[Hiring] Senior Platform Engineer @540

Role Description

540 is seeking a Senior Platform Engineer to support a high-impact Department of War (DoW) initiative focused on accelerating the secure adoption, deployment, and operationalization of advanced AI capabilities across mission-critical environments. In this role, you will design, build, secure, and modernize cloud infrastructure and DevSecOps platforms that enable the delivery of emerging technologies at scale. You'll work at the intersection of cloud engineering, cybersecurity, and AI infrastructure, helping government stakeholders establish reliable, compliant, and repeatable technical environments.

As a Senior Platform Engineer at 540, you'll bring deep hands-on engineering expertise alongside the technical leadership needed to influence architecture decisions, guide delivery teams, and establish reusable platform standards. You'll serve as a trusted technical advisor and help shape secure, scalable engineering practices that extend beyond a single engagement.

Location: Primarily remote (DC metro area preferred), with occasional onsite meetings as needed

Citizenship & Clearance Requirement: per client requirements, candidates must be U.S. Citizens with an active DoW Secret (or higher) clearance

Education Requirement: Bachelor’s Degree

540 Internal Thrive Level: Senior Platform Engineer

Qualifications

• 10+ years of relevant professional experience in platform engineering, cloud infrastructure, DevSecOps, systems engineering, or related technical disciplines
• Deep hands-on experience designing and improving secure CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins, GitLab, Artifactory, and related technologies
• Strong expertise in secure software delivery and supply-chain security
• Proven experience with Docker, Kubernetes, and container orchestration
• Advanced experience with Terraform, infrastructure as code, and configuration management
• Experience designing, securing, modernizing, and troubleshooting complex cloud infrastructure
• Working knowledge of RMF, STIG compliance, vulnerability management, and secure DevOps practices within DoD IL2 through IL5/IL6 environments
• Experience implementing identity and access management solutions
• Experience implementing infrastructure monitoring, logging, alerting, incident response, and reliability practices in complex environments
• Experience supporting AI-enabled workloads or LLM foundation model testing
• Demonstrated technical leadership, including architectural decision-making
• Strong client-facing communication and advisory skills
• Must currently possess or be able to obtain CompTIA Security+ CE or another DoD-approved IAT Level II certification within 30 days of hire
• Must currently possess or have the ability to obtain an Associate- or Professional-level cloud certification from Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), or Amazon Web Services (AWS) within 30 days of hire

Requirements

• Design, secure, and maintain scalable cloud infrastructure and platform services supporting advanced AI capabilities across mission-critical DoD environments
• Architect and continuously improve secure CI/CD pipelines
• Establish container orchestration and runtime standards using Docker, Kubernetes, and related technologies
• Develop and maintain infrastructure-as-code (IaC) and configuration management solutions using Terraform
• Design, modernize, and manage cloud infrastructure
• Implement security and identity controls across platform environments
• Establish observability, monitoring, logging, incident response, and reliability practices
• Support secure infrastructure for AI-native workloads and LLM foundation model testing
• Develop reusable platform architectures, infrastructure accelerators, and engineering standards
• Advise government stakeholders and delivery teams on technical architecture, risks, implementation decisions, and trade-offs
• Mentor engineers, guide technical decisions, and champion engineering practices

Benefits

• Flexible PTO + all Federal holidays off
• Health, dental and vision insurance plans
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• 401k with employer match
• Company-sponsored life insurance, short- and long-term disability
• Professional development (training, certifications, conferences)
• Paid cloud developer accounts
• Referral bonuses
• HQ office perks (parking / metro reimbursement, nitro coffee & lunches)
• Annual social events (540 Week, hackathon, charity golf tournament, etc.)
• Access to 540’s Washington Capitals & Nationals tickets

Company Description

540 is a forward-thinking company that the government turns to in order to #getshitdone. We don’t just talk about innovation – we deliver it. We break down barriers, build impactful technology, and solve mission-critical problems.