Platform engineer (kubernetes/aws), cbp and department of state programs, remote (east coast)

This is a remote position.

Summary:

Job Title: Platform Engineer (Kubernetes/AWS)

Level: Senior (7+ years in platform, DevOps, or cloud engineering, including 3+ years running Kubernetes in production)

Openings: Multiple, across CBP and Department of State programs

Security Clearance: U.S. citizenship required. Requirement depends on program. CBP: must be able to obtain and maintain a CBP Public Trust; an existing DHS Public Trust is preferred. Department of State: active Secret clearance required. Top Secret is not required.

Work Type: Remote: East Coast working hours, with travel approximately once per quarter; candidates in the Washington, DC area preferred

Job Type: Full-time

Agency name: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Department of Homeland Security; U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs

Start Date: Immediate. Start follows a favorable suitability determination (CBP) or clearance verification (State) and completion of customer onboarding.

BizFirst is assisting our client with recruiting skilled and experienced Platform Engineers. Our client is the prime contractor and incumbent on two federal programs: a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) program moving the agency's applications to the cloud, and a Department of State program supporting the Bureau of Consular Affairs. At CBP, the work supports the agency's goal of moving all 276 of its applications to the cloud by January 2028. At State, it supports the Bureau of Consular Affairs systems behind passport and visa services. Platform Engineers build and run the Kubernetes and AWS platforms these applications depend on, with security and automation built in. The role is fully remote on East Coast hours and requires U.S. citizenship plus a CBP Public Trust or an active Secret clearance, depending on program.

Our client is an IT solutions and services company based in Alpharetta, Georgia, founded in 2000 to build mission-critical systems that run around the clock. Its cloud experts design and build cloud infrastructure on AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, with work spanning cloud strategy and architecture, cloud modernization and engineering, security and compliance, cloud DevOps, and data and analytics. Federal civilian agencies are a core part of that work, supported through a GSA Multiple Award Schedule contract, and the company is an AWS Advanced Tier Services Partner.

What will you do

Build and run the container platforms that federal mission applications run on. You will operate Kubernetes clusters on AWS, automate provisioning and deployments, and harden the platform against federal security controls so application teams can release quickly and safely. You will work with application developers, database administrators, and cybersecurity staff.

Responsibilities:

• Design, build, and operate Kubernetes clusters on AWS (Amazon EKS), including upgrades, scaling, networking, and ingress.
• Provision and manage infrastructure as code with Terraform, AWS CloudFormation, and Helm across development, test, and production environments.
• Build and maintain CI/CD and GitOps pipelines (GitLab CI, Jenkins, GitHub Actions, or Argo CD) with automated testing and security scanning.
• Implement AWS security controls: least-privilege IAM, network segmentation, KMS encryption, secrets management, and centralized logging.
• Harden clusters and container images to DISA STIGs and CIS Benchmarks; manage RBAC, image scanning, and admission policies (OPA Gatekeeper or Kyverno).
• Automate routine operations with Python, Bash, and Ansible to reduce manual work and shorten deployment lead times.
• Put monitoring, logging, and alerting in place with CloudWatch, Prometheus, Grafana, or Splunk; lead incident response and root cause analysis.
• Support application migrations and modernization onto the platform, working with development teams on containerization.
• Produce documentation, runbooks, and inputs to system security plans and Authority to Operate (ATO) packages.

Requirements:

• U.S. citizenship.
• CBP positions: able to obtain and maintain a CBP Public Trust background investigation. Department of State positions: active Secret clearance.
• At least seven (7) years of experience in platform, DevOps, cloud, or systems engineering, including at least three (3) years running Kubernetes in production.
• Hands-on AWS experience, including EKS, IAM, VPC networking, and AWS security services.
• Infrastructure as code experience with Terraform or AWS CloudFormation.
• Experience building CI/CD pipelines and working in Git-based workflows.
• Scripting proficiency in Python, Bash, or Go.
• Experience applying NIST SP 800-53 controls in cloud environments.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related field.
• Able to work remotely on East Coast hours and travel approximately once per quarter.

Desired Skills

• Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) or Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS).
• AWS certification: Solutions Architect, DevOps Engineer Professional, or Security Specialty.
• Experience with AWS GovCloud (US), FedRAMP, and agency ATO processes.
• Experience with service mesh (Istio) and GitOps tools (Argo CD or Flux).
• Experience supporting DHS/CBP or Department of State Consular Affairs systems.
• A current DHS Public Trust (CBP positions).