Senior DevOps Engineer

Company Description

Our client is a trusted provider of mission-critical systems and advanced analytics that transform how their customers harness, process, and operationalize data. Working hand-in-hand with many of the most talented professionals in public service, they design and sustain solutions that meet the stringent demands of diverse national security missions.

Employees join knowing they will be doing work that truly matters—innovating at the cutting edge of technology, driving capability for the intelligence community, and directly contributing to the nation’s security. They are recognized, rewarded, and given abundant opportunities to grow and thrive. Your career is a priority, and your future is a shared mission.

Position Overview

We are seeking a highly skilled Senior DevOps Engineers with deep expertise in cloud-native technologies, infrastructure as code, and security compliance to lead and advance our DevOps initiatives in support of federal and intelligence community missions. This role is ideal for a seasoned engineer and technical leader who is passionate about automation, cybersecurity, and architecting secure, scalable DevOps solutions within highly regulated and mission-critical environments\

This position is ideal for engineers passionate about automation, cybersecurity, CI/CD excellence, and cloud infrastructure within mission-critical environments.

Must be able to obtain and maintain a federal security clearance up to TS/SCI. U.S. citizenship is required.

Required Skills & Responsibilities

• Architect, design, and optimize CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, or Jenkins, driving continuous integration and deployment best practices across multiple product teams.
• Lead the implementation of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) with Terraform and AWS CloudFormation, establishing standards for scalable, secure, and compliant infrastructure automation.
• Oversee deployment and lifecycle management of containerized applications using Docker and Kubernetes across multi-cloud and hybrid environments, including EKS, AKS, GKE, OKE, OpenShift, Anthos, SpectroCloud, and Portainer.
• Develop and standardize configuration and deployment tooling with Helm, Ansible, and Docker Compose, ensuring secure, repeatable, and compliant deployments across all environments.
• Enforce and maintain security and compliance frameworks (e.g., NIST, FedRAMP, DISA STIGs) throughout CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure, and runtime environments.
• Integrate, operate, and tune Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) tools such as Prisma Cloud, Wiz, or Lacework to continuously assess, monitor, and remediate cloud security risks.
• Design and manage advanced firewall configurations and security policies on Palo Alto platforms, including threat prevention, intrusion detection, and secure cloud networking.
• Develop and maintain advanced Python-based automation frameworks to streamline infrastructure operations, compliance validation, and monitoring tasks.
• Collaborate across engineering, security, and cloud architecture teams to embed DevOps principles, enhance reliability, and automate compliance enforcement throughout the SDLC.
• Provide technical leadership in cloud architecture and design reviews, recommending solutions for performance optimization, resilience, and security posture improvement.
• Mentor junior engineers and help define DevOps and cloud governance standards across the organization.

Desired Skills

• 5+ years of experience in DevOps, Cloud Engineering, or SecOps, with proven contributions to next-generation SIEM, SOAR, XDR, and/or Cloud Architecture initiatives.
• Experience with Palo Alto XDR / XSOAR / XSIAM and/or Prisma Cloud / Cortex Cloud is highly desired.
• Familiarity with Cribl for optimizing log routing, data pipelines, and observability architectures is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience designing, implementing, and validating Zero-Trust architectures in cloud or hybrid environments.

Qualifications

• Eligible for a federal security clearance up to TS/SCI (active clearance preferred).
• 5+ years of progressive experience in DevOps, SecOps, or Cloud Infrastructure Engineering roles within federal or intelligence community (IC) environments.
• Proven expertise in:
• IaC Tools: Terraform, CloudFormation5
• CI/CD Platforms: GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins
• Containerization & Orchestration: Docker, Kubernetes
• Multi-Cloud Kubernetes Platforms: EKS, AKS, GKE, OKE, OpenShift, Anthos, SpectroCloud, Portainer
• Deployment & Configuration Tooling: Helm, Ansible, Docker Compose
• Security & Compliance Frameworks: NIST, FedRAMP, DISA STIGs
• CSPM & Cloud Security Tools: Prisma Cloud, Wiz, Lacework, or equivalent
• Python Development: Automation, security tooling, infrastructure management
• Firewall Administration: Palo Alto or equivalent next-generation firewalls

Compensation & Benefits

Our client offers a comprehensive compensation package includes but is not limited to: competitive salary (targeted at $140,000-$160,000/yr.); annual merit-based salary increase and discretionary bonus program; 401(k) plan with a company contribution; 11 paid federal holidays; 160 hours of paid time off; medical, dental, vision, life and short- & long-term disability insurance; employee assistance program; and a generous professional development allowance. Medical, dental, vision, life, and short-/long-term disability insurance

Location Requirement:
The core team is based in Reston, VA. You must be able and willing to work on-site in Reston (and occasionally at customer sites in the greater Washington, DC area) up to 5 days per week as needed.

Please do NOT apply if you cannot meet the on-site requirement.

How to Apply

Please respond with:

1. Your résumé
2. Your compensation requirements
3. A brief explanation of why you believe you are a strong fit for this position

No agencies, please.

About AAJ Interactive Technologies

Founded in 1997 by experienced technology executives, AAJ Interactive Technologies provides project-based consulting, staff augmentation, and recruiting services to leading organizations across the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

Our team brings a unique dual perspective - we’ve been the hiring managers building teams and the consultants delivering high-impact solutions. We take the time to ensure our consultants and candidates are placed in roles where they can succeed and grow.

The technology recruiting space can be crowded with firms that prioritize speed over fit. We pride ourselves on being different. We are committed to your long-term success and will work tirelessly to help you achieve it.