DevOps Engineer (TS/SCI)

Mid-Level DevOps Engineer

Vantor is forging the new frontier of spatial intelligence, helping decision makers and operators navigate what's happening now and shape what's coming next. Vantor is a place for problem solvers, changemakers, and go-getters—where people are working together to help our customers see the world differently, and in doing so, be seen differently. Come be part of a mission, not just a job, where you can: Shape your own future, build the next big thing, and change the world.

To be eligible for this position, you must be a U.S. Citizen. This position requires an active U.S. Government security clearance, applicants who do not currently hold the required clearance will not be eligible for consideration. Employment for cleared roles is contingent upon verification of clearance status.

Export Control/ITAR: Certain roles may be subject to U.S. export control laws, requiring U.S. person status as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).

Vantor is seeking a Mid-Level DevOps Engineer located in Herndon, VA, to support the development, integration, and cybersecurity compliance of various intelligence capabilities into a Development and subsequently Production environment. This role is ideal for someone who sees DevOps not just as automation, but as a software engineering discipline focused on building scalable, reliable systems and developer platforms. You will be a member of a project team responsible for designing and maintaining multiple DevOps pipelines integrating and deploying numerous components into the larger system technology stack. Deployment will be across multiple networks into private cloud infrastructures self-hosted for our government customer.

As a Vantor team member, you will closely support our mission partners, and your work will have direct mission impact. In this role, you'll work closely with other DevOps engineers, software developers, infrastructure technicians and cybersecurity professionals leveraging open-source technology to create and maintain the full stack of a High-Performance Computing (HPC) system that hosts a diverse range of applications served out to thousands of users.

About Us:

• We are a multi-faceted technical team with expertise spanning the full stack of cloud computing technologies including systems administration, DevOps, cybersecurity, software development, and systems engineering that builds and maintains software applications backed by a self-managed cloud infrastructure with a true big-data footprint (over 10 petabytes)
• Our diverse background of experience in mission support and technology development and operations serves as a catalyst to solve unique and challenging intelligence problems in support of special operations analysts and their on-going activities.
• Prototyping and frequent, iterative feedback are core to our delivery approach, anchored by a need to work quickly in support of our missions.

Principal Responsibilities:

• Deploy, and manage highly available applications to ensure system reliability and scalability.
• Write clean, maintainable code (e.g., Python, Go, Java, or similar) to automate cybersecurity workflows.
• Build and maintain custom CLI tools, APIs, and dashboards that streamline the developer experience.
• Implement, and maintain HashiCorp Nomad clusters and Kubernetes clusters for workload orchestration.
• Execute DNS configuration, management, and performance tuning for enterprise-grade systems.
• Develop and implement Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) solutions using tools like Terraform, Ansible, or similar.
• Build and manage multiple CI/CD pipelines with GitLab or equivalent tools to automate deployments and streamline development workflows for rapid development and integration.
• Perform system monitoring, logging, and troubleshooting to proactively identify and resolve issues.
• Automate security testing and monitoring within the DevOps workflows using ACAS and Trivy.
• Analyze cybersecurity scan findings and work with the cybersecurity team to identify false positive findings.
• Assist the cybersecurity team in assembling the required Body of Evidence to submit for False Positive exceptions.
• Assist the cybersecurity team in assembling the required Body of Evidence to submit containerized and non-containerized software packages for enterprise software approval.
• Integrate static code analysis tools such as GitLab SAST, Fortify or Sonarqube and other security mechanisms into CI/CD pipelines.
• Build and maintain custom tools to automate cybersecurity analysis and correlation workflows as new cybersecurity compliance requirements emerge.
• Perform cybersecurity remediation on DevOps managed Virtual Machines to include OS patching, OS STIGing, and software package updates.
• Build, maintain, and monitor configuration management of release products.
• Troubleshoot and resolve network, automation pipelines, and infrastructure issues.

Minimum Requirements:

• Must have a current/active TS/SCI and be willing and able to pass a CI polygraph.
• Must be able and willing to work in a SCIF environment in Herndon, VA 40/hours a week.
• Minimum of 5+ years of Industry experience as a DevOps engineer and a Bachelors degree in Computer Science, Information Systems or related field (or a Masters degree and 3 years experience).
• Strong programming skills in at least one language (e.g., Python, Go, Java, C#, or similar).
• Strong expertise in cloud environments, including deployment, optimization, and troubleshooting.
• Proven track record in building and operating Cloud Native Applications using tools like Kubernetes and Docker.
• Experience in managing, integrating and utilizing PKI certificates for user and Non-Person-Entity Authentication and Authorization.
• In-depth experience with IaC tools such as Terraform, Ansible, or equivalent.
• Solid experience in creating and managing CI/CD build pipelines using GitLab or similar tools (e.g., Jenkins, Azure DevOps).
• Strong scripting and automation skills using Python, Bash, or equivalent languages.
• Excellent problem-solving skills with attention to detail and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience with security best practices in DevOps pipelines (e.g., Trivy, Grype, GtiLab SAST, Sonarqube, etc.).
• Familiarity with monitoring tools like Prometheus, Grafana, or ELK Stack.
• Strong knowledge of networking and load balancing technologies.
• Experience with source configuration management tools such as Git.
• CI & CD development experience with technologies like Bash, Jenkins, or GitLab.
• Experience with automated deployment technologies such as Cloud Formation, Ansible, Puppet or Chef.
• Cloud Technologies deployment experience.
• Open-source application deployments and maintenance.
• Custom source application deployments and maintenance.
• Moderate LINUX system administration experience (RedHat, Rocky Linux, Alma Linux or similar)).
• Working knowledge of Linux and Windows operating systems, web services and SQL databases.
• Experience working in an Agile environment.

Desired Skills:

• Security+ or comparable certification for privileged user access.
• Experience with distributed processing methods and tools, such as REST APIs, microservices, IaaS/PaaS services.
• Experience developing and deploying web services.
• Experience in implementing Docker STIGs.
• Experience with technical cybersecurity remediation in the context of a Continuous Monitoring (CONMON) program.
• RHCSA or LPIC1/LPIC2 certifications or equivalent.
• Certified Kubernetes Administrator certification.
• Docker Certified Associate.

Pay Transparency: To support pay transparency, Vantor includes salary ranges in all U.S. job postings. Starting pay for this role will fall within the listed range and will be based on factors such as experience, qualifications, skills, location, and market conditions. Candidates who meet the minimum requirements for the role should not expect to receive compensation at the top of the range. The listed range reflects the expected pay for this position, and final offers will be determined based on each candidate's experience, expertise, and alignment with the role.

The base pay for this position within the Washington, DC metropolitan area is: $116,000.00 - $154,000.00 - $169,400.00 annually.

For all other states, we use geographic cost of labor as an input to develop market-driven ranges for our roles, and as such, each location where we hire may have a different range.

Benefits: Vantor offers a competitive total rewards package that goes beyond the standard, including a