Staff Platform Engineer

Who we are:

Raft (https://TeamRaft.com) is a customer-obsessed non-traditional small business with a purposeful focus on Distributed Data Systems, Platforms at Scale, and Complex Application Development, with headquarters in McLean, VA. Our range of clients includes innovative federal and public agencies leveraging design thinking, cutting-edge tech stack, and cloud-native ecosystem. We build digital solutions that impact the lives of millions of Americans.

We’re looking for an experienced Staff Platform Engineer to support our customers and join our passionate team of high-impact problem solvers.

About the role:

As a Staff Platform Engineer, you are responsible for the initial deployment and verification of Kubernetes application deployments on both cloud and edge systems. Similar to a solutions architect, you will collaborate with client application teams, edit/correct helm charts, implementing and utilizing K8 solutions to successfully deploy their applications to our environments and run post release testing. We are building AWS edge platform for disconnected operations and must ensure a smooth software deployment process for applications developed on IL4 and delivering them to IL6/SIPR. You will be responsible for ensuring observability, monitoring, and alerting operate as engineered by client application teams. These processes will be documented and executed with the assistance of run books, checklists, and rely on you to keep them correct.

What we are looking for:

• Two years of hands-on Kubernetes experience (CKAD, Istio, etc.)
• Five years experience with containerization of resources (Docker, Podman, etc.)
• Experience accessing/querying relational databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL)
• Extensive experience deploying, monitoring, administering critical applications

Highly preferred: 

• Experience within DoD/Air Force AOC Weapon System and operating standards within cleared facilities (SIPR, IL6)
• Experience with AWS and cloud technologies 
• Experience operating observability tooling and alerting (prometheus, grafana, etc)
• Experience with Platform One Big Bang 

Clearance Requirements:

• Active Secret security clearance

Work Type: 

• Hybrid - (Local to Reston, VA or Hampton, VA or Lexington, MA or Colorado Springs, CO)
• May require up to 10% travel

Salary Range:

• $120,000 - $190,000
• The determination of compensation is predicated upon a candidate's comprehensive experience, demonstrated skill, and proven abilities

What we will offer you:

• Highly competitive salary
• Fully covered healthcare, dental, and vision coverage
• 401(k) and company match
• Take as you need PTO + 11 paid holidays
• Education & training benefits
• Annual budget for your tech/gadgets needs
• Monthly box of yummy snacks to eat while doing meaningful work
• Remote, hybrid, and flexible work options
• Team off-site in fun places!
• Generous Referral Bonuses
• And More!

Our Vision Statement: 

We bridge the gap between humans and data through radical transparency and our obsession with the mission. 

Our Customer Obsession: 

We will approach every deliverable like it's a product. We will adopt a customer-obsessed mentality. As we grow, and our footprint becomes larger, teams and employees will treat each other not only as teammates but customers. We must live the customer-obsessed mindset, always. This will help us scale and it will translate to the interactions that our Rafters have with their clients and other product teams that they integrate with. Our culture will enable our success and set us apart from other companies.

How do we get there? 

Public-sector modernization is critical for us to live in a better world. We, at Raft, want to innovate and solve complex problems. And, if we are successful, our generation and the ones that follow us will live in a delightful, efficient, and accessible world where out-of-box thinking, and collaboration is a norm. 

Raft’s core philosophy is Ubuntu: I Am, Because We are. We support our “nadi” by elevating the other Rafters. We work as a hyper collaborative team where each team member brings a unique perspective, adding value that did not exist before. People make Raft special. We celebrate each other and our cognitive and cultural diversity. We are devoted to our practice of innovation and collaboration.