{"id":81490,"url":"https://alion.io/job/defense-unicorns-platform-engineer-2","title":"Platform Engineer","company":{"id":8737,"name":"Defense Unicorns","domain":"defenseunicorns.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/defense-unicorns","size_band":"51-200","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":75,"open_postings":10,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.8,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":69,"computed_at":"2026-10-23T05:54:15Z"}},"role":"DevOps","role_family":"DevOps","seniority":null,"employment_type":null,"work_mode":"remote","remote_scope":"stated_countries","remote_scope_basis":"posting_text","remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":["US"],"hiring_countries_total":1,"salary":{"min":123250,"max":166750,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":166750},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":true,"technologies":[{"name":"Amazon EC2","optional":false},{"name":"Amazon EKS","optional":false},{"name":"Amazon S3","optional":false},{"name":"AWS","optional":false},{"name":"CI/CD","optional":false},{"name":"Docker","optional":false},{"name":"GitLab CI","optional":false},{"name":"Helm","optional":false},{"name":"IAM","optional":false},{"name":"Keycloak","optional":false},{"name":"Kubernetes","optional":false},{"name":"Linux","optional":false},{"name":"Pulumi","optional":false},{"name":"Terraform","optional":false},{"name":"Unix","optional":false},{"name":"ArgoCD","optional":true},{"name":"Azure","optional":true},{"name":"Bash","optional":true},{"name":"GCP","optional":true},{"name":"GitOps","optional":true},{"name":"Grafana","optional":true},{"name":"Kustomize","optional":true},{"name":"Prometheus","optional":true},{"name":"Python","optional":true}],"status":"closed","first_seen_at":"2026-08-10T20:20:07Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-30","last_verified_at":"2026-10-22T23:44:36Z","board_verified":false,"closed_at":"2026-10-22T23:44:36Z","days_open":73,"trust":{"level":"not_scored","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":73},"description":"EMPLOYER IS A CONTRACTOR FOR THE U.S. GOVERNMENT. THIS POSITION REQUIRES U.S. CITIZENSHIP.\nRole Description: \nDefense Unicorns is seeking a Platform Engineer to join our platform team - a combined DevOps and Site Reliability Engineering team responsible for the development, maintenance, and reliability of a cloud-based platform environment. The ideal candidate is a strong problem-solver with hands-on experience in Kubernetes, cloud infrastructure, and CI/CD, and is motivated by building and improving the systems that other teams depend on.\nIn this role, you will work across infrastructure as code, automated deployments, identity and access management, monitoring, and CI/CD pipelines. You will serve as a bridge between application teams and the platform, advocating best practices and helping ensure that the platform is reliable, secure, and scalable. You should be comfortable operating in ambiguity, contributing to documentation and standards where they exist, and building them where they don’t.\nResponsibilities: \nBuild, maintain, and improve Kubernetes clusters and containerized application deployments across cloud environments (AWS, EKS, RKE2)\nDevelop and manage infrastructure as code (IaC) to provision and configure platform resources consistently and repeatably\nOwn and improve CI/CD pipelines, including GitLab CI configuration, runner deployments, and automated build and deployment workflows\nSupport identity and access management through tools such as Keycloak, including user onboarding, role configuration, and troubleshooting\nImplement and maintain monitoring, alerting, and logging to ensure platform health and support incident investigation\nManage certificate lifecycle operations, including renewal of public certificates and related automation\nContribute to platform security posture through container security practices, Iron Bank image compliance, and support for ATO processes\nCollaborate with application teams to troubleshoot deployment issues, broken pipelines, and platform integration problems\nWrite and maintain technical documentation, runbooks, architecture decision records (ADRs), and operational standards\nInfluence the strategic vision by contributing to the strategic planning that aligns technological advancements with the mission objectives.\nParticipate in on-call rotations and support platform incidents in a tier 2 role\nMentor and support junior engineers through pairing, code reviews, and knowledge sharing\nThe listed responsibilities are not exhaustive and additional responsibilities may be assigned based on the evolving needs of the organization. We are seeking a dynamic individual who is able to adapt and take on new responsibilities as they arise.