The Role
Designs and operates secure DevSecOps platforms, CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure-as-code modules, containerized environments, and software factories. Automates security controls and compliance requirements, supports air-gapped deployments, troubleshoots complex Linux and pipeline issues, and improves developer experience through telemetry and platform optimization. The role partners with software, security, and systems engineering teams while mentoring developers and requires eligibility for an active Secret clearance.
Summary Generated by Built In
About The Role:
Innovative Defense Technologies (IDT), a leading defense technology company, is seeking a DevSecOps Engineer to be part of our Internal DevSecOps team and based out of one of our locations: Mount Laurel NJ, Arlington, VA, or Fall River, MA.
Our internal DevSecOps (DSO) team's intent is to accelerate, across all IDT software teams, the experimentation, development, testing, and delivery of secure, compliant, and high-quality software. We will achieve this by maintaining a secure software factory and trusted DevSecOps environments, continuously improving the developer experience, and fostering collaboration and shared best practices across our engineering workflows. We will be successful when all software teams can confidently and independently deliver frequent prototypes, updates, and production ready releases through the DSO secured software factory with minimal IDSO intervention.
In this mid-level role, you will not just run pipelines, you will design CI/CD. You will architect reusable Infrastructure as Code (IaC) modules, automate security compliance frameworks, and engineer platform solutions that empower IDT software teams to deliver to our customers with confidence and velocity.
Clearance & Location Requirements:
- All applicants must be able to obtain/maintain an active Secret U.S. Security Clearance.
- This is an on-site position. Requiring at least 3 days in office, based out of our Arlington, VA, Mount Laurel, NJ, or Fall River, MA office.
Key Responsibilities
What You Will Do:
- Design, architect, and optimize CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins, developing reusable pipeline templates and custom shared components to streamline execution across all software teams
- Hard code and automate advanced security controls (SAST, SCA, container scanning, SBOM generation, secrets detection) directly into the pipeline fabric, establishing guardrails that run autonomously
- Configure, scale, and secure our Software Factory platform (GitLab, JFrog Artifactory, SonarQube), managing system setups, staging and testing clusters, and automated tool backups
- Design, modularize, and maintain Infrastructure as Code (IaC) blueprints using Ansible and OpenTofu, designing automation models the DSO team, as well as other engineering teams, can use to spin up environments and deployments
- Orchestrate and optimize containerized clusters using Podman, securing cluster communications, and managing local registry synchronization.
- Own and harden DSO platform deployments in secure, air-gapped environments, including:
- packaging and deploying dependencies
- remediating environment-specific issues
- supporting repeatable software delivery without external connectivity
- collaborate with the SECOPs teams to maintain DSO platform compliance
- Automate compliance enforcement by translating DISA STIGs, NIST 800-171, and RMF controls into automated pipeline validation scripts and policy-as-code configurations
- Diagnose and remediate complex, low-level system friction points (e.g., SELinux policy denials, pipeline token validation issues, and local network/VPN bottlenecks), defining long-term fixes to prevent recurrence
- Analyze developer telemetry, feedback loops, and build metrics to proactively eliminate pipeline friction, continuously improving the overall Developer Experience (DX)
- Partner with cross-functional software, security, and systems engineering teams to establish collaborative delivery patterns and guide developers on DSO best practices
Skills, Knowledge & Expertise
Who You Are (Required):
- 5-7 years of professional, post-graduation experience in a DevSecOps, DevOps, Platform/Systems Engineering, or Software Engineering role with a strong emphasis on automation or platform administration
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience
- U.S. citizenship
- Ability to travel up to 10%
- Strong working knowledge of modern, secure Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) methodologies (e.g., Agile/Scrum, branching strategies, secure code reviews, automated linting, and release packaging)
- Practical experience building and scale-optimizing CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins or some other CI/CD orchestrator (such as building custom shared libraries, declarative pipelines, or automated test hooks)
- Practical experience orchestrating containerized workloads using Podman (or Docker/Kubernetes), including network configuration, container storage, and local registry sync
- Proven capability writing and modularizing Infrastructure as Code (IaC) utilizing Ansible, OpenTofu, or some other automation technique, to deploy robust, repeatable environments
- Intermediate programming depth in Python (e.g., writing API clients, custom scripts, or automation frameworks) combined with strong Linux/Unix systems-level Bash scripting
- Strong proficiency with Git version control, including managing branch strategies, resolving merge conflicts, and utilizing Git Hooks or API-driven integrations
- Demonstrated systems-level troubleshooting skills, with the ability to diagnose root causes of low-level OS, container, or CI/CD pipeline issues
- Collaborative, enablement-focused mindset with strong communication skills, eager to mentor junior engineers and help software teams self-solve platform issues
What Makes You Stand Out:
- Experience designing Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) auditing workflows or navigating open-source license compliance (e.g., managing GPL/LGPL risks)
- Experience architecting or configuring high-performance local AI infrastructure (e.g., GPU clusters, vLLM orchestration, or vector databases like Qdrant) behind a VPN or in air-gapped setups
- Experience configuring custom pipeline diagnostics, usage telemetry, or observability stacks (Prometheus, Grafana, ELK) to monitor platform health and usage
- Active Secret or Top Secret security clearance, with practical experience applying DISA STIGs or preparing environments for CMMC audits
If you see yourself reflected in this role and are excited about the impact you could make, we encourage you to apply! If you know someone who may be a great fit, please feel free to share this opportunity with your network.
