communications and Computers (C4) Enterprise Directorate (J-6), we empower our Nation's senior leaders and the warfighter community with assured enterprise services to win in an evolving global landscape.

Position Overview

The Senior Platform Engineer directs day-to-day engineering execution for the enterprise platform, translating strategic architectures into operational delivery across cloud, network, endpoint, and cyber domains. The role combines hands-on Azure and AKS platform development with tactical leadership of multidisciplinary engineers, driving Infrastructure as Code adoption, secure automation, and Zero Trust integration. The Senior Platform Engineer ensures resilient operations, coordinates cross-team sprints, mentors technical staff, and maintains a high-performance engineering environment that supports reliable, scalable, and continuously improving enterprise systems.

Salary

$127,624 to $187,093 per year(inclusive of TLMS and locality adjustments)

Major Duties

• Lead the Engineering Organization: Serve as the day-to-day tactical supervisor for a multi-disciplinary engineering team, encompassing Platform, Transport (Network), Endpoint, and Cyber engineering disciplines.
• Drive Hands-On Platform Development: Act as the lead technical contributor for the DevSecOps platform, actively building, configuring, and maintaining Azure cloud infrastructure, AKS clusters, and automated CI/CD pipelines.
• Orchestrate Cross-Discipline Delivery: Translate the high-level architectures (from the Chief Engineer) and product roadmaps (from the Product Manager) into actionable engineering sprints, ensuring seamless collaboration across all technical teams.
• Champion Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Drive the adoption of IaC (e.g., Terraform) and modern automation practices across the entire engineering section, eliminating manual configurations and ensuring scalable, repeatable deployments.
• Enforce Security & Cyber Integration: Partner closely with embedded Cyber engineers to ensure Zero Trust principles and continuous security testing are integrated directly into the deployment pipelines and underlying infrastructure. Manage Performance & Mentorship: Provide technical mentorship, code/architecture reviews, and performance management for engineering staff, fostering a high-performing, collaborative, and continuous-learning culture.
• Ensure Operational Resilience: Oversee the operational health of the enterprise environment, directing incident response, troubleshooting complex cross-domain issues, and optimizing system telemetry and observability.

Key Skills

• DevSecOps
• Infrastructure as Code (Terraform)
• Zero Trust Architecture
• Endpoint & UEM Engineering
• Engineering Leadership
• Operational Resilience

Conditions of Employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• This national security position, which may require access to classified information, requires a favorable suitability review and security clearance as a condition of employment. Failure to maintain security eligibility may result in termination.
• Incumbent is required to submit a Financial Disclosure Statement, OGE-450.
• This is a drug testing designated position
• Incumbent is required to travel away from their normal duty station to other locations within the continental United States (CONUS) and/or other locations outside the continental United States (OCONUS) up to 30 percent of the time.

Security Clearance

• Minimum Requirement: Must possess an active Top Secret (TS) security clearance at the time of application.
• Preferred Requirement: An active Top Secret / SCI (TS/SCI) clearance is highly preferred.
• Condition of Employment: Candidates holding a TS clearance must be eligible for, and successfully obtain and maintain, SCI access upon hire.

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding.