Senior Platform Engineer (FedD202)

Defense Unicorns; United States; À distance; USD 149 000 - 201 000; Plein temps

Avantages offerts par ce poste

Health insurance

401k plan

Stock options

Home office budget

Résumé du poste

Defense Unicorns is seeking a Sr. Platform Engineer to join the Navy Delivery team.

The role sits at the intersection of platform engineering, application development, DevOps, and security, focusing on packaging, deploying, and operating software on the Unicorn Delivery Service (UDS) and Kubernetes-based environments. You will partner with application teams to translate needs into repeatable deployment artifacts, working across CI/CD components, runner deployments, UDS packaging, Kubernetes, and

Qualifications

• Production applications/platform environments experience.
• Cloud-native technologies, containers, CI/CD, IaC, or Kubernetes-based environments.
• Strong Linux/Unix skills and troubleshooting across app/platform layers.
• Experience with architectures, source code, APIs, containers, runtime dependencies, or deployment requirements.
• YAML-based configuration such as Kubernetes manifests, Helm, CRDs, or CI/CD pipelines.
• Security practices related to apps, APIs, containers, cloud infrastructure, or vulnerability remediation.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to work independently.
• Ability to collaborate across application, platform, and external teams.
• Eligibility to apply for and maintain a U.S. government security clearance.
• Ability to obtain a DoD 8570 IAT II certification.

Responsabilités

• Serve as a link between applications and the Navy platform environment, advocating best practices.
• Facilitate communication between application teams and platform teams.
• Innovate and solve complex technical problems across multiple domains.
• Demonstrate broad technical skills in areas like full-stack development, CI/CD, Kubernetes, and cloud tech.
• Implement infrastructure as code and help build/maintain Kubernetes clusters (EKS, RKE2).
• Apply secure coding practices and vulnerability remediation for cloud-native deployments.
• Build relationships with external teams and other platform groups.

Connaissances

Linux/Unix

CI/CD

Kubernetes

Go

Cloud-native

Security practices

Problem-solving

Collaboration

Outils

Kubernetes (EKS/RKE2)

Helm

GitOps

CI/CD pipelines

Terraform/IaC

Docker

Description du poste

EMPLOYER IS A CONTRACTOR FOR THE U.S. GOVERNMENT.

Role Description

We are seeking a talented Sr. Platform Engineer to join the Navy Delivery team. This role sits at the intersection of platform engineering, application development, DevOps, and application security. The ideal candidate will help application development teams successfully integrate, package, secure, deploy, and operate their software on the Unicorn Delivery Service (UDS) and Kubernetes-based environments.

The successful candidate will understand both sides of the application/platform boundary. They should be comfortable working with application source code, APIs, containers, CI/CD pipelines, Kubernetes resources, Helm charts, and production runtime concerns. They will collaborate directly with application teams to understand how their software is built and operated, translate those needs into repeatable deployment artifacts and processes, and identify issues across application and platform layers.

Experience developing or supporting modern web applications and APIs is particularly valuable. Current application teams use technologies including React, Vue, NGINX-hosted static assets, C#/.NET services, and Python/FastAPI services. Direct experience with every technology is not expected; we are looking for engineers who can quickly understand unfamiliar application architectures and help teams adapt them for secure, reliable deployment.

As a Platform Engineer within our organization, you will join a team of dedicated unicorns focused on advancing freedom and independence globally. Our teams work across different technical baselines depending on the engagement. Although our products primarily operate at the platform layer, delivering successful outcomes for our Heroes also requires us to work closely with application teams on CI/CD components, runner deployments and maintenance, UDS packaging, Kubernetes and Helm configuration, application observability, security controls, and process automation.

Responsibilities:

You will serve as a crucial link between applications, either custom development, COTS, or OSS, and the Navy platform environment, advocating best practices and facilitating communication between application teams and platform teams.

In this position, you will be expected to:

• Innovate and Solve Problems: Evaluate and weigh different methods for solving complex technical problems; identify innovative solutions.
• Demonstrate Technical Skill: Solve technical problems that span 2-3 knowledge domains, showcasing a broad understanding of diverse technological landscapes. Demonstrate expert knowledge in 1-2 key technologies such as full-stack application development, CI/CD, GitOps, Kubernetes, Tofu, AWS, Go, or others, contributing to the team's technical excellence.
• Influence the Strategic Vision: Contribute to the strategic planning that aligns technological advancements with the mission objectives.
• Exhibit strong programming skills and deep familiarity with Linux/Unix operating systems.
• Implement infrastructure as code and contribute to the build/maintenance of kubernetes clusters on various distributions (i.e EKS & RKE2).
• Apply extensive experience with cloud native technology deployments, emphasizing secure coding practices and vulnerability remediation.
• Build relationships with external teams and collaborate with other platform teams.

