The Senior DevOps Engineer designs, builds, and maintains secure, reliable, and scalable application platforms and delivery pipelines. This role partners closely with engineering, security, and IT operations teams to improve the full software delivery lifecycle—planning, building, testing, deploying, and supporting services—through automation, infrastructure-as-code, and modern DevOps practices. The Senior DevOps Engineer also contributes hands-on engineering work, technical assessments, operational documentation, and continuous improvement initiatives across hybrid cloud and on-prem environments.
Key Responsibilities:
Platform Engineering & Operations
Design, implement, and operate resilient infrastructure and application platforms across hybrid cloud and on-prem environments.
Ensure platforms are secure, reliable, scalable, and cost-aware; identify and remediate operational risks.
Install, upgrade, troubleshoot, and maintain internal and third-party applications and supporting services.
Develop and maintain operational runbooks, standards, and technical documentation.
Automation & CI/CD:
Design, build, and maintain CI/CD pipelines to automate build, test, release, and deployment processes (e.g., Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD).
Implement GitOps and automated deployment patterns to improve consistency and reduce manual effort.
Drive continuous improvement by identifying repetitive tasks and automating workflows to simplify them.
Infrastructure as Code & Configuration Management:
Build and maintain infrastructure using IaC and configuration management tooling (e.g., Terraform, Ansible, Puppet).
Standardize environments and configurations to improve reliability, auditability, and delivery speed.
Manage software/artifact repositories (e.g., Artifactory, Nexus) to support versioning, release management, and deployments.
Containers & Orchestration:
Deploy and operate container platforms and workloads (e.g., Kubernetes, OpenShift).
Establish best practices for container lifecycle, configuration, observability, and operational support.
Collaboration & Delivery:
Partner with development teams to ensure changes are tested, integrated, and deployed efficiently and safely.
Participate in technical assessments and solution design, including feasibility, compatibility, and effort estimates.
Manage multiple priorities across teams and stakeholders; communicate clearly about risks, timelines, and operational readiness.
Minimum Qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
5+ years of experience in DevOps, SRE, platform engineering, systems engineering, or related roles.
Strong Linux and/or Windows systems experience and proven troubleshooting skills in distributed environments.
Hands-on experience building and operating CI/CD pipelines and modern software delivery workflows.
Hands-on experience with Infrastructure as Code and configuration management (e.g., Terraform, Ansible, Puppet).
Experience operating containerized workloads and orchestration platforms (e.g., Kubernetes or OpenShift).
Proficiency in scripting/automation (e.g., Python, Bash, PowerShell).
Demonstrated ability to produce clear documentation (runbooks, standards, how-to guides) and improve operational processes.
A combination of education and relevant experience from which comparable knowledge is demonstrated may be considered.
Preferred Qualifications:
Experience in higher education, research computing, or similarly complex multi-tenant environments.
Familiarity with security/compliance frameworks and practices (e.g., NIST, FERPA, HIPAA) as they apply to IT services.
Experience with IT service management practices (e.g., ITIL/ITSM) and service improvement methods (e.g., Lean/Six Sigma).
Experience implementing observability practices (logging, metrics, tracing) and operational readiness standards.
Core Competencies:
Systems thinking and operational excellence mindset
Strong problem-solving and incident-response skills
Clear communication and stakeholder collaboration
Ability to prioritize and deliver across multiple efforts
Strong engineering discipline (automation-first, testable, repeatable, documented)
Are you interested in an exciting opportunity with an exceptional organization?! Apply today!
Joining the CMU team opens the door to an array of exceptional benefits.
Benefits eligible employees enjoy a wide array of benefits including comprehensive medical, prescription, dental, and vision insurance as well as a generous retirement savings program with employer contributions. Unlock your potential with tuition benefits, take well-deserved breaks with ample paid time off and observed holidays, and rest easy with life and accidental death and disability insurance.
Additional perks include a free Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus pass, access to our Family Concierge Team to help navigate childcare needs, fitness center access, and much more!
For a comprehensive overview of the benefits available, explore our Benefits page.
At Carnegie Mellon, we value the whole package when extending offers of employment. Beyond credentials, we evaluate the role and responsibilities, your valuable work experience, and the knowledge gained through education and training. We appreciate your unique skills and the perspective you bring. Your journey with us is about more than just a job; it’s about finding the perfect fit for your professional growth and personal aspirations.
Are you interested in an exciting opportunity with an exceptional organization?! Apply today!
Location
Pittsburgh, PAJob Function
Software/Applications Development/EngineeringPosition Type
Staff – RegularFull Time/Part time
Full timePay Basis
SalaryMore Information:
Please visit “Why Carnegie Mellon” to learn more about becoming part of an institution inspiring innovations that change the world.
Click here to view a listing of employee benefits
Carnegie Mellon University is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veteran.
Statement of Assurance
Carnegie Mellon University Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Carnegie Mellon University and has not been reviewed or approved by Carnegie Mellon University.
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Retirement Support — Retirement support is positioned as a standout, with automatic employer contributions to a TIAA-administered plan at 8% of base salary (and 9.78% for 9‑month academic appointments), plus optional employee deferrals. Vesting after three years is clearly specified, which helps set expectations for long-term value.
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Parental & Family Support — Parental and family support is strengthened by 100% paid parental leave for six weeks and 100% paid maternity leave for 6–8 weeks (delivery-type dependent), effective July 1, 2024. Childcare support is also referenced through a Cyert Center subsidy up to $5,000 per family, alongside no-cost EAP access.
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Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits — Wellbeing and lifestyle benefits include free Pittsburgh Regional Transit access and access to fitness classes and facilities, adding recurring non-cash value to the overall package. Pittsburgh’s relatively affordable cost of living can further increase the perceived adequacy of a given salary compared with higher-cost coastal hubs.
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Carnegie Mellon University founder Andrew Carnegie said: "My heart is in the work." No statement better captures the passion and drive of our people to make a real difference. At Carnegie Mellon, we're not afraid of the work. Our educational environment creates problem solvers, drivers of innovation and pioneers in technology and the arts. Employers in every field say our graduates are ready to hit the ground running the day they graduate. So, join us. Whether you're looking for a career or an education. Or both.
