Staff Engineer

Raft Company Website
St Louis +1 more
Hybrid

Who this role is best for

Best suited to candidates with deep Kubernetes and cloud-native expertise working in highly regulated defense or federal environments.

Best fit for

  • Candidates with 5+ years of Kubernetes and DevSecOps experience in regulated environments
    — “5+ years of hands-on experience deploying, operating, and securing production Kubernetes and Docker environments”
  • Individuals with strong security certifications and a track record in enterprise cloud platforms
    — “Must have CISM, CISSP, Security X, CISA, CCISO, CCNP Security, or GLSC certification”
  • Professionals who can architect and optimize CI/CD pipelines with GitOps and observability tools
    — “Implement and mature GitOps workflows using modern GitOps tooling for continuous software delivery”

Things to consider

  • Active Secret Clearance is mandatory, which may require prior clearance or a security background check
    — “Active Secret Clearance required”
  • The role demands a local presence in the Scott AFB, IL area, limiting remote flexibility
    — “Must be local to Scott AFB, IL area”
  • Up to 35% of the time may be spent traveling to customer sites, which is a significant logistical commitment
    — “Foreign and domestic travel up to 35% to customer sites”

How to stand out

  • Highlight experience with Kubernetes networking tools like Calico or Cilium in your resume and interviews
    — “Experience with Kubernetes architecture, Helm Charts, and container networking technologies including Calico, Cilium, or similar solutions”
  • Emphasize your track record in building secure, production-grade Kubernetes clusters
    — “Build and maintain highly available, production-grade Kubernetes clusters while ensuring compliance with security and operational standards”
  • Showcase your ability to automate and optimize CI/CD pipelines using GitLab Runners and GitOps tools
    — “Experience configuring and maintaining CI/CD pipelines using GitLab Runners”
  • Demonstrate your proficiency in observability tools like Prometheus and Grafana
    — “Deploy and support observability platforms using Prometheus, Grafana, Fluent Bit, Loki, Kibana, and related monitoring and logging solutions”
  • Position yourself as experienced in deploying and securing enterprise cloud platforms, especially AWS
    — “Experience with AWS or other cloud platforms supporting enterprise workloads”
Pace · SteadyCollaboration · HighAutonomy · MediumDecision Impact · Team

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • design and implement secure, scalable platform infrastructure
  • build resilient Kubernetes clusters
  • automate software delivery and infrastructure provisioning
  • deploy observability platforms
Typical background
DevOpsDevSecOpsPlatform Engineering

Skills & requirements

Required

DevSecOpsKubernetesCloud-native TechnologiesCI/CDGitopsAWSDockerContainer NetworkingObservabilityInfrastructure As CodeSecurity IntegrationPlatform EngineeringSite Reliability Engineering

Preferred

Agentic AIAutonomous Data FusionDistributed Data SystemsComplex Application Development

Stack & domain

KubernetesCloud-native TechnologiesInfrastructure As CodeCi/cd AutomationGitops PracticesAWSDockerPrometheusGrafanaFluent BitLokiKibanaCalicoCilium

About the role

Original posting from Raft Company Website via Greenhouse

This is a U.S. based position. All of the programs we support require U.S. citizenship to be eligible for employment. All work must be conducted within the continental U.S.

Who we are:

Raft (https://TeamRaft.com) is a customer-obsessed non-traditional defense tech company dedicated to empowering U.S. military and government agencies with cutting-edge AI/ML and data solutions. We are a leader in autonomous data fusion and Agentic AI, with a purposeful focus on Distributed Data Systems, Platforms at Scale, and Complex Application Development. With headquarters in McLean, VA, our range of clients includes innovative federal and public agencies leveraging design thinking, cutting-edge tech stack, and cloud-native ecosystem. We build digital solutions that impact the lives of millions of Americans.

As a Staff DevSecOps Engineer, you will design, implement, and maintain secure, scalable platform infrastructure supporting mission-critical applications across cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments. You will lead the automation of software delivery, infrastructure provisioning, and security integration while partnering closely with software engineers, cybersecurity teams, and customer stakeholders.

This role requires deep expertise in Kubernetes, cloud-native technologies, Infrastructure as Code, CI/CD automation, and GitOps practices. You will be responsible for building resilient platforms, improving developer productivity, and ensuring secure, compliant application delivery throughout the software lifecycle.