\nTravel Expectations/Requirements: 5-10%\nMinimum Experience and Qualifications\nHands-on experience with Kubernetes (deploying, managing, and troubleshooting clusters and workloads)\nExperience with infrastructure as code tools (e.g., Terraform, Pulumi, or similar)\nProficiency with CI/CD tooling, particularly GitLab CI or equivalent pipeline platforms\nWorking knowledge of Linux/Unix operating systems and command-line administration\nExperience with cloud platforms, preferably AWS (EC2, EKS, IAM, S3, VPC)\nFamiliarity with containerization (Docker, container image builds, registry management)\nAbility to read and write YAML fluently for Kubernetes manifests, CRDs, Helm charts, and pipeline configurations\nStrong problem-solving skills and ability to work independently in a remote, asynchronous environment\nUS citizenship required; must be eligible for CUI access\nPossess or ability to obtain a DoD 8570 IAT II certification (e.g., Security+ CE)\nPreferred Experience and Qualifications:\nHold or be eligible for a security clearance\nExperience with UDS Core, Iron Bank, and/or Continuous Authority to Operate (C-ATO) processes\nFamiliarity with identity and access management platforms such as Keycloak or similar\nExperience with monitoring and observability tooling (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana, ELK stack, or similar)\nProficiency in one or more programming languages (Go, Python, or Bash scripting)\nExperience working in a DevSecOps model with secure coding practices and vulnerability remediation\nFamiliarity with GitOps workflows and tools (e.g., Flux, ArgoCD)\nDepartment of Defense experience, specifically working on a production ATO’d system\nExperience with distributed architectures and everything-as-code approaches\nAWS certifications related to platform or solutions architecture\nExperience writing architecture decision records (ADRs), operational runbooks, or engineering standards\n\nFull 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. \nRemote - USA\n$123,250—$166,750 USD\nWho We Are\nDefense Unicorns delivers mission value by streamlining software delivery so our customers can focus on the most important challenges. 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 experience and optionality, without compromising security. Our team is composed of innovators, software engineers, and veterans with decades of experience delivering technology programs across the federal market.\nWhat We Do\nWe create and deliver secure solutions for continuous software integration and delivery. Defense Unicorns consolidates the best practices for security pipelines, testing, and deployment automation in order to meet the high security requirements valued by mission owners. Our solutions are agnostic by design and we believe that growing a robust ecosystem of secure, cloud-native software solutions can help enterprise customers inside and outside the federal market buy and integrate software more easily.\nWho We Serve\nDefense Unicorns’ customers are mission-focused leaders across public and private enterprises. 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.\nWhat We Work On\nKubernetes\nCloud Environments (AWS/GCP and Azure)\nInfrastructure-as-code (like Terraform/Pulumi)\nContinuous Delivery and automation tooling\nGitOps\nContainers\nCNCF projects and open source products and packages\nHelm/Kustomize-Value Stream Mapping\nBuilding and improving security delivery\nBuilding Kubernetes and cloud native applications\nBenefits Our Unicorns Enjoy\nHealth:\nMedical/Dental/Vision\nPremiums are 100% Company Paid\nHealth Savings Account\nLife Insurance\nDisability Insurance\nFinancial:\n401k Retirement Plan\nCompany Stock Options\nHome Office Budget\nLeave:\nWe 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\nPaid Parental Leave\nLearning:\nReimbursement for approved trainings/subscriptions\nConferences (travel, lodging, and fees)\nDon’t have all the preferred experience or qualifications? Studies show that underrepresented groups like women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs if they don't meet every requirement listed. \nAt Defense Unicorns, we're committed to diversity. If you're enthusiastic about the role but don't match every criteria, we encourage you to apply. You could be the perfect fit for this or another role! Defense Unicorns is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, union status and/or beliefs, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.\nCCPA DISCLOSURE","description_format":"text","description_chars":7950,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":true,"languages":[]},"benefits":["401k plan","Flexible time off","Home office","Life insurance","Parental leave","Retirement plans","Stock options"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["National Security","Virtualization & Containers","DevSecOps"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-08-10T20:20:07Z"},{"event":"close","at":"2026-10-22T23:44:36Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":null,"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":166750,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/defense-unicorns-platform-engineer-2","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/defense-unicorns-platform-engineer-2.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-23T15:12:26Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":22882,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-24T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":8737},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=8737"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fdefense-unicorns-platform-engineer-2"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fdefense-unicorns-platform-engineer-2"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fdefense-unicorns-platform-engineer-2"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/defense-unicorns-platform-engineer-2\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fdefense-unicorns-platform-engineer-2"}]}