Freelance Developer Operations Engineer Jobs in Lompoc, CA

Space Systems DevOps Engineer
Company: Omitron, Inc.
Location: Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA (on-site, classified)
Reports to: Systems Manager, VandenbergPosition OverviewOmitron is seeking a full-time, mid-level Space Systems DevOps Engineer to serve as the technical bridge between our infrastructure and systems team and the orbital analysts who depend on it, in support of large-scale, mission-critical programs for the Space Domain Awareness/Command and Control (SDA/C2) mission. We are a company rooted in ensuring mission success across flight operations, trajectory design and analysis, software tools for Space Domain Awareness (SDA), and On-Orbit Spaceflight Safety.
In this role you will be embedded directly with the orbital analyst (OA) team while operating with the depth of a systems administrator and the automation discipline of a software engineer. You will translate mission and end-user requirements into concrete infrastructure configuration, tuning, and automation, ensuring the compute, storage, virtualization, and network environment consistently meets the throughput and latency demands of time-sensitive space domain awareness workloads. You will develop and maintain automation and tooling, administer and harden Linux systems in a secured, air-gapped environment, and resolve performance and reliability issues that span the full stack. The work supports the U.S. Space Force's Space Delta 2 and 18th Space Defense Squadron at Vandenberg Space Force Base.
This position is ideal for an engineer who is equally comfortable writing Python automation, diagnosing a storage or network bottleneck, and sitting with an analyst to understand what the mission actually needs from the system.ResponsibilitiesAs a Space Systems DevOps Engineer, you are accountable for:
Embedded Mission Support

• Embed with the orbital analyst team to translate mission and end-user requirements into infrastructure configuration, tuning, and automation.
• Serve as the primary technical liaison between the systems and infrastructure team and analyst mission users, ensuring system behavior meets operational needs and closing the gap between what is deployed and what the mission requires.
• Diagnose and resolve performance bottlenecks spanning compute, storage, network, and virtualization that affect analyst-facing applications and interactive sessions; isolate variables and validate hypotheses with controlled benchmarking before changing production.

Systems and Infrastructure

• Administer, patch, and harden Red Hat Enterprise Linux systems in an air-gapped, DISA STIG-compliant environment (SELinux enforcing, Secure Boot).
• Configure and maintain enterprise virtualization (VMware vSphere/ESXi and VDI) and high-performance shared storage, including kernel, storage-client, and high-throughput network tuning.
• Monitor and maintain critical network services, storage, and infrastructure to ensure availability and performance of mission systems.
• Support vulnerability management and patch remediation in coordination with the ISSE/ISSO, verifying successful deployment of fixes.

DevOps and Software

• Design, build, and maintain CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure-as-code automation for repeatable, auditable deployments in a disconnected environment.
• Develop and maintain Python 3 tooling for monitoring, lifecycle and end-of-life tracking, operational alerting, and routine automation.
• Debug and maintain existing code and data-processing workflows, providing bug fixes and facilitating ongoing development of legacy tooling.
• Conduct peer and code review and maintain clear documentation to ensure code quality, consistency, and long-term maintainability.
• Collaborate with development teams and project managers to deliver high-quality solutions that meet customer needs, and participate in planning and retrospective meetings to improve the delivery process.

Minimum Requirements

• US Citizenship required
• Security Clearance: An active DoD Secret clearance is required. Candidates must be willing to complete a background investigation and application for upgrade to a TS/SCI clearance, if necessary.
• Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of relevant experience.
• Experience:
  • 4+ years of combined experience across systems administration, DevOps, and/or software engineering (or 2+ years with a graduate degree).
  • DoD 8570/8140 IAT Level II certification (e.g., Security+ CE, CCNA-Security), or the ability to obtain one within a defined onboarding period.
  • Strong proficiency with Linux operating systems, including command-line administration, performance optimization, and troubleshooting.
  • Proficiency in Python 3 scripting and automation, with a track record of delivering efficient, maintainable code.
  • Experience with version control systems such as Git, and familiarity with CI/CD concepts and workflows.
  • Familiarity with virtualization (VMware, Red Hat, or similar) and core storage and networking fundamentals.

Preferred Qualifications

• 8+ years of combined experience across systems administration, DevOps, and/or software engineering, of which 2+ years are in a DoD, USAF, or USSF mission environment.
• Experience administering and hardening systems to DISA STIG / RMF standards (SELinux, Secure Boot, air-gapped operations).
• Experience tuning enterprise storage and high-throughput networking for high-performance or latency-sensitive workloads.
• Familiarity with configuration management and automation frameworks such as Ansible.
• Experience with enterprise virtualization and VDI (VMware vSphere / ESXi / Horizon).
• Familiarity with Python numerical and scientific libraries such as NumPy, Pandas, Matplotlib, and SciPy.
• Familiarity with monitoring and observability and messaging tooling (e.g., Grafana, message brokers).
• Proficiency in Linux shell scripting; familiarity with Perl a plus for maintaining legacy tooling.
• Understanding of parallel programming concepts such as multiprocessing, multithreading, or async.
• Understanding of DevOps principles and agile methodologies (Scrum or Kanban).
• Knowledge of the Space Domain Awareness/Command and Control (SDA/C2) mission.

Working Relationships

• Reports to: Systems Manager, Vandenberg.
• Collaborates with: Site orbital analysts, systems administrators, and network administrators across the Vandenberg team.
• Customer Interface: 18 SDS mission operators and government technical leadership, and Prime program personnel, as delegated.

Schedule and Environment

• On-site position in a secured classified facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA, supporting the 18th Space Defense Squadron.
• Primarily standard business hours; periodic support outside normal business hours may be required to support mission operations and high-interest events.

Company OverviewOmitron is an Aerospace Engineering and Information Technology small business firm headquartered in Beltsville, Maryland with a field office located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Since 1984, Omitron has provided excellence in engineering services and product development to government and industry customers for both civilian and military aerospace programs.
Omitron recognizes that outstanding people are the key to our success. Our goal is to select highly qualified and motivated individuals and provide them with an environment necessary to stimulate and nurture engineering and business objectives. Omitron offers its employees competitive salaries, a full benefits package, and excellent career growth opportunities. We welcome talented professionals who wish to take advantage of the opportunities we offer.
At Omitron, we believe that a workplace that fosters innovation and collaboration will be a successful one. We are committed to attracting, developing, and retaining top talent from a broad range of backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences.
Per Title VII, our hiring decisions are made based on qualifications, skills, and experience, in accordance with our commitment to equal opportunity employment and nondiscrimination policies. We welcome all individuals who share our passion for excellence and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.
We also support a workplace where every employee feels valued, respected, and empowered to contribute their best work. Our workplace initiatives are open to all and designed to create a culture of belonging for everyone.Compensation and BenefitsThe salary range for this role is $130,000 to $170,000, depending on relevant experience, location, and other factors.
Benefits include:

• Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• HSA or FSA accounts
• Company-paid Short-Term/Long-Term Disability and AD&D insurance
• Paid Federal Holidays
• Paid Vacation and Sick Leave
• Parental Leave
• 401(k) with company match
• Supplemental insurance options (AFLAC, Voluntary Life)
• Professional Development Reimbursement

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