Principal Platform Engineer

Job Description

This is a U.S. based position. All of the programs we support require U.S. citizenship to be eligible for employment. All work must be conducted within the continental U.S.

Who we are:

Raft ( is a customer-obsessed non-traditional small business with a purposeful focus on Distributed Data Systems, Platforms at Scale, and Complex Application Development, with headquarters in Reston, VA. Our range of clients includes innovative federal and public agencies leveraging design thinking, cutting-edge tech stack, and cloud-native ecosystem. We build digital solutions that impact the lives of millions of Americans.

We're looking for an experienced Principal Platform Engineer to support our customers and join our passionate team of high-impact problem solvers.

About the role:

As Principal Platform Engineer, you will collaborate across departments to guide and implement enterprise strategies for our customer. As a key technical advisor, you'll lead the cloud strategy execution by leveraging your expertise and business insights. Additionally, you'll tackle complex issues through critical thinking and hands-on coding, while working closely with various teams to foster strategic solution initiatives.

What we are looking for:

Minimum 7 years of relevant hands-on experience

Experience developing production software leveraging modern languages (including: Java, Python, Go, NodeJS, etc.)

Experience developing containerized services deployed in production on orchestration platforms such as Kubernetes, Mesos, Swarm, etc.

In-depth experience with agile and lean software development philosophies

Demonstrated experience with modern version control systems such as Git, Subversion, Mercurial, etc.

Experience building developer platform services and APIs that scale in production

Experience building production services using Cloud Infrastructure Providers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud

Experience in Identity and Access Lifecycle Management Operations and Controls

Resume demonstrates deep understanding of modern microservices architectures, design patterns, resiliency techniques, and optimizations

Manage, report, and facilitate certification of access for all in-scope resources (including SaaS, AWS, Azure, CSS managed applications, tools, and systems)

Bachelor Degree in computer science, Mathematics, or equivalent technical degree; or equivalent industry experience

Ability to obtain a Security+ within the first 90 days of employment with Raft

Highly preferred:

Knowledge and experience with GovCloud or AWS networking

Proficiency in Hashicorp Vault and Immutable Infrastructure concepts

Experience with Gitlab, its CI/CD pipelines, and familiarity with the CI/CD system landscape

Background in enhancing and managing brownfield environments

A strong advocate for and experienced in Test Driven Development (TDD) practices

Advanced qualifications include a Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, IT, or a related field with extensive experience (10+ years for engineering, 15+ years for IT fields), including 5+ years of guiding junior team members and 4+ years in a leadership role on technical projects

Clearance Requirements:

Active Secret security clearance

Work Type:

Langley AFB, VA

Primary hours will be night shift (2nd and 3rd shift), to include weekends and federal holidays

May require up to 10% travel

Salary Range:

$140,000 - $225,000

The determination of compensation is predicated upon a candidate's comprehensive experience, demonstrated skill, and proven abilities

What we will offer you:

Highly competitive salary

Fully covered healthcare, dental, and vision coverage

401(k) and company match

Take as you need PTO + 11 paid holidays

Education & training benefits

Annual budget for your tech/gadgets needs

Monthly box of yummy snacks to eat while doing meaningful work

Remote, hybrid, and flexible work options

Team off-site in fun places!

Generous Referral Bonuses

And More!

Our Vision Statement:

We bridge the gap between humans and data through radical transparency and our obsession with the mission.

Our Customer Obsession:

We will approach every deliverable like it's a product. We will adopt a customer-obsessed mentality. As we grow, and our footprint becomes larger, teams and employees will treat each other not only as teammates but customers. We must live the customer-obsessed mindset, always. This will help us scale and it will translate to the interactions that our Rafters have with their clients and other product teams that they integrate with. Our culture will enable our success and set us apart from other companies.

How do we get there?

Public-sector modernization is critical for us to live in a better world. We, at Raft, want to innovate and solve complex problems. And, if we are successful, our generation and the ones that follow us will live in a delightful, efficient, and accessible world where out-of-box thinking, and collaboration is a norm.

Raft's core philosophy is Ubuntu: I Am, Because We are. We support our "nadi" by elevating the other Rafters. We work as a hyper collaborative team where each team member brings a unique perspective, adding value that did not exist before. People make Raft special. We celebrate each other and our cognitive and cultural diversity. We are devoted to our practice of innovation and collaboration.

We're an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.