Lead DevOps Architect hybrid contract role in New York, NY

Job Description: Lead DevOps Architect – AWS & LaunchDarkly SME

Location: New York, NY (2-3 days hybrid)/ Remote will also work later

Role Summary

We are seeking a hands-on Lead / Architect with deep expertise in AWS DevOps and strong subject matter expertise in LaunchDarkly. This role requires a senior technologist who can design, implement, and operationalize enterprise-grade feature management solutions, while also owning delivery and leading a small team.

The ideal candidate has 10+ years of overall experience, with the last 2+ years focused on AWS DevOps, and has been directly involved in the implementation and integration of LaunchDarkly in complex, enterprise environments.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership & Architecture

• Act as SME for LaunchDarkly, owning architecture, design decisions, and best practices
• Design and implement enterprise-ready LaunchDarkly solutions, including:
  • Feature flag strategy
  • Environment and access model
  • Governance, security, and audit considerations
• Integrate LaunchDarkly with Brave templates and CI/CD pipelines
• Define scalable, secure, and resilient AWS-based DevOps architectures

Hands-On Implementation

• Be deeply hands-on in building and configuring:
  • AWS infrastructure (IaC using Terraform/CloudFormation)
  • CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, Jenkins, GitLab, etc.)
  • LaunchDarkly SDKs and integrations
• Troubleshoot complex production issues across DevOps and feature management layers
• Ensure solutions are production-ready, observable, and performant

Delivery Ownership

• Own end-to-end delivery for the DevOps and LaunchDarkly workstream
• Plan, estimate, and execute deliverables with high quality and predictability
• Lead and mentor engineers while remaining an active contributor
• Ensure adherence to timelines, quality standards, and engineering best practices

Stakeholder Communication

• Communicate effectively with stakeholders at all levels (engineering, product, leadership)
• Translate technical concepts into clear business and operational outcomes
• Participate in architecture reviews, design walkthroughs, and executive discussions

Required Qualifications

Experience

• 10+ years of overall software / platform engineering experience
• 2+ years of recent, hands-on AWS DevOps experience
• Proven experience implementing LaunchDarkly in real-world environments
• Strong experience integrating feature flagging solutions into CI/CD pipelines

Technical Skills

• AWS: EC2, EKS/ECS, Lambda, IAM, VPC, CloudWatch, S3
• DevOps & Platform Engineering:
  • Infrastructure as Code (Terraform / CloudFormation)
  • CI/CD pipelines
  • Containerization (Docker, Kubernetes)
• LaunchDarkly:
  • Feature flag lifecycle management
  • SDK integration
  • Governance and rollout strategies
• Strong understanding of security, compliance, and enterprise-scale DevOps practices

Leadership & Soft Skills

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to influence and align stakeholders across technology and business
• Proven experience leading teams while remaining hands-on
• Strong ownership mindset with accountability for delivery outcomes

Nice to Have

• Experience with large-scale enterprise platforms
• Exposure to multi-tenant or regulated environments
• Prior experience defining DevOps or feature management standards

What Success Looks Like

• LaunchDarkly implemented as an enterprise-grade, scalable solution
• Seamless integration with Brave templates and CI/CD pipelines
• High-quality, predictable delivery with minimal production issues
• Strong stakeholder confidence and trust in technical leadership