Software Engineer in Deployment

Location: Arlington, VA

Department: Engineering

Compensation: $135,000 - $273,000 / year

Innovative Defense Technologies (IDT) is seeking a Software Engineer in Deployment to lead a team of Software Deployment Engineers. The role focuses on developing, implementing, and maintaining Infrastructure as Code software for automated deployment and configuration of a Kubernetes-based enterprise product. Responsibilities include debugging and fixing deployment/configuration issues and advancing deployment automation.

• All applicants must be able to obtain/maintain an active Secret U.S. Security Clearance.
• This is an on‑site position requiring at least four days in the office, located in Arlington, VA.

• Scope and Define Requirements:
  • Support conversion of internal customer requirements into a refined vision.
  • Lead a team to develop, implement, and maintain Infrastructure as Code software for automated deployment and configuration of a multi‑site, multi‑system microservice‑based application, leveraging AI coding assistants to accelerate development.
  • Lead the active operations work of deploying and maintaining multiple Kubernetes clusters in unclassified and classified (airgapped) environments, leveraging AI solutions to improve deployment and maintenance efficiency.
• Engineer Solutions:
  • Design and implement solutions that meet specific requirements using state‑of‑the‑art data structures, algorithms, patterns, and tools.
  • Debug, identify root causes, and fix software deployment/configuration issues.
  • Guide a team in evaluating emerging technologies and architectures, including cloud IaaS, PaaS, SaaS platforms.
  • Manage, mentor, and lead a small team of engineers, championing the use of AI to streamline workflows.
  • Design, implement, and test software using multiple languages and technology stacks.
  • Develop software interfaces to communicate across various network protocols and messaging frameworks.
  • Integrate software components into complex software environments.
  • Collaborate with colleagues and lead engineers from other disciplines.
• Assure Quality:
  • Participate in design and code reviews.
  • Develop software using secure coding practices.
  • Support test and integration activities in IDT labs and on‑site customer labs.
• Manage Risk and Opportunities:
  • Assess, plan, identify, analyze, mitigate, and control risks and opportunities.
  • Support preparation, tracking, and delivery of internal deliverables.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Physics, or Math, or equivalent full‑time professional experience;
  Master’s Degree in Engineering or other technical field highly desired.
• 7+ years of professional software development/deployment experience in technically rigorous environments.
• High‑level proficiency with container technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes.
• Experience with Kubernetes management services like Helm or ArgoCD.
• Experience with hypervisor/virtualization technologies such as VMware, KVM, EC2.
• Experience with networking in virtualized environments – TCP/IP, DNS, Load Balancing, Firewall, VLANs.
• Proficiency in automation scripts and tools such as Ansible, Terraform, Puppet, Salt, and an aptitude for utilizing AI tools (e.g., LLMs, AI coding assistants) to streamline script generation and troubleshooting.
• Strong Linux skills.
• High degree of competence in Bash/Shell.
• Basic full‑stack development skills: SQL, Python/Java, JavaScript, HTML/CSS.
• Ability to shift from one project to another in an agile work environment.
• Strong leadership capabilities and skills.
• Strong documentation skills.
• Ability to travel up to 10% of the time, as needed.

• High‑level proficiency with Kubernetes distros such as RKE
  2.
• Experience with distributed storage systems such as Rook/Ceph, NFS.
• Experience deploying Kubernetes clusters and configuring networking, storage, etc.
• Experience with Git, Jenkins, Artifactory.
• Dev Sec Ops  experience.
• Experience with at least one public cloud environment, such as Amazon Web Services or Microsoft Azure.
• Experience…