Platform Engineer

Requisition #: 1278

Position Title: Platform Engineer Location: Al Udeid Air Base (AUAB), Doha, Qatar

Clearance: Active DoD Secret clearance required

Certifications: DoD 8570 IAT Level II (e.g., Security+ CE) required

Work Schedule: Willingness to support 2nd or 3rd shift in emergent situations as requested by government.

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Program Overview – Platform Engineering Support:

This program supports the U.S. Air Force’s AFLCMC/HBBK and the Kessel Run enterprise in delivering resilient, high-availability infrastructure for mission-critical software systems. It provides enterprise-wide platform engineering services at globally distributed secure facilities, including but not limited to Air Operations Centers.

The team’s mission includes operating and evolving classified platform services across multiple environments and classification levels. Engineers provide direct support and incident response in alignment with the customer’s global mission requirements, with personnel deployed across CONUS and OCONUS sites including Air Operations Centers and DoD Data Centers.

The team also partners with the Government to support the transition from hybrid cloud platforms to future-ready, cloud-native environments. This includes consultation on resilient platform architectures, delivery modernization, and continuous reliability improvements aligned with operational priorities.

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Role Summary:

The Platform Engineer supports mission-critical operations at Al Udeid as part of the U.S. Air Force’s global platform engineering program. This role focuses on the secure operation, modernization, and reliability of infrastructure supporting classified workloads across hybrid and cloud-native environments. Engineers in this position play a key role in implementing resilient, automated platforms, while collaborating across time zones to ensure 24/7 support and continuity of operations.

This position reports to an on-site team lead at AUAB and works closely with a globally distributed engineering team. Given the limited overlap in working hours, strong written communication and documentation practices are critical for handoffs, coordination, and maintaining platform reliability across shifts. This is an individual contributor role that may include informal mentorship and peer collaboration responsibilities.

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Key Responsibilities:

· Deploy, operate, and maintain enterprise-scale platform services (e.g., Kubernetes, Cloud Foundry) on both private and commercial cloud infrastructure.

· Automate operational tasks, build resilient CI/CD pipelines, and optimize platform performance across hybrid environments.

· Troubleshoot and resolve high-impact software outages and failures in a timely and effective manner.

· Collaborate with cross-functional teams (SRE, Security, Software Engineering) to improve system scalability, observability, and developer experience.

· Actively contribute to team resilience through structured cross-training and knowledge sharing across shifts, locations, and skill areas.

· Develop and maintain IAM (Identity and Access Management) controls for secure platform access.

· Participate in rotating shift coverage to support 24/7 mission operations, including weekends and holidays as needed.

· Support the development of team documentation, tooling standards, and process improvement efforts.

· Maintain a proactive, mission-partner mindset, acting with ownership and initiative in support of evolving customer needs.

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Required Qualifications:

· 2+ years of experience operating containerized services in production on Kubernetes or Cloud Foundry.

· 2+ years troubleshooting software outages in mission-critical or enterprise environments.

· 2+ years supporting platform services using cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure, GCP) or local virtualization (e.g., vSphere).

· 2+ years in DevOps, Platform Ops, or Site Reliability Engineering roles with an emphasis on automation and reliability.

· 2+ years managing IAM operations and access lifecycle controls in compliance-driven environments.

· Proficiency in scripting languages such as Python or BASH for automation and system management.

· Solid understanding of networking protocols (TCP/IP, DNS, HTTP) and hands-on experience with Linux system administration.

· Demonstrated understanding of cloud-native design patterns, microservices architecture, and delivery pipelines.

· Excellent written and verbal communication skills for asynchronous coordination across global teams.

· Active DoD Secret clearance.

· Compliance with DoD 8570 IAT Level II certification requirements (e.g., Security+ CE).

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Preferred Qualifications:

· Experience with GitOps tools (e.g., ArgoCD, Flux) or service meshes (e.g., Istio, Linkerd).

· Familiarity with observability tooling (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana, ELK stack).

· Experience mentoring junior engineers or participating in internal knowledge-sharing initiatives.

· Demonstrated success in mission-critical, forward-deployed, or high-tempo infrastructure environments.

· Experience supporting Air Force or other DoD operations.

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Shift and Location Details:

This position is located on-site at Al Udeid Air Base (AUAB) in Qatar and requires participation in a rotating shift schedule to ensure continuous 24/7 mission support in coordination with our globally distributed Platform team. Candidates must meet CENTCOM travel and medical readiness requirements for the designated OCONUS location. U.S. federal holidays are honored as part of the program’s leave policy and are provided through a flexible accrual system that supports a healthy work-life balance within the operational schedule.