Entry Level Automation Engineer Jobs in Virginia

Dark Wolf constructs and deploys data management and analytics solutions for the defense and intelligence communities. We're proud to boast a world-class engineering team that thrives on rolling up their sleeves to solve your mission's biggest challenges.
Dark Wolf is seeking a Junior DevSecOps Engineer to assist in maintaining, operating, and supporting Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) tools and pipelines used by the software development team. In this role, you will work alongside senior engineers to help ensure observability, security, and smooth operational flows across the software development lifecycle.

We are looking for an enthusiastic problem solver with strong foundational skills who is eager to learn, deliver high-quality results, and grow within a fast-paced, collaborative team environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Pipeline Operations Support: Assist in maintaining and operating automated CI/CD pipelines utilizing platforms such as Jenkins and GitLab CI/CD.
• Security Integration: Support the integration of security tools and scanning processes into CI/CD workflows, including static code analysis, dynamic code analysis, and vulnerability scanning.
• Automated Testing Assistance: Help implement and execute automated testing suites, including unit testing, integration testing, and User Acceptance Testing (UAT).
• Vulnerability Remediation: Collaborate with the development team to help identify and remediate security vulnerabilities and weaknesses in deployed applications.
• Security Compliance: Maintain adherence to relevant security regulations, standards, and team operational procedures.
• Mentorship & Growth: Learn and apply Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) and modern DevSecOps tools under the guidance of senior technical team members.

Qualifications:

• Clearance: Must be a US Citizen holding an active TS/SCI security clearance with an active Full-Scope Polygraph.
• Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related technical field.
• Experience: 0–4 years of experience with CI/CD concepts, methodologies, or automated pipeline building (academic projects, internships, or professional experience accepted).
• Infrastructure Automation: Foundational exposure to or basic hands-on experience with automation tools for infrastructure provisioning and configuration management.
• Version Control: Familiarity with version control systems and collaboration tools such as Git, GitLab, and Jira.
• Systems Administration: Basic understanding of Linux systems administration and fundamental networking principles.
• Problem Solving & Communication: Good troubleshooting skills paired with strong communication abilities to discuss technical concepts with teammates.
• Security Protocol Discipline: Commitment to strict security protocols and DevSecOps best practices.

Core Technical Skills for Junior/Entry Level (Recommended foundational skill additions to excel at the Junior level)

• Basic Scripting: Ability to write fundamental scripts in Bash or Python to automate basic administrative tasks.
• Basic Containerization: Fundamental understanding of container concepts (e.g., Docker runtime, basic Dockerfiles).
• Source Control Workflows: Familiarity with standard Git operations (branching, merging, pull/merge requests).
• Linux CLI: Comfort navigating Linux environments, inspecting logs, and managing standard command-line tools.

Desired Qualifications:

• Programming & Scripting: Familiarity with programming languages such as Python, C, or C++.
• Container Technologies: Exposure to containerized software engineering practices and runtimes.
• Agile Engineering: Familiarity with Agile software development practices and methodologies.
• Cloud Exposure: Baseline familiarity with major cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or GCP.
• Scanning Tooling: Exposure to basic security scanning and vulnerability management tools.
• Certifications: Entry-level or professional certifications such as CompTIA Security+, AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner / Developer, or Linux foundation credentials.

Position Clearance Requirement: 

US Citizenship with an active TS/SCI security clearance with Full-Scope Polygraph

Location:  Chantilly/Herndon, VA. 

Target Salary Range: $100,000.00 – $120,000.00 (Commensurate with specialized expertise and technical skillset).

Equal Opportunity Employer:

We are proud to be an EEO/AA employer Minorities/Women/Veterans/Disabled and other protected categories.

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity, confirm US Citizenship, and complete the required employment eligibility verification upon hire.

We are strictly looking for direct, full-time W2 employees. We do not engage with third-party staffing agencies, C2C, or 1099 independent contractors for this role.