Lead Platform Engineer

Lead Platform Engineer E&M Technologies, Inc. is currently seeking a Lead Platform Engineer to join our team in Chantilly, VA in support of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. The NGA delivers world-class geospatial intelligence that provides a decisive advantage to policymakers, military service members, intelligence professionals, and first responders. Job Responsibilities: Perform advanced Linux administration Configure and optimize systemd service management, kernel tuning parameters, and SSH key architecture Manually install and configure container runtimes including containerd and CRI-O Manage cgroups v2, namespaces, and container isolation mechanisms at the OS level Implement OS-level security hardening using AppArmor, SELinux, and security profiles Design and implement software defined storage solutions to translate physical storage into dynamic persistent volumes Build resilient, distributed storage clusters from raw local drives Implement Container Storage Interface (CSI) drivers for dynamic volume provisioning Monitor storage performance, capacity planning, and data replication strategies Cluster Lifecycle Management & High Availability Bootstrap production Kubernetes clusters from scratch in on-premises data centers without managed services Design and implement high-availability (HA) control plane architectures with multi-master nodes Configure internal load balancers for control plane API server redundancy Manage etcd cluster operations including backups, snapshots, restoration, and defragmentation Deploy clusters using kubeadm or Kubespray (Ansible-based) Perform cluster upgrades, node maintenance, and disaster recovery procedures Implement cluster monitoring, logging, and observability solutions Implement Kubernetes security best practices including API server auditing, RBAC policies, and network policies Configure pod security standards, admission controllers, and runtime security controls Manage certificate lifecycle for cluster components and service mesh implementations Conduct security assessments and vulnerability remediation for cluster infrastructure Develop automation scripts and playbooks using Ansible, Bash, or Python for cluster provisioning Implement GitOps workflows for declarative infrastructure management Create and maintain infrastructure-as-code repositories for repeatable deployments Build CI/CD pipelines for infrastructure testing and validation Manage Kaniko-based container image builds in air-gapped environments Configure environment-specific inventories and Helm values across multiple deployment tiers Analyze ArgoCD application logs, pod events, and container logs for root cause analysis Perform cluster administration using k9s, kubectl, and crictl for pod and container debugging Troubleshoot static pods (etcd, kube-apiserver, kube-controller-manager, kube-scheduler) on controller nodes Requirements Minimum Qualifications: Master's degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) field and 6+ years of relevant experience, or Bachelor's degree and 8+ years of experience. Minimum 2 years of hands-on experience deploying and managing production Kubernetes clusters in on-premises or non-cloud environments Demonstrated experience bootstrapping Kubernetes clusters using Kubespray, kubeadm, or similar tools Proven track record managing enterprise Linux systems in production environments Experience with Ansible automation and Playbook Development for infrastructure provisioning Experience in designing and implementing high-availability infrastructure architectures Experience with GitOps methodologies and ArgoCD or similar continuous deployment tools Experience with air-gapped or offline deployment strategies All candidates must be US CITIZENS to be considered for the position. Must have and be capable of maintaining a U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Top Secret/SCI security clearance upon hire and must be willing and able to obtain a polygraph within the customer's timeline after hire. Applicants selected will be subject to a U.S. Government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information Preferred Qualifications: Expertise with identity and authorization standards (X.509, SAML, OAuth2, OIDC, LDAP). Experience architecting ICAM solutions using Oracle or other enterprise-grade identity platforms. Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist