Staff Systems Development Engineer (GovOps)

Databricks•McLean, VA

12d•$153,400 - $210,825•Onsite

About The Position

As enterprise data enclaves and Generative AI applications become mission-critical to national security and public sector modernization, maintaining the architectural resilience and operational integrity of the underlying platform is paramount. Databricks is seeking a Staff Systems Development Engineer (GovOps) to join our Cleared Engineering team in McLean, VA. Sitting at the vital intersection of core infrastructure operations and active platform reliability, this team serves as the ultimate technical authority for our platform across GovCloud, FedRAMP High, and air-gapped environments. In this staff-level capacity, you will operate as a technical force multiplier, moving beyond complex escalation resolution to architect long-term system stability, drive fleet-wide supportability features, and eliminate systemic operational bottlenecks across multiple platform domains, including Compute, Networking, Storage, IAM, and OS internals. Serving as a primary technical pillar, you will bridge the gap between uncleared core engineering teams and cleared high-side environments, providing high-side technical leadership, virtual and physical escorts, and precise cross-boundary communication. If you are a seasoned systems authority who thrives under pressure, excels at designing tooling for constrained environments, and wants to shape the secure infrastructure powering next-generation federal AI workloads, this role offers unmatched scope and strategic impact.

Requirements

Active TS/SCI security clearance.
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Systems Engineering, Mathematics, or equivalent practical experience.
7+ years of experience in Systems Engineering, Cloud Infrastructure, Senior Support Engineering, DevSecOps, or a related technical operations role.
Deep expertise in Linux/Unix operating-system internals, networking, process/resource debugging, and distributed systems.
Hands-on proficiency in Python, Bash, Go, or Java with the ability to read source code, debug software defects, and write custom diagnostic scripts.
Proven experience managing, debugging, and operating cloud infrastructure across public or federal cloud boundaries (AWS GovCloud, Azure Government, or GCP).
Solid working knowledge of Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) tools such as Terraform or CloudFormation, along with container orchestration mechanics (Docker/Kubernetes).
3+ years of experience writing clear, succinct written and verbal technical communications, including technical status reports, incident summaries, or cross-team escalations.
Ability to work on-site out of our McLean, VA secure facility (SCIF), including participation in an on-call rotation for critical incidents.

Nice To Haves

Active Counterintelligence (CI) or Full Scope Polygraph (FSP).
Prior experience supporting AWS Worldwide Public Sector (WWPS), isolated defense integration networks, or FedRAMP High / ITAR environments.
Hands-on experience operating inside low-egress or fully air-gapped networks where standard external diagnostics are restricted.

Responsibilities

Serve as the subject matter expert across multiple platform domains (Compute, Networking, Storage, OS), designing end-to-end operational workarounds and resolving the most complex escalations within air-gapped and GovCloud enclaves.
Act as the lead technical interface and escort between uncleared core engineering teams and secure facilities, ensuring precise, succinct relay of system states, compliance constraints, and high-side operational requirements.
Identify systemic issue patterns across federal environments and author custom Python, Bash, or Go diagnostic tools, notebooks, and automated workflows to raise operational efficiency across the entire engineering organization.
Collaborate directly with Product and Core Engineering leaders to root-cause platform defects, influence product roadmaps, and integrate long-term supportability features into the core codebase.
Anchor high-consequence platform incidents under intense pressure, establishing triage structure, making authoritative technical calls with incomplete data, and framing strategic communications for senior government and internal stakeholders.
Navigate and refine operational frameworks inside secure facilities (SCIF), ensuring platform interactions and deployment pipelines strictly align with FedRAMP High, ITAR/IL5, and federal security benchmarks.