Principal Platform Engineer
About The Position
Shift5 delivers operational intelligence for onboard OT across defense, aerospace, and commercial transportation fleets. We capture and analyze databus data to detect anomalies, predict failures, and secure critical infrastructure against cyber threats. The Platform Engineering team owns four core capabilities: Operating Systems (BaseOS, Manifold, Yocto), Cloud & Infrastructure (AWS/GovCloud to edge), Developer Experience (CI/CD guardrails, internal tooling), and AI Enablement (secure AI orchestration and tooling). As Principal Platform Engineer, you are the senior-most individual contributor on the team, serving as the primary technical anchor for architecture and a key multiplier for the engineering org. You will drive overall technical strategy, mentor senior engineers, and step into direct team leadership or people management as needed.
Requirements
- 10+ years in software/platform engineering, with 5+ years managing production infrastructure at scale.
- Proven track record leading projects, designing architecture, mentoring engineers, and readiness (or prior experience) for direct people management.
- Hands-on mastery of Kubernetes, ArgoCD, GitHub Actions/Earthly, and Infrastructure as Code (Terraform/OpenTofu, AWS/GovCloud).
- Strong background in artifact registries, container signing (Cosign/Sigstore), Vault, and SBOM generation.
- Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Security Clearance (U.S. Citizenship required).
Nice To Haves
- Background in defense, aerospace, or regulated environments (NIST 800-53, IL4/IL5, CMMC).
- Embedded Linux/OS experience (Yocto, SLE Micro) and airgapped/edge deployment models.
- Experience deploying internal AI/LLM infrastructure (RAG, model gateways, governance).
- Scripting proficiency in Go, Python, and Bash.
Responsibilities
- Architect and operate end-to-end release infrastructure (Lunar) and GitOps delivery pipelines using ArgoCD, EKS, GitHub Enterprise, and GitHub Actions.
- Lead artifact security (Harbor, Cosign, Vault Transit Engine) and build automated, compliance-by-default pipelines (NIST controls, SBOM generation) to eliminate program friction.
- Support hardware OS image builds (Yocto, Manifold) and productionize internal AI gateways, RAG tooling, and developer AI workflows (Cursor).
- Author RFCs/design docs, run architecture reviews, plan roadmaps, and mentor mid/staff-level engineers. Provide direct management (1:1s, hiring, performance reviews) during transitions or scale.
- Partner with security, embedded, and field teams to ensure seamless delivery across airgapped and edge environments.
Benefits
- Competitive medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and their families
- Health Savings Account with annual employer contributions
- Employer-paid Life and Disability Insurance
- Uncapped paid time off policy
- Flexible work & remote work policy
- Tax-deferred public transit benefits with Metro SmartBenefits (DC/MD/VA)
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
Education Level
No Education Listed