What You Will Do

Design, develop, and maintain Infrastructure as Code (IaC) supporting distributed, containerized, and cloud-native application lifecycles.

Architect, deploy, and manage Kubernetes platforms across AWS and other cloud environments.

Design, implement, and optimize secure, performant CI/CD pipelines that automate testing, security scanning, deployment, and release management.

Implement and mature GitOps workflows using modern GitOps tooling for continuous software delivery.

Deploy, configure, and support platform hosted services in support of DOW tenant application teams across multiple impact levels.

Build and maintain highly available, production-grade Kubernetes clusters while ensuring compliance with security and operational standards.

Securely provide multi-tenant access to cloud native services.

Develop automation to improve platform reliability, scalability, and operational efficiency.

Configure and maintain Kubernetes networking technologies including Calico, Cilium, or equivalent Container Network Interfaces (CNIs).

Deploy and support observability platforms using Prometheus, Grafana, Fluent Bit, Loki, Kibana, and related monitoring and logging solutions.

Collaborate with software, platform, and security engineers to integrate security throughout the development lifecycle.

What We Are Looking For

5+ years of professional experience in DevOps, DevSecOps, Platform Engineering, Site Reliability Engineering, or a related field

5+ years of hands-on experience deploying, operating, and securing production Kubernetes and Docker environments.

Experience provisioning, hardening, and maintaining compliant Kubernetes clusters

Strong understanding of Kubernetes architecture, Helm Charts, and container networking technologies including Calico, Cilium, or similar solutions

Experience operating stateful, highly available, and distributed services in Kubernetes environments

Experience with AWS or other cloud platforms supporting enterprise workloads

Experience with Infrastructure as Code using Terraform, Ansible, or similar automation frameworks

Experience configuring and maintaining CI/CD pipelines using GitLab Runners

Experience with software packaging, artifact repositories, and build automation for distributed applications

Experience implementing monitoring and logging solutions using Prometheus, Grafana, Fluent Bit, Loki, Kibana, or similar observability tools

Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills in complex production environments

Must have CISM, CISSP, Security X, CISA, CCISO, CCNP Security, or GLSC certification

Must have CKA, CKAD, CKS, or similar certification

Must be local to Scott AFB, IL area

Highly Preferred

Experience with package and dependency management tools including Maven, Gradle, NPM, and Yarn

Experience implementing and supporting Istio service mesh

Experience supporting enterprise cloud platforms and large-scale infrastructure.

Proficiency in automation and scripting using Python or Go

Experience designing, provisioning, troubleshooting, and optimizing complex CI/CD pipelines.

Experience with GitOps platforms such as Argo CD or Flux

Experience supporting DoD, federal, or highly regulated production environments

Clearance Requirements:

Active Secret Clearance required

Salary Range: $170,000.00 - $200,000.00

Work Type:

Hybrid; On-site at Scott Air Force Base

Foreign and domestic travel up to 35% to customer sites

What we will offer you: 

Highly competitive salary

Fully covered healthcare, dental, and vision coverage

401(k) and company match

Take as you need PTO + 11 paid holidays

Education & training benefits

Generous Referral Bonuses

And More!

Our Vision Statement: 

We bridge the gap between humans and data through radical transparency and our obsession with the mission. 

Our Customer Obsession: 

We will approach every deliverable like it's a product. We will adopt a customer-obsessed mentality. As we grow, and our footprint becomes larger, teams and employees will treat each other not only as teammates but customers. We must live the customer-obsessed mindset, always. This will help us scale and it will translate to the interactions that our Rafters have with their clients and other product teams that they integrate with. Our culture will enable our success and set us apart from other companies.

How do we get there? 

Public-sector modernization is critical for us to live in a better world. We, at Raft, want to innovate and solve complex problems. And, if we are successful, our generation and the ones that follow us will live in a delightful, efficient, and accessible world where out-of-box thinking, and collaboration is a norm. 

Raft’s core philosophy is Ubuntu: I Am, Because We are. We support our “nadi” by elevating the other Rafters. We work as a hyper collaborative team where each team member brings a unique perspective, adding value that did not exist before. People make Raft special. We celebrate each other and our cognitive and cultural diversity. We are devoted to our practice of innovation and collaboration. 

We’re an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.

Source: Raft Company Website careers (Greenhouse)

Similar roles