Pay Range*: $114,000 - $184,000 or $135,000 - $231,000
This amount may not be reflective of actual compensation that may be earned as pay is dependent on a candidate’s experience, skills, and education. The posted range does not include bonuses, commissions, tips, or other benefits. IDT is often looking to place multiple candidates at various levels. Therefore, more than one pay range has been included, commensurate with experience.
Job Benefits
Why Work at Innovative Defense Technologies (IDT):
IDT is a growing company with a vibrant, entrepreneurial culture. We are headquartered in Arlington, VA with additional offices in Fall River, MA; Mount Laurel, NJ; and San Diego, CA. At each location, our employees work together in a modern, snack-filled, and social office space, designing innovative solutions for our defense industry customers. We offer employees competitive pay and benefits including:
- Generous benefits package
- Competitive PTO
- Paid holidays
- 401(k) with immediate vesting and matching
- 9/80 optional schedule (2nd and 4th Friday off every month)
- Tuition Assistance Reimbursement Program
- Professional Development Resources
- Pre-Tax Commuter Benefits
- Organization-Wide Monthly Tech Connect Events
- Annual Employee Recognition Awards
- Regular Social Events and Catered Lunches
EEO Statement:
IDT is an Equal Opportunity employer.
About
Innovative Defense Technologies (IDT) is a leading defense technology company focused on rapidly delivering mission-critical software and systems solutions to the U.S. government. The company specializes in automation, digital engineering, and enabling the rapid integration of advanced capabilities into complex weapon and combat systems. These essential solutions empower the warfighter to field, operate, and sustain decisive capability at speed and scale. At IDT, our employees are developing advanced mission-critical outcomes by consistently delivering high-quality results, fostering innovation, applying rigorous problem-solving, and effectively collaborating across multifaceted teams and stakeholders. Grounded in these competencies, IDT translates complex customer priorities into robust software solutions.
Skills Required
- 5-7 years of professional post-graduation experience in DevSecOps, DevOps, Platform Engineering, Systems Engineering, or Software Engineering focused on automation or platform administration
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience
- U.S. citizenship
- Ability to obtain and maintain an active Secret U.S. security clearance
- Ability to travel up to 10%
- Knowledge of secure SDLC methodologies, including Agile/Scrum, branching strategies, secure code reviews, automated linting, and release packaging
- Experience building and optimizing CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins or another CI/CD orchestrator
- Experience orchestrating containerized workloads using Podman, Docker, or Kubernetes
- Experience with container networking, storage, and local registry synchronization
- Experience writing and modularizing infrastructure as code using Ansible, OpenTofu, or comparable automation technologies
- Intermediate Python programming experience for API clients, custom scripts, or automation frameworks
- Strong Linux/Unix Bash scripting skills
- Strong proficiency with Git, including branch strategies, merge conflict resolution, Git Hooks, or API integrations
- Systems-level troubleshooting ability for operating system, container, and CI/CD pipeline issues
- Strong communication and collaboration skills, with willingness to mentor junior engineers
- Experience designing SBOM auditing workflows or managing open-source license compliance
- Experience with local AI infrastructure, GPU clusters, vLLM, or vector databases such as Qdrant in VPN or air-gapped environments
- Experience with pipeline diagnostics, usage telemetry, or observability tools such as Prometheus, Grafana, or ELK
- Active Secret or Top Secret clearance and experience applying DISA STIGs or preparing environments for CMMC audits
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The Company
What We Do
WHO WE ARE Innovative Defense Technologies -IDT- provides automated software testing, data analysis, and cybersecurity solutions for the DOD's mission-critical systems. Using patented Automated Test and ReTest (ATRT) technology, we support the entire software testing lifecycle from component testing, to system integration and testing, to the analysis of results. Our automated test and analysis solutions enable the rapid update and delivery of large, complex systems. Our technologies offer: -Rapid system configuration assessment and validation -Repeatable, consistent testing, analysis and reporting -On-demand regression tests in response to cyber threats -Statistical rigor in test and analysis -Reduced time and manpower At IDT, we work closely with our customers to tailor our products to support their systems and meet their goals. IDT has the expertise, strategies and processes in place to provide an automated solution for your next project. Let us help you dramatically accelerate test execution time, expand test coverage and improve software quality. OUR MISSION Our mission is to enable new software capabilities to be fielded faster and more affordably by reducing the amount of time and the cost spent on software testing. Through the use of our software testing technology, IDT is changing the way testing is being done for large, complex, software systems.
