Zoo Engineer Jobs in Virginia (NOW HIRING)

We are seeking an experienced DevOps Engineer to support the modernization, automation, and deployment of a mission-critical government information system. The ideal candidate will possess strong experience designing and maintaining CI/CD pipelines, managing enterprise infrastructure, and automating deployments across hybrid on-premises and cloud environments.

In this role, you will build and maintain GitLab CI/CD pipelines, manage Nexus Repository, administer Apache Solr clusters with ZooKeeper, and support enterprise applications hosted on Windows Server and VMware infrastructure. You will also help plan and execute migration strategies to AWS while implementing Infrastructure as Code (IaC), configuration management, security automation, and operational monitoring.

The successful candidate will collaborate with software developers, system administrators, database engineers, cybersecurity personnel, and cloud architects to deliver secure, scalable, and reliable enterprise solutions.

Essential Job Functions:

CI/CD & Automation

Design, implement, and maintain GitLab CI/CD pipelines supporting enterprise software development.

Automate software builds, testing, deployments, and release management.

Manage Nexus Repository for artifact storage, dependency management, and software version control.

Develop Infrastructure as Code (IaC) solutions using AWS CloudFormation and/or Terraform.

Improve deployment reliability through automation and continuous integration best practices.

Infrastructure Management

Build, configure, and maintain Apache Solr clusters utilizing ZooKeeper.

Administer Windows Server environments supporting enterprise applications.

Plan and execute infrastructure upgrades with minimal operational disruption.

Support migration from on-premises VMware infrastructure to AWS cloud environments.

Configure and administer AWS services including EC2, VPC, IAM, S3, CloudFormation, and related services.

Monitor infrastructure health, performance, availability, and capacity.

Security & Cloud Operations

Implement security controls across on-premises and AWS cloud environments.

Support secure application deployment and infrastructure hardening.

Develop containerization strategies for Java-based applications.

Implement configuration management and environment consistency across multiple environments.

Support disaster recovery, backup, and system resiliency initiatives.

Troubleshoot infrastructure, deployment, and application issues.

Collaboration & Documentation

Collaborate with software developers, QA engineers, database administrators, infrastructure engineers, and cybersecurity teams.

Develop and maintain deployment documentation, architecture diagrams, and operational procedures.

Participate in change management, release planning, and production deployments.

Recommend improvements to automation, monitoring, scalability, and system reliability.

Required Qualifications

Due to the sensitivity of customer related requirements, U.S. Citizenship is required.

Ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) security clearance.

13+ years of experience in DevOps, Systems Engineering, Cloud Engineering, Information Technology, or a related field.

A Bachelor's degree may substitute for 4 years of experience.

A Master's degree may substitute for 6 years of experience.

Extensive experience designing and maintaining GitLab CI/CD pipelines.

Experience administering Nexus Repository.

Experience building, administering, and upgrading Apache Solr clusters utilizing ZooKeeper.

Strong Windows Server administration experience.

Experience supporting VMware-based enterprise environments.

Strong AWS experience including EC2, VPC, IAM, S3, CloudFormation, and/or Terraform.

Experience implementing Infrastructure as Code (IaC).

Experience automating enterprise software deployments.

Strong troubleshooting and systems integration skills.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Desired Skills:

Active TS/SCI clearance with an in-scope polygraph.

Experience containerizing Java applications using Docker and/or Kubernetes.

Experience with configuration management tools such as Ansible, Chef, or Puppet.

Experience implementing DevSecOps and security automation.

Experience supporting AWS migrations for federal government or Department of Defense systems.

Additional Requirements:

Preferred Work Location: Candidates located in or near Annapolis Junction, Maryland; Washington, D.C.; or Reston, Virginia are preferred.

Telework: This position is eligible for telework in accordance with contract requirements and Government approval. Periodic onsite support at customer locations may be required based on mission needs.

Ability to travel occasionally to customer or program locations as required.

Must maintain all required security clearances and certifications throughout the duration of employment.