Senior/Staff DevOps Engineer (U.S. Air Force)

Responsibilities

You will build and maintain secure CI/CD pipelines with integrated test automation and security scanning to modernize software delivery for U.S. Air Force systems. Additionally, you will coach government partners and military developers on lean-agile practices to ensure long-term operational success.

Requirements

Candidates must have experience with modern software development, cloud-centric systems, and CI/CD pipelines within regulated environments. U.S. citizenship is required, along with the ability to obtain a Common Access Card and pass a background check.

Skills

• CI/CD pipelines
• DevOps
• Cloud computing
• Infrastructure as code
• Security scanning
• Test automation
• Software development life cycle
• Networking
• Compliance
• Agile engineering
• Monitoring
• Logging
• Auditability
• GitLab CI
• SBOM generation
• RMF

Benefits

• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Short-term disability insurance
• Long-term disability insurance
• Life insurance
• AD&D insurance
• Dependent care FSA
• Healthcare FSA
• Health savings account
• 401(k) match
• Flexible paid-time-off
• Paid parental leave
• Performance rewards
• Professional development allowance
• Tech-related purchase allowance

About this role

About Skylight
Skylight is a digital consultancy using design and technology to help government agencies deliver better public services.
We’re at the forefront of a civic movement to reinvent how all levels of government serve families, patients, and many others in today’s digital world.
If you want to play a part in driving this critical movement forward, we’d love for you to join our growing team of public interest technologists.
The work we do matters.
About the job
At Skylight, DevOps engineers work with developers throughout the software development life cycle to ensure code can be reliably and repeatedly released on demand with a high degree of quality. They understand both software development and operations, with expertise in areas such as networking, security, test automation, and continuous integration/deployment.
Skylight is partnering with a U.S. Air Force program office that runs a portfolio of civil engineering systems. These systems serve users across civil engineering, security forces, and services, including readiness managers, range personnel, and fire and emergency services. Releases are slow today. Regression testing is manual, security review happens after development finishes, and code freeze to production can take a month or more. We’ll move the program to an outcome-driven model with test automation and security built into the pipeline, starting with migrating the first application onto a DoD software factory. Leadership wants this office to become the model other Air Force offices adopt.
In this role, you’ll build the delivery pipeline that makes faster, safer releases possible, with security scanning and test automation built in from the start rather than bolted on at the end.
What to know going in
Your first 30 days are about working with the Skylight team and government personnel, learning how the program office gets changes to users today, and understanding where testing and security slow things down. This is new work that replaces a traditional support model, so part of the job is coaching your government partners to keep these practices running after we leave. Expect to work alongside government engineers and other contractors, with tools and processes changing as the work gets underway.
This role is contingent on Skylight being awarded the underlying contract. If we’re not awarded the contract, we’ll let you know promptly and discuss whether there are other opportunities that fit.
What you’ll do
Build and run CI/CD pipelines with security scanning, SBOM generation, and automated testing built in
Help migrate the first application onto a DoD software factory, and assess pipeline options for the rest of the portfolio
Achieve technical excellence by advocating for and adhering to lean-agile engineering practices such as simple design and automated testing
Protect sensitive data by applying security and privacy best practices
Work with security engineers to produce the evidence needed for continuous authorization
Pair with and coach government engineers and incoming military developers so modern practices stick after we leave
What we’re looking for
Basic qualifications
Understand the general concepts of modern software development and can work closely with software engineers
Able to work in a cloud-centric world, which includes managing disparate, interconnected systems and ensuring the availability, reliability, and resiliency of these systems
Can enable teams to deliver value to users and the business continuously through CI/CD pipelines, including integrated security scanning
Know how to build secure, compliant applications and defend against common vulnerabilities
Can work with software engineers to instrument applications and configure infrastructures for monitoring, metrics, alerting, logging, auditability, and compliance
Know how to create and maintain your infrastructure as code and standardize deployment processes
Experience working in a government or regulated environment with formal security authorization (ATO)
Experience working on cross-functional teams (product, design, engineering, ops) in iterative delivery
A track record of staying aligned and accountable on remote teams
A mindset and work approach that aligns with our core values
Nice-to-haves
Experience with a DoD software factory (Cloud One, MDaaS, Platform One, or similar), including migrating applications onto one
Experience operating in on-premises systems, and/or on-prem to cloud migrations
Experience with GitLab CI, Checkmarx or other static code scanning, and SBOM generation
Experience with continuous ATO, RMF, eMASS, and inherited controls
Experience delivering technology in government, regulated industries, or other public-benefit settings
Don’t meet every qualification but think you can do the job? We’d still love to hear from you. If you’re excited about the role, apply. We consider candidates with a range of backgrounds and experiences.
Other requirements
Some of our available roles are on federal contracts that require a degree or additional years of experience as a substitute.
All work must be conducted within the U.S., excluding U.S. territories.
This contract requires U.S. citizenship to be eligible for employment.
You must be able to obtain a Common Access Card (CAC) and any special access required for this contract.
You must complete a company background check successfully.
Logistics
Position type
This is a full-time, exempt position.
Location
This is a fully remote position.
Travel
This role includes occasional travel to Montgomery, AL, and other U.S. Air Force bases.
Expected start date
We’re targeting a start date of November 30, 2026, pending contract award.
Care package
Salary
We want to give you the most competitive salary possible. After all, you deserve it! To that end, we use the results of our interview process to determine what salary is most appropriate given your current level of seniority. For a DevOps Engineer at Skylight, the current salary ranges are as f...

About Skylight

IT Services and IT Consulting · 51-200 employees · headquartered in Sarasota, Florida · founded 2017