Software Engineer II

Software Engineer (Level 2)ALEX is seeking a reliable and motivated Software Engineer (Level 2) to support a mission-critical program within the Intelligence Community at Fort Meade, MD. This is an on-site position in a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) environment.The SWE Level 2 is a capable engineer who implements containerized application workflows and infrastructure automation using modern DevOps and cloud-native tooling in a classified environment. This role works closely with senior engineers, backend, frontend, and infrastructure teams to integrate services, develop deployment pipelines, and support scalable Kubernetes-native application deployments. The ideal candidate is eager to learn from senior teammates, open to working across full-stack and infrastructure boundaries, and values automation, documentation, and code reusability.Key ResponsibilitiesContribute to the design and development of deployment pipelines and Helm charts for containerized applications within classified Kubernetes environments.Implement and test logic to handle common application deployment patterns, secrets management, and ConfigMap lifecycle.Support internal efforts to standardize and document reusable application deployment templates aligned with program standards.Follow team engineering standards and participate actively in code reviews, unit testing, and documentation maintenance.Kubernetes and GitOps WorkflowsWork with Kubernetes tooling - including Helm, GitOps tools (ArgoCD, Fleet), and Kubernetes manifests - to support scalable, reliable deployments in classified enclaves.Collaborate with backend, frontend, and infrastructure teams to integrate microservices into the platform and ensure interoperability across deployment components.Implement GitOps workflows and contribute to CI/CD pipeline configuration and maintenance.Debug and troubleshoot issues in containerized environments; analyze logs, events, and metrics to identify and resolve deployment failures.Infrastructure Automation and ConfigurationImplement and test infrastructure-as-code components using Docker, Kubernetes manifests, and basic IaC tooling.Understand and apply Linux system operations principles to support containerized application environments.Support configuration management activities including environment-specific config files, secrets injection, and environment parity across classified deployment tiers.Document infrastructure configurations and deployment procedures for team knowledge sharing and audit compliance.Collaboration and Continuous ImprovementCollaborate with senior engineers to implement architectural patterns and team standards across deployment pipelines and shared tooling.Participate in sprint ceremonies, technical discussions, and design reviews; contribute constructively to team decision-making.Learn from senior teammates and apply feedback promptly; demonstrate growth in technical capability over time.Contribute to identifying and automating repetitive manual operational tasks within the team's scope.RequirementsComfortable coding in Go, Python, and/or TypeScript in a production or classified program contextFamiliar with GitOps workflows and CI/CD tools such as ArgoCD or FleetHands-on experience with Kubernetes manifests, Helm chart usage and development, and Docker container operationsWorking knowledge of infrastructure-as-code concepts and Linux system operations fundamentalsDemonstrated ability to debug and troubleshoot applications and infrastructure in a containerized environmentUnderstands basic Kubernetes concepts: pods, deployments, services, namespaces, ConfigMaps, Secrets, and ingressEager to learn from senior teammates and open to working across the full stack and infrastructure boundariesValues automation, documentation, and code reusability in daily engineering practiceStrong written and verbal communication skills; ability to produce clear technical documentationDesired SkillsFamiliarity with Kubernetes Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs) or operator patterns (kubebuilder or similar)Experience with event-driven architectures: Kafka, message queues, or pub/sub systemsPrior exposure to Terraform or Ansible for infrastructure provisioningExperience in a classified DoD or Intelligence Community environmentFamiliarity with secrets management solutions such as HashiCorp Vault or Kubernetes-native sealed secretsPrior experience with Rancher Government Solutions or OpenShift in air-gapped environmentsDoD 8140/8570 IAT Level II compliance (Security+, CASP+, or equivalent)Familiarity with observability tooling: Prometheus, Grafana, or logging aggregation (EFK/ELK)Experience7+ years of software engineering experience with demonstrated progression, including meaningful hands-on experience with containerized application development and/or infrastructure automation.EducationBachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Technology, or a related technical field.Or equivalent experience (4+ additional years of direct software engineering experience in lieu of degree) may be considered.Founded in 1987 and headquartered in Marshall, VA, ALEX - Alternative Experts, LLC (ALEX) is an ISO 9001:2015-certified Women Owned Small Business that's changing the way government does business by delivering a powerful, industry-leading array of core services to help its clients achieve mission-critical objectives. ALEX provides a variety of benefits designed to help meet the needs of our employees. See a summary of ALEX's Employee Benefits for more information.ALEX is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability. Applicants must be able to perform the essential functions of the job.In order to comply with the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, we reasonably believe the pay range for this position is between $155k-$165k. Multiple factors are taken into account with any offer of employment by ALEX, including experience, education, and skills.Reasonable accommodations will be made to allow employees to meet the essential functions of the job unless those accommodations cause undue hardships to the employer. To request a reasonable accommodation, contact the Human Resources Department at View email address on click.appcast.io.