Senior Principal Platform Engineer (K8s SME / Tech Lead)
Clarity Innovations is a trusted national security partner, dedicated to safeguarding our nation’s interests and delivering innovative solutions that empower the Intelligence Community (IC) and Department of Defense (DoD) to transform data into actionable intelligence, ensuring mission success in an evolving world.
Our mission-first software and data engineering platform modernizes data operations, utilizing advanced workflows, CI/CD, and secure DevSecOps practices. We focus on challenges in Information Warfare, Cyber Operations, Operational Security, and Data Structuring, enabling end-to-end solutions that drive operational impact.
We are committed to delivering cutting-edge tools and capabilities that address the most complex national security challenges, empowering our partners to stay ahead of emerging threats and ensuring the success of their critical missions. At Clarity, we are people-focused and set on being a destination employer for top talent, offering an environment where innovation thrives, careers grow, and individuals are valued. Join us as we continue to lead innovation and tackle the most pressing challenges in national security.
Position Overview
The technical lead partners with the program manager to ensure team members are empowered to do their best work building solutions for our customer.
Rather than being the smartest person in the room or the team’s best engineer, the technical lead enables their team to sustainably and efficiently make and implement the best possible technical decisions. A good technical lead shapes their team with the right tools and attributes to deliver the best possible product for Clarity's customers.
Qualifications
Team Leadership
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Strong written and oral communication skills
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Strong interpersonal skills to effectively engage with various stakeholders from customers to senior leadership
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Experience providing formal and informal technical mentorship to teammates
Technical Delivery
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Proficient with Kubernetes (K8s) deployment strategies, cluster lifecycle (deployment, troubleshooting, scaling), and container orchestration
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Experience writing code in a general-purpose language such as Python or GoLang
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Experience implementing modern DevOps practices and tools (e.g., CI/CD, IaC, GitOps) in production deployment workflows
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Proficient in containerization technologies (e.g., Docker, Podman)
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Familiarity with Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) utilities (Crossplane, Backstage)
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Experience architecting Kubernetes application deployments (using primitives such as, Pods, Services, Deployments, Namespaces, etc)
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Experience deploying, managing, scaling Kubernetes workloads (e.g. Helm, Flux, Argo)
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Experience configuring Kubernetes networking (e.g., Services, Ingress, NetworkPolicies)
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Experience implementing or managing a Kubernetes Service Mesh (e.g., Istio, Linkerd)
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Experience with Kubernetes cluster administration, including node management, upgrades, and troubleshooting
Product Ownership
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Experience translating customer requirements into actionable user stories/features
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Experience breaking down large features into demonstrable and valuable milestones
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Experience prioritizing and delegating tasks for at least one other team member
Growth
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Experience contributing to technical proposals or similar products (e.g., technical white papers, rough order of magnitude estimates)
Preferred Qualifications
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Active US TS/SCI security clearance with CI polygraph or higher
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More than 10 years of industry experience in a platform engineering or DevOps role. Experience with either in the cyber operations domain is a bonus.
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Experience communicating with customers and end-users
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Experience delivering and managing capabilities in operational / production environments
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Experience leading software design and architecture
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Experience evaluating technologies and making informed decisions
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Strong technical understanding of programming languages and tools in use
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Strong understanding of at least one Agile methodology (e.g., Scrum, Kanban, SAFe)
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