• DC/Maryland/Virginia
• Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, NC
• Denver/Colorado Springs, CO
• Dallas/Fort Worth, TX

• Own end-to-end technical delivery for 2F's highest-complexity government and defense engagements — architecting, deploying, and sustaining Game Warden and integrated customer workloads across classified networks, DDIL environments, and multiple Impact Levels (IL2–IL6) and JWICS.
• Serve as the senior technical escalation point and primary client-facing authority, representing 2F to senior customer stakeholders (program managers, ISSOs/ISSMs, mission owners) and making real-time architectural and risk-tradeoff decisions on-site.
• Lead and mentor other Forward Deployed and DevSecOps Engineers — setting technical standards, reviewing designs, and building the playbooks that let the team scale to new missions faster.
• Deploy and harden secure Kubernetes-based infrastructure (Talos Linux, Docker, Istio, GitLab, Helm, Terraform) to sustain a Zero Trust (ZT) environment across customer cloud and on prem environments.
• Translate field experience into product and platform improvements, working directly with Engineering and Product leadership to prioritize the roadmap based on real deployment friction.
• Drive accreditation and continuous ATO (cATO) outcomes in partnership with the security/compliance team — producing and validating evidence against NIST 800-53, RMF, STIGs, and FedRAMP controls, and owning remediation of findings from 3PAO assessments and penetration tests.
• Maintain rigorous configuration management, security documentation, and audit-ready evidence across all engagements, and supporting the 2F team in customer security reviews and audits.
• Travel to client locations as needed for complex system deployments, updates and troubleshooting during high impact operational exercises, integration and training events.

What You Bring

• 7-10 years of experience in systems deployment, DevSecOps, or platform engineering in regulated/classified government environments, including demonstrated ownership of complex, mission-critical deployments (not just support/execution).
• Multi-cloud, government-authorized infrastructure: Hands-on experience deploying and hardening workloads across AWS GovCloud/Commercial, Microsoft Azure Government, and Google Cloud, including Infrastructure-as-Code (Terraform, CloudFormation, or equivalent) tailored to DoD Impact Level 2–6 and JWICS environments.
• Container & orchestration security: Expertise securing Kubernetes/OpenShift or equivalent container platforms — image hardening, admission controls, network policies, and runtime security — within accredited enclaves.
• Observability & incident response: Skilled in implementing logging, monitoring, and alerting stacks (ELK, Splunk, Prometheus/Grafana) to support 24/7 incident response, penetration test remediation, and Day 2 operations.
• Expert level proficiency in Linux (Talos, RedHat) server administration, along with deploying and maintaining Kubernetes on cloud platforms and disparate compute hardware.
• Demonstrated leadership: experience mentoring engineers, leading technical design reviews, or acting as a technical lead on customer-facing engagements.
• Strong scripting/automation ability in Go, Rust, Python, or Bash, with a track record of building internal tooling to remove manual toil from security and operations workflows.
• Active DoD Top Secret/SCI clearance (or eligibility, with active clearance strongly preferred); U.S. citizenship required.

Preferred

The base salary for this position will fall between $160,000 and $200,000. Your ultimate compensation will be determined by professional background, technical proficiency, seniority, and regional cost factors. Furthermore, this opportunity includes potential eligibility for equity awards and discretionary bonuses, rounding out a comprehensive total rewards offering.

• Viewing obstacles as opportunities for growth
• Having a bias toward action and tangible, measurable results
• Striving to be both compassionate and direct with your feedback
• Being team-oriented and inclusive with your action

This role is a full time position. As a public benefit corporation, we’re a team of purpose-driven trailblazers transforming the future of U.S. national security. We hire the best to do their best and, as such, we are committed to providing the perks and benefits you need to be successful—both in- and outside the workplace.

• Competitive Salary
• 100% Healthcare, vision and dental coverage
• 401(k) + 3% company contribution
• Wellness perks (Fitness classes, mental health resources)
• Equity incentive plan
• Tech + office supplies stipend
• Annual professional development stipend
• Flexible paid time off + federal holidays off
• Parental leave
• Virtual work, but located near one of our hubs
• Referral Bonus

Visit our careers page to learn more.

At Second Front Systems (2F), we empower defense and national security professionals to stay ahead in the ongoing race to leverage emerging technologies effectively and securely. Founded by three former U.S. Marines with firsthand experience of the dangers outdated technology poses in combat, our team is dedicated to fast-tracking government access to disruptive, commercially-proven technology for U.S. national security missions.

Our Game Warden product, a fully managed and compliant DevSecOps platform, accelerates the process for accrediting software as a service (SaaS) applications for government use.

Learn how 2F can help you make an impact on national security missions at www.secondfront.com

To apply, click the “Apply for This Job” button at the top or bottom of this page and complete the application form. This position will remain open until filled, and applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

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