Software Engineer 1 - (AWS, Kubernetes, Python)

Akina, Inc.; Maryland; On-site; USD 169,000 - 207,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

24 days PTO

11 federal holidays

401k with company contribution

Healthcare coverage for employees

Educational assistance

Job summary

Akina is seeking a Software Engineer 1 to join the Platform team in Annapolis Junction, MD. You will deploy and maintain cloud infrastructure on AWS and Kubernetes, build CI/CD pipelines, and ensure secure, reliable infrastructure for AI services powering the organization.

Requirements include Python or other modern languages, AWS familiarity, containerization knowledge, and a quick learner with strong communication skills. TS/SCI polygraph clearance required.

Qualifications

• Three (3) years of SWE experience required for this level.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related discipline required; four (4) years additional SWE experience may substitute for degree.
• Experience with cloud infrastructure, CI/CD, and security practices is expected.

Responsibilities

• Deploy and maintain cloud infrastructure supporting AI capabilities (AWS, Kubernetes).
• Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure-as-code for repeatable deployments.
• Configure observability tooling to monitor production services.
• Support certificate management and security best practices for AI systems and data.
• Collaborate with other teams to provision and configure infrastructure dependencies.
• Diagnose and resolve production infrastructure issues.

Skills

Python/modern language

Cloud proficiency (AWS)

Containerization concepts

Fast learner

Strong communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

AWS

Kubernetes

Docker

Terraform

Argo CD

Helm/Kustomize

Job description

Software Engineer 1 - (AWS, Kubernetes, Python)

• Annapolis Junction, Maryland

Software Engineer 1 - (AWS, Kubernetes, Python)

Clearance: TS/SCI - Polygraph required
Position ID: 20-24-031-SWE1
Location: Annapolis Junction, Maryland

Description:

Join us in building the next generation of AI infrastructure that will power innovation across the customer organization. We're seeking a software engineer to support our Platform team, which owns the AWS infrastructure, Kubernetes clusters, and security posture that every AI capability in the organization runs on. In this role, you'll help build and maintain the foundation for customer AI capabilities while supporting a broader ecosystem of AI-enabled applications. Your focus will be deploying and maintaining reliable, secure infrastructure that the rest of our AI services depend on. Requirements shift quickly as mission needs evolve and new technologies emerge, so you'll keep sharpening your skills and learning to turn loosely defined problems into working solutions.

• Deploy and maintain cloud infrastructure supporting the organization's AI capabilities (AWS, Kubernetes).
• Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure-as-code for repeatable, reliable deployments.
• Configure and use observability tooling to monitor the health and performance of production services.
• Support certificate management and follow established security best practices for AI systems and data.
• Collaborate with other teams in the organization to provision and configure the infrastructure their services depend on.
• Diagnose and help resolve production infrastructure issues.

Position Required Skills:

• Proficiency with Python or another modern programming language.
• Familiarity with AWS or other cloud service providers.
• Understanding of containerization concepts and tooling such as Docker.
• Ability to learn new technologies quickly.
• Strong communication skills and a willingness to ask questions.

Nice to Haves

• Experience with AWS services such as EKS, Terraform, and IAM.
• Experience with Kubernetes and Helm/Kustomize.
• Experience with Argo CD and/or other CI/CD frameworks.
• Experience with the Elastic Stack (Kibana), Grafana/Prometheus, or other observability tools and practices.
• Experience with certificate management.
• Experience supporting cloud-native architecture or maintaining production software and infrastructure.
• Familiarity with LLMs and AI hosting concepts.

SWE1 Qualifications:

A minimum of three (3) years of experience as a SWE, in programs and contracts of similar scope, type, and complexity is required. Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related discipline from an accredited college or university is required. Four (4) years of additional SWE experience on projects with similar software processes may be substituted for a bachelor's degree.

Salary Range: $169k-$207k (Annually)

The range displayed above is a likely salary range for this position. This is not, however, a guarantee of compensation or salary. Rather, salary will be set based on experience, geographic location and possible contractual requirements and could fall outside of this range.

Akina is a Woman Owned, Service Disabled, Veteran Owned, Small Business, looking for talented and ambitious individuals to join our team. We offer a generous compensation package that includes 24 days PTO accrued annually and 11 federal holidays. Our 401k is 100% vested on your start date and the company makes a direct contribution worth 10% of your salary. Akina covers 100% of healthcare costs for employees and 50% toward dependents. We offer educational assistance towards college classes and will cover costs associated with job related training and certifications.

Akina is committed to excellence and creating innovative and flexible solutions for our clients. We are a small company with an open ear to our employees' needs in order to attract and retain quality talent that enables our customer's mission.

We are an equal employment opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.