Systems Engineer - Container Platform - Contingent

Aretum•McLean, VA

4h•Remote

About The Position

Lead the deployment, hardening, and operational management of containerized applications on AWS ECS or OpenShift platform for a Federal cloud environment. Responsible for evaluating and hardening vendor-supplied containers, implementing container orchestration infrastructure-as-code, and establishing secure, compliant container operations that support millions of client transactions while meeting RMF/ATO requirements. Due to the nature of our work as a federal consulting organization, employees may be expected to handle Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and must adhere to applicable safeguarding and compliance requirements.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Information Technology, or related technical field
Relevant professional certifications and demonstrated experience may supplement education
5-7 years in systems engineering, DevOps, or infrastructure roles
3+ years hands-on experience with container platforms (ECS, OpenShift, or Kubernetes) in production environments
2+ years working with AWS infrastructure and services
Experience with container hardening, security scanning, and vulnerability remediation
Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills with systematic problem-solving approach
Attention to detail and commitment to security-first operations
Ability to work independently and manage multiple concurrent infrastructure workstreams
Effective written and verbal communication for documentation and cross-team collaboration
Adaptable to fast-paced, deadline-driven environment with changing requirements
Proactive mindset for identifying and resolving potential issues before they impact operations

Nice To Haves

AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate or Professional
Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) or Red Hat Certified Specialist in OpenShift
Docker Certified Associate
Experience with service mesh technologies (Istio, AWS App Mesh)
Knowledge of container vulnerability management platforms (Prisma, Aqua, Twistlock)
Federal government contracting or DoD infrastructure experience
Experience with immutable infrastructure and GitOps methodologies

Responsibilities

Deploy, configure, and manage AWS ECS or OpenShift container orchestration platform in production Federal environment
Evaluate vendor-supplied container images for security vulnerabilities, compliance gaps, and operational requirements
Implement container hardening strategies applying CIS benchmarks, DSTI STIGs, and federal security baselines
Configure container orchestration including task/service definitions (ECS) or deployments/operators (OpenShift)
Manage container lifecycle including image versioning, updates, patching, and rollback procedures
Implement horizontal auto-scaling policies based on CPU, memory, custom metrics, and workload patterns
Establish container networking including service discovery, ingress/egress controls, and inter-container communication
Perform container image scanning using tools such as Prisma Cloud, Aqua Security, Twistlock, or AWS ECR scanning
Remediate container vulnerabilities identified through scanning and security assessments
Implement runtime security controls including container isolation, resource limits, and security contexts
Configure secrets management for containerized applications using AWS Secrets Manager or HashiCorp Vault
Apply least-privilege principles to container IAM roles and service accounts
Implement container image signing and verification workflows
Document container security controls and provide evidence for RMF/ATO security assessment
Develop and maintain infrastructure-as-code using Terraform or AWS CloudFormation for container platform
Build automated deployment pipelines for container infrastructure and application updates
Create repeatable, version-controlled infrastructure patterns for scaling to 130+ system instances
Implement GitOps workflows for infrastructure change management and audit trails
Develop automation scripts for container platform management and troubleshooting
Establish configuration baselines and drift detection mechanisms
Design and implement multi-AZ container deployments ensuring high availability during infrastructure failures
Configure health checks, readiness probes, and liveness probes for container self-healing
Implement disaster recovery procedures including backup strategies for persistent container data
Establish resource reservation and quality-of-service policies to prevent resource contention
Design capacity planning and scaling strategies to handle variable workloads serving millions of clients
Implement zero-downtime deployment strategies including blue-green and rolling updates
Create comprehensive operational runbooks for container platform management, troubleshooting, and incident response
Document deployment procedures, configuration baselines, and security hardening steps
Develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) for routine maintenance and emergency procedures
Maintain container platform architecture diagrams and configuration documentation for RMF compliance
Create knowledge transfer materials for scaling operations team