Platform Engineer

MANTECH seeks a motivated, career and customer-oriented Platform Engineer to join our team in Chantilly, VA.

The Platform Engineer will support mission-critical data operations by designing, building, and optimizing large-scale data ingest and processing solutions in a Big Data environment. In this role, you will enable reliable, performant Elastic clusters and data pipelines that support analytic and operational needs across the full data lifecycle.

You will own the Elasticsearch cluster lifecycle, build and maintain GitLab and Jenkins CI/CD pipelines, support enterprise RHEL hardware, and lead innovative efforts to integrate next-generation technologies.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Designing, implementing, and optimizing large-scale data ingest and processing systems in a Big Data environment
• Installing, configuring, upgrading, and maintaining on-premises Elasticsearch clusters, including routine cluster health checks, shard allocation, index maintenance, and custom dashboard development for performance tuning and capacity planning
• Designing, writing, and maintaining SaltStack states, pillars, and orchestration workflows to automate server provisioning, configuration compliance, and patch management across on-premises RHEL servers
• Building and maintaining end-to-end CI/CD pipelines in GitLab CI and Jenkins that integrate automated builds, artifact publishing, and system deployments
• Developing automation scripts in Bash, PowerShell, and Python for ad-hoc operational tasks, bulk provisioning, and monitoring plug-in development
• Leading the integration of third-party software, prototyping emerging technologies through Proof-of-Concept initiatives, and establishing migration paths that minimize operational impact
• Producing high-quality run-books, SOPs, architectural diagrams, and technical documentation in Confluence and Markdown while collaborating across engineering teams, vendors, and stakeholders

Minimum Qualifications:

• High School Diploma/GED with 4+ years of progressively responsible experience in platform engineering, data engineering, software development, or systems administration
• 2+ years of hands-on experience administering and patching RHEL/CentOS Linux servers in production, including server provisioning, configuration compliance, and hardware troubleshooting
• 2+ years of proven experience writing and maintaining SaltStack states, pillars, and orchestration workflows (or comparable IaC tools such as Ansible, Chef, or Puppet)
• Demonstrated experience installing, configuring, upgrading, and troubleshooting Elasticsearch clusters, including Kibana, Beats, and Elastic Stack security features
• Experience building and maintaining end-to-end CI/CD pipelines using GitLab CI, Jenkins, or similar automation tools to publish artifacts and drive automated deployments
• Strong scripting experience and proficiency in Bash, Python, or PowerShell for workflow automation, bulk provisioning, and monitoring plug-in development
• Experience integrating third-party software into existing infrastructure and producing comprehensive technical documentation, run-books, and SOPs in Confluence or Markdown

Preferred Qualifications:

• Advanced experience with large-scale Elasticsearch deployments, cluster health optimization, and multi-node scaling
• Advanced proficiency in Configuration Management and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) utilizing SaltStack, Ansible, or Puppet
• Practical knowledge of containerization and orchestration technologies, such as Docker and Kubernetes
• Proven experience supporting mission-critical data operations and platform engineering initiatives within secure government environments

Clearance Requirements:

• An active TS/SCI with Polygraph is required for this position.

Physical Requirements:

• Must be able to remain in a stationary position 50% of the time.
• Needs to occasionally move about inside the office to access file cabinets, office machinery, etc.
• Frequently communicates with co-workers, management, and customers, which may involve delivering presentations. Must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations.