Sr DevOps/Platform Engineer

Description Storage Strategies, Inc. (SSI) is seeking a Senior DevOps / Platform Engineer in San Diego, CA to lead the container platform, CI/CD pipelines, and observability capabilities in AWS GovCloud. The successful candidate will enable large Navy development teams to deliver secure capabilities rapidly using Kubernetes, GitOps, and modern DevSecOps practices. Must have an active Secret clearance. Position is hybrid work. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Design, build, and operate the CI/CD infrastructure serving the program's engineering team and customer base Configure, deploy, and operate containerized applications using Kubernetes on AWS EKS Using Helm and Kustomize, design and manage Kubernetes resources including Deployments, StatefulSets, ingresses, storage classes, PodDisruptionBudgets, HorizontalPodAutoscalers, and related resources to meet availability and performance objectives. Implement and administer Kubernetes RBAC (Roles, RoleBindings), EKS Pod Identities / IRSA, and network policies to enforce least privilege and workload isolation. Define and enforce platform guardrails using ValidatingAdmissionPolicies for resource paradigm enforcement. Utilize GitOps based workflows using ArgoCD for environment configuration and application deployments, targeting near zero configuration drift. Deploy, configure, and optimize GitLab runners (Docker, Fleeting autoscaler, and Kubernetes runners) to support large scale CI/CD job execution. Configure AWS Controllers for Kubernetes (ACK) and IAM policies to safely provision AWS resources via Kubernetes and GitOps workflows while preserving cluster isolation. Integrate and maintain DevSecOps tools (e.g., Artifactory, SonarQube, Fortify) within CI/CD pipelines. Implement quality and security gates in projects’ merge request settings. Develop and configure monitoring agents (e.g., Telegraf) and observability pipelines using Prometheus, InfluxDB, CloudWatch, OpenTelemetry, and related tooling. Build and maintain Grafana dashboards and alert rules for system health, application availability, performance metrics, certificate expiration, and capacity management. Use CloudWatch metrics and Log Insights to troubleshoot incidents, perform root cause analysis, and continuously improve platform reliability. Author and maintain runbooks for application and platform upgrades, migrations, and incident response. Mentor development teams on Kubernetes, GitOps, CI/CD, and secure deployment patterns. Requirements Clearance: Secret (Top Secret eligibility preferred) Education: Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Engineering, or related field, or equivalent demonstrated experience CompTIA Security+ Certification (or equivalent DoD 8570 baseline certification). At least one relevant cloud or Kubernetes certification (e.g., AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional, AWS Certified SysOps Administrator, CKA/CKAD) 5+ years of experience in DevOps, SRE, or platform engineering roles, including at least 3 years with containers and Kubernetes in production environments. Hands on experience operating Kubernetes (preferably EKS) for mission critical workloads, including upgrades, RBAC, network policies, ingress, and storage. Strong experience with CI/CD platforms (GitLab preferred), including runner configuration, pipeline design, and approval workflows. Practical experience implementing GitOps workflows using ArgoCD, Flux, or similar tooling. Experience building and operating observability stacks using Grafana with Prometheus, InfluxDB, CloudWatch, and/or OpenTelemetry. Proficiency in at least one scripting/programming language (e.g., Python, Go, Bash) for automation and tooling. Experience with Helm, Kustomize, or other manifest generating technologies PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: Experience implementing NIST SP 800190 container security guidance or equivalent standards. Experience deploying and maintaining DevSecOps scanners (e.g., SonarQube, Fortify). Prior NAVWAR, NIWC, or other DoD program experience. Experience developing Helm charts SSI is committed to non-discrimination and equal employment opportunity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination based on any characteristics protected by law. SSI is a HUBZone small business that provides professional services including systems engineering, information systems integration, and technology management services. SSI offers a generous array of benefits including: Employee Medical, Vision, Dental, and Prescription Drug Insurance Plans, 60% paid premium for dependents. SSI provides Life Insurance, Long Term Disability, and Short-Term Disability benefits at no cost. SSI employees receive 24 paid days off in the first year on board. We also provide Military Leave benefits, a 401(k) Retirement Plan, education assistance, Personal Technology Refresh and Employee Referral bonuses. Positions subject to Service Contract Act (SCA) have benefits provided as required by law.