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Control Plane Jobs in Washington (NOW HIRING)

The control plane runs Crossplane and Cluster API (CAPI). As the primary on-site engineer, you will be dedicated to deploying, managing, updating and optimizing our platform's environments within a ...

Software Development Engineer, EC2 VPC

Herndon, VA · On-site

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

EC2 VPC builds the control plane that powers networking for every EC2 instance launched worldwide. The team is looking for an experienced software development engineer to design and build highly ...

Software Development Engineer, EC2 VPC

Herndon, VA · On-site

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

EC2 VPC builds the control plane that powers networking for every EC2 instance launched worldwide. The team is looking for an experienced software development engineer to design and build highly ...

Showing results 21-40

Control Plane information

What is a control plane?

A Control Plane in computing refers to the part of a network or system that manages and controls how data is routed and handled, as opposed to actually moving the data itself (which is done by the data plane). The control plane is responsible for tasks such as network topology management, routing decisions, and policy enforcement. In cloud computing and Kubernetes, the control plane manages the overall system state, scheduling, and coordination of resources. It ensures that the system operates efficiently and according to the defined rules and policies.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a control plane engineer?

To thrive as a Control Plane Engineer, you need a solid understanding of networking protocols, distributed systems, and a relevant degree in computer science or engineering. Experience with tools like Kubernetes, Docker, cloud platforms, and proficiency in languages such as Go or Python is typically required. Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and effective communication help you collaborate across teams and address complex system challenges. These skills ensure the reliability, scalability, and security of critical infrastructure in modern cloud environments.

What are some common challenges faced by professionals working on the control plane in cloud infrastructure teams?

One of the main challenges for professionals working on the Control Plane is ensuring high availability and scalability while maintaining security and efficient resource management. The role often requires balancing complex system orchestration with rapid deployment cycles, which can introduce risks of misconfiguration or downtime. Additionally, professionals must regularly collaborate with development, operations, and security teams to implement updates and troubleshoot issues, making strong communication skills essential. Staying current with evolving cloud technologies and best practices is also key to success in this dynamic field.

What is the difference between Control Plane vs Network Engineer?

AspectControl PlaneNetwork Engineer
Required CredentialsNetworking certifications (e.g., CCNA, CCNP), knowledge of network protocolsNetworking certifications, routing and switching expertise
Work EnvironmentData centers, cloud environments, network infrastructureCorporate offices, data centers, service providers
Employer & Industry UsageCloud providers, telecom companies, large enterprisesIT departments, internet service providers, tech firms
Common Search & ComparisonControl Plane vs Network Engineer

The Control Plane focuses on managing and directing network traffic within infrastructure, often involving configuration and orchestration of network devices. Network Engineers design, implement, and troubleshoot network systems. While both roles require networking knowledge and certifications, Control Plane specialists typically work on the control functions of network devices, whereas Network Engineers handle broader network design and maintenance.

What are popular job titles related to Control Plane jobs in Washington?

For Control Plane jobs in Washington, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Control Plane jobs in Washington look for?

The top searched job categories for Control Plane jobs in Washington are:

What cities in Washington are hiring for Control Plane jobs?

Cities in Washington with the most Control Plane job openings:

Sr. Principal Mission Engineer

Clarity Innovations

Columbia, MD • On-site

$100K - $330K/yr

Full-time

Posted 18 days ago


Job description

Clarity Innovations is a trusted national security partner, dedicated to safeguarding our nation's interests and delivering innovative solutions that empower the Intelligence Community (IC) and Department of Defense (DoD) to transform data into actionable intelligence, ensuring mission success in an evolving world.
Our mission-first software and data engineering platform modernizes data operations, utilizing advanced workflows, CI/CD, and secure DevSecOps practices. We focus on challenges in Information Warfare, Cyber Operations, Operational Security, and Data Structuring, enabling end-to-end solutions that drive operational impact.
We are committed to delivering cutting-edge tools and capabilities that address the most complex national security challenges, empowering our partners to stay ahead of emerging threats and ensuring the success of their critical missions. At Clarity, we are people-focused and set on being a destination employer for top talent, offering an environment where innovation thrives, careers grow, and individuals are valued. Join us as we continue to lead innovation and tackle the most pressing challenges in national security.
Senior Principal Mission Engineer (K8s & Cloud)
Position Overview
The position is for an on-site, cleared Senior Principal Mission Engineer as part of a team of software and platform engineers building a unified, multi-tenant control plane that abstracts away infrastructure differences across AWS, Azure, and on-premises environments. The platform allows application teams to provision secure, isolated Kubernetes clusters and workloads dynamically. The control plane runs Crossplane and Cluster API (CAPI).
As the primary on-site engineer, you will be dedicated to deploying, managing, updating and optimizing our platform's environments within a classified cloud (e.g., AWS Top Secret Region). In this role, you will ensure the seamless operation of our cloud capabilities, Kubernetes clusters, and API gateway architectures.You will handle localized cloud infrastructure troubleshooting, deploy secure software updates, and provide direct technical consultation and training to the site's mission users. You will bridge the gap between our remote engineering pipeline and the isolated, classified cloud infrastructure, handling everything from low-level troubleshooting to direct customer engagement and user training.
The ideal candidate is highly independent, capable of driving projects from inception to completion with minimal supervision.
Key Responsibilities
  • Classified Cloud Management: Manage and monitor the platform's cloud-native services, compute instances, virtual networks (VPCs/VNets), and identity policies inside the secure cloud enclave.
  • Kubernetes & Workload Integration: Troubleshoot and maintain localized Kubernetes clusters (managed or CAPI-provisioned), ensuring proper integration with ingress API gateways, Cilium network fabrics, and local container registries.
  • Updates & Software Delivery: Coordinate and execute complex software and platform updates within air-gapped or restricted-connectivity cloud environments, ensuring minimal disruption to active mission sets.
  • Troubleshooting & Cloud Diagnostics: Rapidly isolate and resolve cloud-specific connectivity issues, routing failures, IAM permission deadlocks, and API rate-limiting blocks.
  • Customer Engagement & Technical Liaison: Serve as the on-site cloud subject matter expert, guiding the customer through complex environment configurations and managing technical expectations.
  • Mission Training & Onboarding: Provide hands-on training, workshops, and documentation to site application developers onboarding their workloads onto the cloud platform.
Qualifications
  • Clearance: Active Top Secret / SCI
  • Experience: 5+ years of systems engineering experience, with at least 2-3 years specifically focused on architecture and operations within government or classified cloud regions (AWS GovCloud/Secret/Top Secret or Azure Government/Secret).
  • Container Orchestration: Solid understanding of Kubernetes architecture, cluster operations, and debugging cloud-native application stacks.
  • Cloud Networking & Security: Practical knowledge of cloud routing, secure API gateways, security groups, IAM roles/policies, and cross-domain solution paths.
  • Customer-Facing Skills: Strong verbal and written communication skills, with experience defending technical designs to government representatives and training technical end-users.
Preferred Qualifications
  • Live-Production Incident Response: Hands-on experience managing incident response lifecycles and resolving critical control-plane or etcd failures within live, high-scale production systems.
  • Telemetry-Driven Debugging: Advanced capability in utilizing telemetry, API server audit logs, distributed tracing, and metrics to perform root-cause analysis and resolve complex issues in live production environments.

Salary Range: $100,000 - $330,000
We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.