Staff Platform Engineer

Role Description

Defense Unicorns is seeking a Staff Platform Engineer to join our team. This role is responsible for designing, building, and owning the runtime production environment that bridges applications (custom development, COTS, and OSS) to the underlying platform. You will drive platform architecture decisions, set engineering standards, and serve as the technical anchor between application teams and platform teams.

This is a hands-on technical leadership role. You will own platform strategy and implementation end-to-end:

• Defining technical roadmaps
• Solving complex problems that span multiple domains
• Driving cross-team delivery efficiency
• Mentoring engineers across the team

We are looking for someone who builds and owns platforms, not someone who operates within infrastructure others have designed.

Qualifications

• US citizenship and eligible to obtain a Secret security clearance
• Expertise in solving highly technical problems that span multiple knowledge domains
• Deep knowledge in 1-2 key technologies such as pipelines, GitOps, Kubernetes, or Go
• Demonstrated experience with Kubernetes and container-based systems
• Expert with YAML
• Proficient with security automation and familiarity with API Security, Container Security, and Cloud Security
• Proficient in architecture security design, monitoring, and performance instrumentation in complex enterprise environments
• Experience with continuous delivery, distributed architectures, everything-as-code, containerization, and cloud services
• Proficient in identifying and articulating gaps in existing processes and iterating toward better ways of working
• Proven track record of evaluating and selecting optimal methods for solving complex business problems
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to operate independently in ambiguous environments
• Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate effectively across cross-functional teams
• Experience working on a team following an Agile framework in a remote environment

Requirements

• DoD 8570 IAT II certification or ability to obtain
• Experience in Department of Defense work, specifically on a production ATO system
• Experience with Big Bang, Iron Bank, and/or C-ATO processes
• Expert in DevSecOps/DevOps and CI/CD theory and implementation

Benefits

• Health:
  • Medical/Dental/Vision
  • Premiums are 100% Company Paid
  • Health Savings Account
  • Life Insurance
  • Disability Insurance
• Financial:
  • 401k Retirement Plan
  • Company Stock Options
  • Home Office Budget
• Leave:
  • Flexible Time Off (FTO) plus all Federal Holidays
  • One week for Thanksgiving
  • Two weeks for Christmas and New Year’s
  • Paid Parental Leave
• Learning:
  • Reimbursement for approved trainings/subscriptions
  • Conferences (travel, lodging, and fees)