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Entry Level Reliability Engineer Jobs in Washington

DevOps Engineer

Chantilly, VA

$54 - $74/hr

Work with site reliability engineers to ensure the continuous delivery of services within ... Experience developing in an Agile environment Level: Entry Level - SME Clearance: Active security ...

DevOps Engineer

Chantilly, VA · On-site

$54 - $74/hr

Work with site reliability engineers to ensure the continuous delivery of services within ... Experience developing in an Agile environment Level: Entry Level - SME Clearance: Active security ...

DevOps Engineer

Chantilly, VA · On-site

$54 - $74/hr

Work with site reliability engineers to ensure the continuous delivery of services within ... Experience developing in an Agile environment Level: Entry Level - SME Clearance: Active security ...

Support end users, software developers, and site reliability engineers by developing documentation ... Experience developing in an Agile environment Level: Entry Level - SME Clearance: Active security ...

Support end users, software developers, and site reliability engineers by developing documentation ... Experience developing in an Agile environment Level: Entry Level - SME Clearance: Active security ...

Support end users, software developers, and site reliability engineers by developing documentation ... Experience developing in an Agile environment Level: Entry Level - SME Clearance: Active security ...

Junior DevOps Engineer

Annapolis, MD · On-site

$52.25 - $71.50/hr

This entry-level role is ideal for a recent college graduate with strong foundations in software ... Collaborate with development teams to optimize application performance and reliability.

This entry-level role is ideal for a recent college graduate with strong foundations in software ... Collaborate with development teams to optimize application performance and reliability.

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Entry Level Reliability Engineer information

See Washington salary details

$69.1K

$133.6K

$159.7K

How much do entry level reliability engineer jobs pay per year?

As of May 28, 2026, the average yearly pay for entry level reliability engineer in Washington is $133,616.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $116,100.00 and $146,100.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an Entry Level Reliability Engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Entry Level Reliability Engineer, you need a background in engineering (such as mechanical, electrical, or industrial), strong analytical skills, and a basic understanding of reliability principles and failure analysis. Familiarity with tools like reliability modeling software, root cause analysis methods, and Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) is commonly expected. Attention to detail, effective communication, and a collaborative mindset are standout soft skills in this role. These competencies are vital for ensuring equipment reliability, minimizing downtime, and supporting continuous improvement initiatives in technical environments.

What types of projects and responsibilities can an Entry Level Reliability Engineer expect during their first year on the job?

As an Entry Level Reliability Engineer, you will typically start by supporting senior engineers in collecting and analyzing equipment performance data, conducting root cause analyses for failures, and assisting with preventive maintenance planning. You may be tasked with monitoring asset health, updating reliability databases, and participating in team meetings to discuss improvement strategies. Over time, you’ll take on more independent projects, such as developing reliability models or leading smaller failure investigations, which helps build your technical expertise and teamwork skills. This collaborative environment offers valuable exposure to different engineering disciplines and sets a strong foundation for career advancement.

What does an Entry Level Reliability Engineer do?

An Entry Level Reliability Engineer helps ensure that products, systems, or processes operate reliably and meet quality standards. They assist in analyzing failure data, identifying root causes of issues, and working with senior engineers to improve designs or maintenance procedures. Their tasks often include running tests, collecting data, and maintaining documentation. Entry level roles focus on learning industry standards and supporting projects that enhance reliability and performance.

Is SRE higher than DevOps?

Reliability Engineers (SREs) and DevOps engineers have overlapping roles focused on system reliability and automation, but SREs typically have a more specialized focus on service reliability, monitoring, and incident response, often working with tools like Prometheus and Kubernetes. DevOps engineers generally focus on continuous integration, deployment, and infrastructure automation. The hierarchy depends on the organization, but SREs are often seen as a more senior or specialized role within reliability and operations teams.

What are the 4 pillars of SRE?

The four pillars of Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) are availability, latency, performance, and efficiency. These pillars guide SREs, including reliability engineers, in designing and maintaining scalable, reliable systems by focusing on monitoring, automation, and incident response. Mastery of these areas helps ensure system stability and optimal user experience.