Travel Expectations: 4-12 times per year

The listed responsibilities are not exhaustive and additional responsibilities may be assigned based on the evolving needs of the organization. We are seeking a dynamic individual who is able to adapt and take on new responsibilities as they arise.

Required Experience and Qualifications

• Professional experience developing, deploying, supporting, 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 the ability to troubleshoot technical issues across application and platform layers.
• Experience working with application architectures, source code, APIs, containers, runtime dependencies, or deployment requirements.
• Experience with YAML-based configuration such as Kubernetes manifests, Helm configuration, CRDs, or CI/CD pipelines.
• Familiarity with security practices related to applications, APIs, containers, cloud infrastructure, or vulnerability remediation.
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to work independently and adapt to unfamiliar technologies and ambiguous technical problems.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with application, platform, and external teams.
• Eligible to apply for and maintain a U.S. government security clearance.
• Ability to obtain a DoD 8570 IAT II certification.

Preferred Experience and Qualifications

• Deep expertise in one or more areas such as full-stack application development, Kubernetes, GitOps, CI/CD, Tofu, AWS, Go, or related technologies.
• Production experience with Kubernetes, including environments using EKS, RKE2, or similar distributions.
• Experience designing, implementing, integrating, or troubleshooting APIs and backend services.
• Experience with one or more modern application stacks such as C#/.NET, Python/FastAPI, React, Vue, or NGINX-hosted applications.
• Experience with Helm, GitOps, observability, distributed architectures, security automation, or everything-as-code practices.
• Experience mentoring and developing other engineers through pairing, technical guidance, or code reviews.
• Active U.S. government security clearance and/or current DoD 8570 IAT II certification.
• Department of Defense experience, particularly supporting a production Authority to Operate (ATO) system.
• Experience with UDS Core, Iron Bank, and/or C-ATO processes.

Remote - USA

Salary range: $148,750 - $201,250

Who We Are

Defense Unicorns delivers mission value by streamlining software delivery so our customers can focus on the most important challenges. We share a vision of freedom and security for the advancement of progress and innovation. Our commitment to this vision, and to our mission-driven customers, means a commitment to speed, user experience and optionality, without compromising security. Our team is composed of innovators, software engineers, and veterans with decades of experience delivering technology programs across the federal market.

What We Do

We create and deliver secure solutions for continuous software integration and delivery. Defense Unicorns consolidates the best practices for security pipelines, testing, and deployment automation in order to meet the high security requirements valued by mission owners. Our solutions are agnostic by design and we believe that growing a robust ecosystem of secure, cloud-native software solutions can help enterprise customers inside and outside the federal market buy and integrate software more easily.

Who We Serve

Defense Unicorns’ customers are mission-focused leaders across public and private enterprises. We proudly support defense and civil agencies across the U.S. government and we work closely with the creators of leading-edge software solutions to deliver value to the mission-owner by improving the security and consumability of commercial software products.

What We Work On

• Cloud Environments (AWS/GCP and Azure)
• Continuous Delivery and automation tooling
• GitOps
• Containers
• CNCF projects and open source products and packages
• Building and improving security delivery
• Building Kubernetes and cloud native applications

Benefits Our Unicorns Enjoy

Health:

• Premiums are 100% Company Paid
• Health Savings Account
• Life Insurance
• Disability Insurance
• 401k Retirement Plan
• Company Stock Options
• Home Office Budget

Leave:

• We offer all full-time Unicorns Flexible Time Off (FTO) plus all Federal Holidays, one week for Thanksgiving, and two weeks for Christmas and New Year’s

Learning:

• Reimbursement for approved trainings/subscriptions
• Conferences (travel, lodging, and fees)

Don’t have all the preferred experience or qualifications? Studies show that underrepresented groups like women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs if they don't meet every requirement listed.

At Defense Unicorns, we're committed to diversity. If you're enthusiastic about the role but don't match every criteria, we encourage you to apply. You could be the perfect fit for this or another role! Defense Unicorns is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, union status and/or beliefs, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Defense Unicorns’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.