Software Engineer (Cloud & DevOps)

UIC Alaska•Dahlgren, VA

16h

About The Position

Bowhead is seeking a Software Engineer (Cloud & DevOps) to join its team in Dahlgren, Virginia. The role supports the complete hardware and software lifecycle, from planning through deployment, and contributes to secure, scalable, and reliable software solutions for mission-critical RDT&E operations. The engineer will apply software development, cloud engineering, DevOps automation, and technical troubleshooting skills to improve development practices, system reliability, and operational efficiency. The position encompasses application development and modernization; application and infrastructure support in Microsoft Azure and/or AWS; GitLab-based CI/CD and automation; containerized deployment using Docker, Kubernetes, and Helm; secure secrets management using HashiCorp Vault; and cybersecurity practices. The engineer will work with government stakeholders and multidisciplinary engineering, operations, and cybersecurity teams, provide technical recommendations, investigate complex issues, and maintain technical documentation. The role also includes participating in technical planning and design reviews and sharing knowledge with colleagues.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required.
Five to eight years of relevant professional experience in software engineering, full-stack development, cloud engineering, DevOps, or closely related technical disciplines.
Demonstrated experience developing, maintaining, and troubleshooting enterprise-level web applications.
Strong working knowledge of JavaScript and modern software development principles.
Hands-on experience supporting applications or infrastructure in Microsoft Azure and/or AWS cloud environments.
Demonstrated experience with GitLab, including version control, CI/CD pipeline development, configuration, optimization, and automation.
Experience implementing automated software testing and validation processes.
Working knowledge of containerized application deployment practices, including Docker, Kubernetes, and Helm.
Experience with HashiCorp Vault or comparable secure secrets management technologies.
Strong understanding of software architecture, application integration, and the software development lifecycle.
Ability to diagnose and resolve complex technical issues across software, infrastructure, and cloud environments.
Understanding of secure coding principles, cybersecurity compliance requirements, and vulnerability remediation practices.
Experience participating in technical design discussions and recommending improvements to application performance, reliability, and maintainability.
Ability to work independently, manage competing technical priorities, and deliver solutions with limited supervision.
Experience working directly with customers or technical stakeholders to assess requirements and resolve operational challenges.
Strong analytical, organizational, written communication, and interpersonal skills.
Must be able to maintain a Secret clearance and obtain a Top Secret clearance.
U.S. citizenship is required for this contract.
Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds or more, stand and walk for prolonged periods, and twist, bend, and squat periodically.

Nice To Haves

Experience developing applications using Vue.js, Python Flask, Java Spring, TypeScript, and HTML.
Advanced experience configuring, administering, and troubleshooting Kubernetes environments.
Experience developing and maintaining Helm charts for enterprise containerized applications.
Experience designing or improving cloud-based application architectures within Azure or AWS.
Experience supporting hybrid cloud environments, including on-premises infrastructure, virtualization, cloud identity management, and storage solutions.
Familiarity with cloud monitoring, logging, observability, and performance optimization tools.
Strong understanding of networking fundamentals, including TCP/IP, routing, VPNs, VLANs, peering, and load balancing.
Experience implementing Infrastructure as Code (IaC), configuration management, or infrastructure automation solutions.
Experience integrating automated security testing and compliance validation into CI/CD pipelines.
Familiarity with DoD cybersecurity requirements, secure development environments, and Risk Management Framework (RMF) processes.
Experience supporting software development and infrastructure operations within DoD, federal government, or other highly regulated environments.
Demonstrated experience improving engineering processes, modernizing applications, or implementing technical automation initiatives.
Relevant industry certifications in cloud engineering, software development, Kubernetes, DevOps, or cybersecurity.
Demonstrated technical ownership, independent problem-solving, engineering leadership, adaptability, continuous improvement, customer focus, security awareness, and accountability.

Responsibilities

Design, develop, maintain, and enhance secure, scalable, high-performance web applications supporting mission-critical RDT&E operations.
Contribute to software architecture and technical design decisions, emphasizing maintainability, reliability, performance, and sustainability.
Develop and maintain application functionality using JavaScript and related full-stack technologies.
Integrate applications with enterprise data sources, analytics platforms, reporting systems, and supporting infrastructure.
Develop and execute automated unit, functional, integration, performance, and acceptance testing.
Conduct code reviews, identify optimization opportunities, and promote software engineering best practices.
Troubleshoot, debug, and resolve complex application issues, including root-cause analysis.
Identify opportunities to modernize legacy applications, streamline development, and improve software quality.
Support development, deployment, configuration, and maintenance of applications in Microsoft Azure and AWS environments.
Troubleshoot technical issues spanning application code, cloud infrastructure, networking, and supporting services.
Evaluate cloud-hosted application performance, availability, security, and operational efficiency.
Collaborate with infrastructure and cybersecurity teams to ensure applications are configured, secured, monitored, and maintained.
Support IaaS, virtualization, and hybrid cloud solutions; recommend improvements to cloud architecture, deployment, and operations.
Assist with application and infrastructure lifecycle planning, deployment coordination, upgrades, and sustainment.
Design, develop, maintain, and optimize GitLab CI/CD pipelines and related automation.
Support GitLab version control, repository management, pipeline configuration, and automated testing integration.
Develop, configure, and maintain Helm charts for containerized application deployments.
Support deployment and troubleshooting in Docker and Kubernetes environments.
Resolve deployment failures, configuration inconsistencies, and pipeline performance issues.
Implement secure configuration and secrets management using HashiCorp Vault.
Collaborate with development, operations, and cybersecurity personnel to strengthen DevSecOps practices.
Identify opportunities to reduce manual work through scripting, automation, and improved engineering workflows.
Incorporate security into application design, development, testing, and deployment; apply secure coding practices consistent with applicable DoD cybersecurity requirements.
Support vulnerability identification and remediation, code validation, security testing, compliance documentation, and audit readiness.
Collaborate with cybersecurity professionals to address application and infrastructure security concerns and improve security posture.
Serve as a technical resource for software engineering, cloud deployment, and DevOps activities.
Work with government stakeholders and technical teams to understand requirements and develop effective solutions.
Recommend application architecture, deployment strategies, technical risk responses, and engineering improvements.
Investigate complex technical challenges independently and develop practical resolutions.
Participate in technical planning, design reviews, system modernization, and operational improvement discussions.
Mentor colleagues and share technical knowledge to promote consistent engineering practices and professional development.
Develop and maintain technical documentation, configuration procedures, troubleshooting guides, and standard operating procedures.
Communicate technical findings, recommendations, and potential operational impacts to technical and nontechnical stakeholders.