Devops Engineer

Lead DevOps Engineer — IAM PlatformLocation: Fort Meade, MD Clearance: TS/SCI w/ Full-Scope PolyAbout the Role We're seeking a Lead DevOps Engineer to serve as the technical anchor for a large-scale enterprise identity platform deployment inside a highly secure, air-gapped government cloud environment. This is a hands-on leadership role: you will own the underlying Kubernetes/cloud infrastructure, CI/CD and artifact-delivery pipelines, and the operational foundation that a broader identity and access management (IAM/IGA) platform is built on top of. This is a multi-year, phased deployment supporting a large user base and a large application portfolio, the environment will be built on Kubernetes in a government cloud comparable to commercial hyperscaler offerings but operating under stricter security and connectivity constraints (including limited or no internet egress). This role is DevOps/platform-engineering first. Deep identity product expertise is not required — we need someone who can own infrastructure, automation, and delivery pipelines, and who is comfortable picking up identity/access concepts and vendor tooling on the job alongside our identity architects.What You'll DoOwn and operate Kubernetes-based infrastructure in a secure/classified cloud environment, including cluster lifecycle, capacity planning, and production supportBuild and maintain CI/CD (GitOps-style) pipelines to deploy and update containerized platform components across dev, test, and production tiersDesign and manage the process for moving software artifacts (container images, Helm charts, license files, patches) into an air-gapped or restricted-connectivity environment, including validation and change-control stepsApply security hardening (STIG-equivalent), patching cadence, and compliance controls to infrastructure and supporting servicesPartner closely with identity architects/engineers to support deployment of directory, authentication, federation, and identity governance servicesStand up and maintain observability, logging, and SIEM integration for platform componentsOwn backup/restore procedures and support disaster-recovery and failover testingLead day-to-day technical delivery for a small team of engineers; report progress, risks, and blockers to program/practice leadershipProduce clear infrastructure-as-code, runbooks, and operational documentation to support an eventual transition/handover to client operations staffRequired Qualifications5+ years of DevOps, Platform Engineering, or Site Reliability Engineering experience2+ years operating Kubernetes in production environmentsStrong hands-on experience with a major cloud provider (AWS strongly preferred); experience with government/GovCloud or restricted-connectivity cloud environments is a significant plusExperience with infrastructure-as-code tooling (Terraform, Ansible, or similar) and container packaging/deployment tools (IronBanks)Experience building and maintaining CI/CD or GitOps pipelines (e.g., ArgoCD, Jenkins, GitLab CI, or similar)Working familiarity with federal security hardening and compliance frameworks (e.g., STIG/DISA baselines, NIST 800-53/800-171, RMF/ATO processes)General working knowledge of identity and access management concepts — SAML, OIDC, LDAP/directory services, PKI, MFA/smart-card (PIV/CAC) authentication — enough to collaborate effectively with identity specialists; deep product-level expertise is not requiredStrong written and verbal communication skills; comfortable engaging directly with client technical stakeholdersNice to HaveDirect hands-on experience with any enterprise identity/IAM or identity governance (IGA) platform (e.g., Ping Identity, ForgeRock, Okta, SailPoint, Saviynt, Microsoft Entra) — willingness to ramp up on a specific vendor stack is valued more than prior depthPrior experience working in air-gapped, disconnected, or classified cloud/enclave environmentsExperience supporting ATO/RMF documentation, audit evidence collection, or continuous monitoring programsBackground supporting large-scale application onboarding or migration effortsVeteran or prior DoD/IC program experience is a plus, not a requirement