DevOps Engineer

About the Role

The Sphinx Space Communications team is a small, engineering focused team that prioritizes delivering quality products and learning from each other. The team is distributed across the US, with a strong culture that balances independence with collaboration. Expect talented, motivated, and interesting colleagues who are always looking to learn from each other.

Sphinx is hiring a DevOps Engineer to join our team building a cutting edge communications platform for US government satellites. We're looking for an experienced DevOps Engineer to help take our build and deployment automation to the next level. As a DevOps Engineer you will help build the development and deployment infrastructure used by our Space Communications team, which provides infrastructure for a wide variety of US Government satellites. As an early hire on a small team, you will have an outsized role in determining what we build and how we work.

What You'll Be Focusing on

• Maintain and support existing AWS-based Kubernetes infrastructure and services.
• Ensure platform reliability, availability, and security across cloud environments.
• Develop and maintain GitLab CI/CD pipelines to support software delivery.
• Build and maintain Terraform modules and infrastructure-as-code solutions.
• Create and manage Helm charts for Kubernetes application deployments.
• Troubleshoot infrastructure, platform, and application issues across AWS and Kubernetes environments.
• Manage AWS IAM permissions and cross-account access configurations.
• Partner with software and platform engineering teams to support operational needs and platform improvements.
• Continuously improve system performance, automation, observability, and operational efficiency.

We're Looking for a Track Record of the Following

• Experience maintaining and supporting production AWS-based Kubernetes (EKS) environments.
• Experience writing, maintaining, and optimizing GitLab CI/CD pipelines.
• Experience developing and maintaining Infrastructure as Code using Terraform.
• Experience creating, deploying, and maintaining Helm charts for Kubernetes applications.
• Strong understanding of AWS IAM, role-based access controls, and cross-account access management.
• Experience troubleshooting applications and services running in AWS and Kubernetes environments.
• Proficiency with Python or Go for automation, tooling, and operational support.
• Experience maintaining highly available cloud infrastructure while meeting performance, reliability, and security requirements.
• Ability to support cross-functional engineering teams and respond to operational issues as needed.
• Strong communication skills and a collaborative approach to problem solving.

You Might Be a Good Fit If

• You have hands-on production experience with AWS, Kubernetes (EKS), Terraform, and GitLab CI/CD.
• You have several years of experience operating and maintaining cloud-native infrastructure.
• You are comfortable writing automation and tooling in Python or Go.
• You have experience managing Kubernetes deployments using Helm.
• You understand AWS IAM permissions, security best practices, and cross-account architectures.
• You enjoy troubleshooting complex distributed systems and identifying root causes quickly.
• You are comfortable working across multiple teams and supporting a variety of engineering initiatives.
• Experience with tools such as Nexus, GitLab, Okta, NeuVector, Kyverno, Sumo Logic, monitoring platforms, alerting systems, or Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) is a plus.
• You thrive in remote environments and communicate effectively with teammates across distributed teams.
• You have the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government TS/SCI clearance.

Location

This role is a hybrid role based in Colorado Springs, CO that offers flexibility while supporting collaboration on classified work. This role will require onsite work as needed to support secure program requirements.

Compensation & Benefits

• This role is between $140,000 - $170,000 base salary.
• Quarterly bonus structure
• Equity ownership in the company
• 100% Premium coverage for medical, dental, and vision for you and dependents
• Health Savings Accounts
• Life Insurance
• 401k employer contribution plan
• Flexible paid time off policy
• Flexible work/remote work policy

Clearance Eligibility

This position requires eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance. For more information about U.S. Security Clearances:

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.