Senior DevOps Engineer

Senior DevOps Engineer

The Human Resources Research Organization (HumRRO) is a non-profit leader in developing high-impact services and products in the arenas of employment, military, student testing, and professional credentialing and licensure. We work with federal and state government agencies, private sector organizations, and professional associations.

About the Organization

As a non-profit, HumRRO is dedicated to work that contributes to science and society. Our employees enjoy a highly collaborative and supportive environment that fosters innovation, ethical practice, and outstanding customer service. Our core operational staff includes Industrial-Organizational Psychologists, Educational Researchers, and Behavioral Science Consultants.

About the Role

We seek a Senior DevOps Engineer to ensure operational excellence and platform reliability for a critical DoD workload while contributing to cloud-native modernization initiatives. This direct-hire role prioritizes DevOps operations and platform stability, with opportunities to advance infrastructure modernization.

On-site: San Diego CA, Monterey CA, or Alexandria VA (up to 2 days remote after 90-day introductory period).

Core Responsibilities

DevOps Operations & Platform Reliability

• Design, build, and optimize CI/CD pipelines (GitLab, Jenkins) with automated security scanning and compliance validation
• Perform GitLab repository management-cleanup, commits, diffs, merges, rebases-while training developers on branch/merge standards and compliance
• Manage and enhance toolchain integrations: GitLab, Jira, Jenkins, Sonatype Nexus for traceability and build integrity
• Oversee release processes for Development and QA with proper approvals, documentation, and configuration management adherence
• Implement and maintain secrets management and keystore automation aligned with ATO requirements
• Configure and monitor Kibana alerts; leverage ELK Stack logs to detect, troubleshoot, and resolve deployment and system issues
• Review, standardize, and harden all Dockerfiles per government configuration baselines and security requirements
• Implement and manage F5 BIG-IP configuration as code for load balancing and application routing automation
• Investigate and resolve JVM heap storage, performance issues, and system reliability bottlenecks
• Perform root cause analysis using logs and monitoring tools; drive system tuning and continuous reliability improvements
• Support on-call rotations and respond to production incidents with rapid resolution

Cloud Native Modernization Support

• Develop Infrastructure as Code (Terraform/Terragrunt) to codify infrastructure deployments for repeatability and compliance
• Support transition of EC2 workloads to managed AWS services (serverless, containers, EKS/Fargate)
• Collaborate with Software Architects on modernization roadmap phases and implementation planning
• Execute modernization efforts aligned with ATO footprint reduction and cost optimization goals
• Mentor teams on cloud-native patterns, Infrastructure as Code best practices, and AWS service adoption

Requirements

• with ability to obtain/maintain Secret clearance (IL4 DoD environments)
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field
• Active Security + Certification or the ability to obtain in 90 days after hire
• 7+ years enterprise software development and DevSecOps in regulated environments
• 5+ years CI/CD pipeline automation (Jenkins, GitLab) in secure or government-compliant settings
• 3+ years Infrastructure as Code (Terraform preferred; Ansible acceptable)
• 2+ years AWS experience (including GovCloud or government-compliant environments)
• Expert-level proficiency: Docker, containerization, ELK Stack (Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana), F5/load balancing, Sonatype Nexus
• Deep knowledge of DevSecOps principles, DoD/FedRAMP compliance, NIST frameworks, vulnerability management, ATO processes
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; proven root cause analysis capability
• Excellent collaboration skills in matrix organizations; strong written and verbal communication
• Attention to detail with ability to manage release documentation and configuration control

Preferred

• AWS certifications (Solutions Architect Associate or Professional, Security Specialty)
• Expert-level Terraform/Terragrunt proficiency
• EKS, Fargate, or Kubernetes container orchestration experience
• Secrets management tools (HashiCorp Vault, AWS Secrets Manager)
• GitOps and policy-as-code experience
• JVM tuning and Java application performance expertise
• DoD IL4 ATO/RMF process familiarity
• Federal compliance experience (FedRAMP, FISMA)
• Agile/DevSecOps coaching or mentoring background

The anticipated salary for this role is $120,000 to $160,000. Specific salary offers are based on candidate qualifications and experience.

At HumRRO, our generous benefits and highly competitive workplace policies reflect how much we value our employees - now and in the future.

We offer:

• Health, dental and vision insurance
• Life insurance equal to 2x annual salary
• Retirement plan with company matching
• Paid professional development and training
• Tuition reimbursement
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave
• Generous paid time off and 10 paid holidays

All qualified applications will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, veteran status, medical condition, or disability. EEO/Vet/Disabled.

Named one of "50 Great Places to Work" by Washingtonian magazine and one of the "Top Workplaces" by The Washington Post.