DevSecOps Project Lead, Senior

Defcon AI

DevSecOps Lead building and operating AI program delivery platforms in government cloud environments. Leading teams to ensure secure, efficient CI/CD pipelines for government deployment.

Posted 8/2/2026full-timeRemote • 🇺🇸 United StatesSenior💰 $175,000 - $215,000 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in building and operating CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure as code in government cloud environments, with a strong focus on security integration and compliance. Proven ability to lead hands-on deployments under tight deadlines while ensuring observability and performance improvements.

Highest-signal resume keywords

DevSecOps EngineeringCI/CD Pipeline ManagementInfrastructure As CodeAWS GovCloud ExperienceActive US Secret Clearance

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

DevSecOps EngineeringCI/CD Pipeline ManagementInfrastructure As CodeSecurity ScanningContainer OrchestrationTerraformCloudFormationStatic Security AnalysisDynamic Security AnalysisSoftware Composition Analysis

Soft Skills

Effective CommunicationOwnershipProblem-SolvingLeadership

Tools & Technologies

DockerKubernetesAWS GovCloudMetrics and Logs InstrumentationGated Promotion to Production

Certifications & Qualifications

US CitizenshipActive US Secret Clearance

Industry Keywords

Government Cloud EnvironmentIL-4IL-5Authorization to Operate (ATO)Continuous Improvement

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

AWSCloudDockerKubernetesTerraform

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

As DevSecOps Lead you will build and operate the delivery platform for a new AI-enabled program in a government cloud environment: the CI/CD pipeline, the infrastructure it runs on, the security controls built into it, and the artifacts that pipeline produces to support authorization.
This is a lead role that stays hands on keyboard. You will make the architecture calls and you will also build them.
Own the initial platform deployment into the government IL-5 environment, which is the program's first contract deliverable and lands early.
Build and prove the pipeline and infrastructure as code on our own cloud first, using portable templates, so deployment into the government environment is a port rather than a build.
Own the CI/CD pipeline end to end: build, test, static and dynamic security analysis, software composition analysis, container and infrastructure-as-code scanning, SBOM generation, and gated promotion to production.

Requirements

What you’ll need

8+ years of DevOps and DevSecOps engineering experience, including at least one production pipeline owned end to end at scale.
3+ years working in DoW or federal cloud environments at IL-4 or IL-5, or an equivalent authorized environment. AWS GovCloud strongly preferred.
Hands-on keyboard while leading. You make the architecture calls and you build. This role is not a coordination or oversight function.
Cloud and infrastructure depth: containers and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes or equivalent), infrastructure as code (Terraform, CloudFormation, or similar), and CI/CD tooling on at least one major cloud, including hardened base images and image promotion
Observability practice: you instrument what you build and use metrics and logs to drive improvements, rather than waiting on incident reports.
Security built into delivery: you treat security scanning, compliance validation, and evidence generation as normal pipeline stages.
Direct experience supporting an ATO, cATO, or equivalent authorization, including producing the artifacts an assessor actually accepts.
A track record of standing something up under a hard deadline, in an environment where access, approvals, and accounts were outside your control. You have shipped a first deployment into a government environment on a fixed date, and you know what has to be in motion beforehand to make that possible.
Ready on day one. The first deliverable comes early, so we need someone who arrives with a pipeline pattern they already know works and adapts it, rather than researching an approach from scratch.
An owner: you drive work to done, communicate status and risk plainly, and do not need to be managed through the details.
US Citizenship Required
Active US Secret clearance. The work is performed in a controlled government cloud environment and requires a favorable investigation and CAC eligibility from the start.
Willingness to travel up to 25% to customer sites, DEFCON AI HQ, and vendor facilities as required.

Benefits

Comp & perks

A fully remote, results-based environment
Competitive salary, bonus, and equity package
100% employer paid, comprehensive health insurance including medical, dental, and vision for you and your family
Unlimited PTO, with your manager’s approval
Flexible work environment where you manage your work day
14 weeks of fully-paid parental leave