Operate and maintain Production UDS Cloud Environments (Kubernetes and the UDS baseline of tools we deliver to Mission Heroes/Customers), supporting teams operating within that environment
Develop and maintain a secure, scalable, and observable environment based on Infrastructure-as-Code, leveraging Terraform/OpenTofu across various Kubernetes distributions (EKS, RKE2, and others)
Implement and maintain CI/CD pipelines supporting the full software development lifecycle — compiling, scanning, containerizing, testing, linting, deploying, monitoring, and releasing
Design and implement observability tooling — particularly stacks built on Prometheus, Loki, and Grafana — to help teams diagnose and resolve production-impacting incidents
Identify and articulate gaps in existing processes, contributing insights to the product backlog
Solve highly technical problems spanning 2–3 knowledge domains and contribute expertise across Defense Unicorns' open source projects and product repositories
Demonstrate expert knowledge in 2–3 key technologies (CI/CD pipelines, Kubernetes, Go, or others) and serve as a technical resource for the broader team
Lead security hardening automation efforts (STIGs, FIPS, CIS Benchmarks) across the platform
responsibilities are not exhaustive; additional
Requirements
Leverage a diverse set of cloud and on-prem IaaS providers (AWS, Azure, GCP, vSphere, Proxmox, LXD) to build robust, scalable systems for cloud, on-prem, and hybrid architectures
Work within an Agile framework in a remote environment
Bring deep Linux/Unix systems administration skills: automate the process of securing, configuring, deploying, and distributing machines to support services including DHCP, DNS, NTP, PXE, IPSec, and others
experience operating production cloud-native systems within the Kubernetes ecosystem
Proficiency in IaC, particularly Terraform or OpenTofu •
Experience with automation in Go, Python, Bash, or similar languages •
Experience with CI/CD methodologies and systems such as GitLab Runners or GitHub Actions •
Experience designing, deploying, and maintaining cloud infrastructure in AWS, Azure, or GCP environments •
Expert-level knowledge in 2–3 key technologies such as Kubernetes (operations, customization, integrations, troubleshooting, operators, webhooks, security), CI/CD, Go, or others
Deep familiarity with Linux/Unix operating systems and systems administration at scale
Proficiency with security hardening automation (STIGs, FIPS, CIS Benchmarks) •
Experience working with customers or stakeholders to define a technical roadmap aligned to mission objectives
DoD 8570 IAT II certification (or ability to obtain)
Fluency in authentication workflows and constructs such as SAML, OIDC, OAuth, JWTs, and zero-trust identity patterns
Understanding of policy-as-code engines such as Kyverno, or OPA •
Experience with software supply chain tooling including SBOM, Sigstore, and SLSA •
Experience with or understanding of UDS/Zarf and its applications •
Experience with DoD platform tooling such as PlatformOne (Big Bang, Iron Bank, Party Bus) •
Experience in air-gapped environments •
Experience on a production Authority to Operate (ATO'd) system, including Big Bang, Iron Bank, and/or C-ATO processes
experience delivering technology programs across the federal market. What We Do
We proudly support defense and civil agencies across the U.S. government and we work closely with the creators of leading-edge software solutions to deliver value to the mission-owner by improving the security and consumability of commercial software products. What We Work On Kubernetes
Cloud Environments (AWS/GCP and Azure)
Infrastructure-as-code (like Terraform/Pulumi)
Building Kubernetes and cloud native applications
Experience
Qualifications For all candidates: 3+ years of
Benefits
Envision and articulate the long-term vision for our products, contributing to strategic planning that aligns technological advancement with mission goals The listed
Full compensation packages are based on candidate experience.
Compensation ranges are established using national benchmarking data and apply across all geographic locations within the United States.
Remote - USA $123,250 — $201,250 USD Who We Are
We share a vision of freedom and security for the advancement of progress and innovation.
Our commitment to this vision, and to our mission-driven customers, means a commitment to speed, user
Medical/Dental/Vision
Premiums are 100% Company Paid
Health Savings Account Life Insurance
Disability Insurance Financial:
401k Retirement Plan
Home Office Budget Leave:
We offer all full-time Unicorns Flexible Time Off (FTO) plus all Federal Holidays, one week for Thanksgiving, and two weeks for Christmas and New Year’s
Paid Parental Leave Learning:
Additional details
EMPLOYER IS A CONTRACTOR FOR THE U.S. GOVERNMENT. THIS POSITION WILL REQUIRES AN ACTIVE SECRET OR TOP SECRET SECURITY CLEARANCE. Role Description
Defense Unicorns is seeking talented and versatile Platform Engineers to join a team of dedicated unicorns advancing freedom and independence globally.
In this role, you will help build and sustain a self-managed production environment — serving as the crucial link between application developers and the platform that supports them — while contributing to the growth of Defense Unicorns' capabilities and open source products.
Our teams work across varied technical baselines depending on engagement, with a focus on the Platform layer.
To deliver for our Mission Heroes, we also work across IaC automation, security hardening, and implementation.
Depending on your level, you'll either be executing with excellence on that platform or helping shape its long-term direction. Responsibilities
Participate in on-call rotation to address production-impacting incidents (business hours only for now)
Communicate complex technical concepts effectively to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
Work with Mission Heroes to define a technical roadmap aligned to mission objectives
responsibilities may be assigned based on the evolving needs of the organization. Preferred Experience and