What is the difference between Entry Level Reliability Engineer vs Maintenance Technician?

AspectEntry Level Reliability EngineerMaintenance Technician
Required CredentialsBachelor's in engineering or related field; certifications like Certified Reliability Engineer (CRE) beneficialHigh school diploma or technical training; certifications like HVAC, electrical, or mechanical licenses
Work EnvironmentOffice and plant floor; data analysis and equipment monitoringPrimarily plant floor; hands-on equipment repair and maintenance
Employer & Industry UsageManufacturing, energy, aerospace; focus on system reliability and performanceManufacturing, facilities, industrial plants; focus on equipment upkeep
Common Search & ComparisonYesYes

The Entry Level Reliability Engineer focuses on analyzing data, improving system reliability, and preventing failures, often requiring a degree in engineering. In contrast, Maintenance Technicians perform hands-on repairs and routine maintenance. While both roles support operational efficiency, the Reliability Engineer emphasizes analysis and planning, whereas the Technician emphasizes direct equipment repair.

What are the most commonly searched types of Reliability Engineer jobs in Washington? The most popular types of Reliability Engineer jobs in Washington are:
What job categories do people searching Entry Level Reliability Engineer jobs in Washington look for? The top searched job categories for Entry Level Reliability Engineer jobs in Washington are:
What cities in Washington are hiring for Entry Level Reliability Engineer jobs? Cities in Washington with the most Entry Level Reliability Engineer job openings:

Infrastructure Engineer - Early Career

Northwood Space

Washington, DC • On-site

$121.70K - $159.60K/yr

Other

This job post has expired today. Applications are no longer accepted.


Job description

Infrastructure Engineer — Early Career

Entry-level role on the Northwood Infrastructure team. Broad exposure across the stack with guided growth into one or more areas of depth.

Responsibilities

  • Learn the Northwood stack in depth — AWS, Terraform, Kubernetes, Vault, observability, networking — and identify one or more areas to go deeper in over time.
  • Execute scoped infrastructure tasks. With guidance from senior engineers, execute work that is reviewed and merged without significant rework.
  • Contribute to infrastructure as code, CI/CD pipelines, observability configuration, and operational tooling across the stack.
  • Shadow on-call rotations. Triage incidents and escalate as needed to senior engineers.
  • Participate in post-incident reviews to build operational judgment.
  • Write clear runbooks, component docs, and design notes for work you own. Documentation is part of the deliverable.
  • Pair with senior engineers on larger projects to build pattern recognition for how infrastructure decisions are made and tradeoffs evaluated.

Basic Qualifications

  • 0-2 years of professional experience in infrastructure, platform, DevOps, SRE, networking, or systems engineering.
  • Strong interest in infrastructure engineering and a clear willingness to go deep on one or more facets of the stack.
  • Working familiarity with Linux, networking, and at least one major cloud provider.
  • Some experience with infrastructure as code (Terraform, CloudFormation, Pulumi, or similar) and version control with Git.
  • Comfortable reading and writing code in at least one language (Python, Go, Bash, or similar).
  • Strong written communication. Able to describe problems, document work, and ask good questions.

Preferred Qualifications

A demonstrated interest in one or more of the following through coursework, side projects, prior internships, or homelab work. We're looking for genuine curiosity and a track record of following through on learning.

  • Networking — enterprise, site, or core (Routing, VPNs, firewalls, switching)
  • Security engineering — Vault, identity and access management, SIEM, hardening
  • Compliance — CMMC, FedRAMP, NIST 800-171, ITAR
  • Observability — Prometheus or VictoriaMetrics, Grafana, log pipelines
  • App platform — Kubernetes, Podman, ArgoCD, GitOps
  • CI/CD — pipeline design, scanning and linting, release engineering
  • Cloud architecture — AWS, GovCloud, Cloudflare
  • On-prem and edge — bringing up systems in remote or austere environments

Additional Information

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Northwood is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Northwood is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.