Senior DevOps Build Engineer
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Summary
Design and maintain CI/CD pipelines and build automation for defense systems, ensuring secure, reproducible artifacts using GitLab, Docker, and AWS.
Who We Are
At Firestorm, we are building the future of expeditionary defense manufacturing and autonomous systems. Modern conflict has exposed a fundamental problem: the systems needed most by operators are often too expensive, too slow to produce, and too difficult to sustain at scale. Firestorm exists to change that.
We develop mission-adaptable aerial systems and deployable manufacturing infrastructure designed to put capability directly into the hands of the warfighter. From modular unmanned aircraft to xCell -- our deployable microfactory -- our goal is to make defense systems rapidly deployable, adaptable, and producible at the point of need.
We are looking for builders, operators, and problem-solvers who want to work on meaningful technology with real-world impact.
About the Role
Firestorm Labs is seeking an experience Senior DevOps Build Engineer to join our growing team in San Diego. The DevOps Build Engineer owns the build and release engineering function that turns source code into secure, reproducible, deployable artifacts across our defense and government contract programs. This role designs and maintains CI/CD pipelines, build automation, and artifact management systems, and partners closely with development teams to deliver fast, reliable, and auditable builds.
This position sits at the intersection of software engineering and platform operations, with a focus on developer experience, build performance, and release integrity. The DevOps Build Engineer will standardize how software is compiled, packaged, versioned, and promoted across unclassified and controlled unclassified environments, and will help bake security and compliance checks directly into the build process.
What You’ll Do
- Design, build, and maintain CI/CD pipelines (GitLab CI, GitHub Actions, or Jenkins) that compile, test, package, and publish software across multiple programs.
- Own build automation and release engineering end to end — reproducible builds, semantic versioning, dependency management, and promotion across environments.
- Manage artifact repositories and container registries (Artifactory, Nexus, ECR/ACR), including retention, access control, and provenance.
- Develop and maintain build tooling and scripts (Bash, Python, Make, Bazel, or Gradle) to standardize and accelerate builds across teams.
- Optimize build performance through caching, parallelization, and incremental build strategies to reduce cycle time and cost.
- Integrate automated security and quality gates into pipelines (SAST, SCA, dependency scanning, SBOM generation) and surface actionable results to developers.
- Build and maintain container images and base image pipelines, keeping them patched, hardened, and compliant.
- Automate infrastructure and build-environment provisioning using infrastructure-as-code (Terraform).
- Partner with development, security, and compliance teams to deliver self-service tooling and generate audit and compliance evidence from the pipeline.
- Maintain documentation, runbooks, and standards for build and release processes across the organization.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field — or equivalent hands-on experience.
- 8+ years of experience in build/release engineering, DevOps, or software infrastructure roles.
- Hands-on experience designing and maintaining CI/CD pipelines with tools such as GitLab CI, GitHub Actions, or Jenkins.
- Strong scripting and automation skills in Python and Bash.
- Experience with artifact and dependency management (Artifactory, Nexus, or equivalent) and container registries.
- Proficiency with Git-based version control and branching/release workflows.
- Working knowledge of containerization (Docker)
- Experience with at least one major cloud provider (AWS or Azure).
- U.S. Citizenship and ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance
Preferred Qualifications
- DevSecOps experience — integrating SAST/DAST/SCA scanning, software supply chain security, SBOM generation, and artifact signing (Cosign/Sigstore) into build pipelines.
- Hands-on Kubernetes experience (EKS, AKS, or self-managed), including Helm-based packaging and container orchestration.
- Experience with GitOps workflows and tooling (ArgoCD or Flux).
- Hands on experience with the Conan C/C++ package manager, YOCTO, including custom recipes and remote artifact caching.
- Experience operating in AWS GovCloud, Azure Government, or IL4/IL5 environments.
- Familiarity with DoD and federal compliance frameworks (NIST 800-53, NIST 800-171, CMMC, FedRAMP, DFARS).
- Active Secret or Top Secret security clearance.
Work Environment
- This role is based in San Diego, CA.
- We welcome candidates who are local or open to relocating; relocation assistance is available and may be included in the offer package where appropriate.
Compensation
US Salary Range: $150,000 – $175,000 USD
The posted salary range reflects an estimate based on a variety of compensation factors, including but not limited to relevant experience, education, certifications, specialized skills, geographic location, and business needs. Actual compensation may vary, and this range is subject to change as our compensation structure or market conditions evolve.
Benefits & Perks
Our culture fosters collaboration, respect, and trust, empowering passionate people to do their best work. We offer a competitive salary, comprehensive benefits, and opportunities for career growth. In addition to an opportunity to take part in an innovative, collaborative and fast-growing business with a highly motivated and skilled team, we also take pride in taking care of our employees. Here are just a few ways that we show our appreciation:
- We offer comprehensive medical, dental, and visions plans
- 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan to invest in your long-term retirement goals
- Equity grants for new hires
- Unlimited PTO
- Extremely generous company holiday calendar, including a holiday hiatus in July & December.
- Generous Parental Leave
- Lifestyle Spending Account
- FSA
- DCFSA
- HSA
- Hospital Indemnity insurance
- Critical Illness insurance
- Accident insurance
- Basic Life/AD&D, short-term and long-term disability insurance, 100% covered by Firestorm. Plus, the option to purchase additional life insurance for you and your family.
- Mental Health Resources: We provide free mental health resources 24/7 including therapy and more. Additional work-life services, such as free legal and financial support, are available to you as well.
Export Control Compliance
To conform to U.S. government export control regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR), you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or otherwise eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State or U.S. Department of Commerce.
Equal Opportunity Statement
Firestorm is an equal opportunity employer, committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace, and upholding equitable hiring practices. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic under federal, state, or local law, including those with a criminal history, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the CA Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. We actively encourage members of recognized minorities, women, Veterans, and those with disabilities to apply, and we work to create a welcoming and supportive environment for all applicants throughout the interview process.
Firestorm is committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible work environment. If you require accommodations or assistance during the application process, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at careers@launchfirestorm.com so we can provide the support you need.
Skills
- AKS
- Argo CD
- Artifactory
- Automation
- AWS
- Azure
- Bash
- CI/CD
- Cloud
- Cmmc
- Containerization
- C++
- DAST
- Developer Experience
- DevOps
- DevSecOps
- Dfars
- Docker
- EKS
- Fedramp
- Flux
- Git
- GitHub
- GitHub Actions
- GitLab
- GitOps
- Gradle
- Helm
- Infrastructure as Code
- Itar
- Jenkins
- Kubernetes
- Nist
- Python
- SAST
- Terraform
- Version Control