DevOps Engineer

Exostar is seeking a infrastructure engineer who builds and ships. This is not a role for someone who hands off design documents or lives only in architecture diagrams. You’ll support production infrastructure across AWS, Azure, and on-prem environments, troubleshoot real issues, optimize underperforming systems, and automate work so teams can move faster. Deep infrastructure expertise comes first. We encourage engineers to leverage AI-assisted engineering tools to accelerate infrastructure development, automation, troubleshooting, and documentation. Experience with Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, or similar tools is beneficial, but infrastructure expertise and operational problem-solving are the primary qualifications for success. This is a hands-on engineering role. Expect approximately 80% of your time to be spent building, automating, troubleshooting, and improving infrastructure across AWS, Azure, and on-prem environments, with limited meeting overhead. Responsibilities: Your day if you join us:What You'll BuildInfrastructure as Code at ScaleInfrastructure-as-code solutions supporting AWS, Azure, and on-prem environments using Terraform and/or CloudFormation—networking, compute, storage, identity, databases, monitoringAI-assisted Terraform module generation with automated testing, documentation, and compliance validationState management patterns for multi-environment deployments (dev/QA/staging/prod) with proper isolationDrift detection and remediation automation—catch what changed and fix it before it becomes an incidentDatabase Engineering & PerformanceSupport SQL Server, Azure SQL, MySQL, and AWS RDS performance—query optimization, index strategies, execution plan analysisZero/Minimal- downtime database migrations with automated rollback strategies.Stored procedure optimization and refactoring with proper error handling and loggingAutomated maintenance: index rebuilds, statistics updates, consistency checks, backup validationQuery Store analysis and AI-assisted performance troubleshootingAWS & Azure Networking & Hybrid ConnectivityHub-and-spoke and VPC architectures with proper segmentation for FedRAMP and compliance boundaries (AWS and Azure)Private Link configurations, DNS forwarding, and service endpoint strategiesAWS Direct Connect and Azure ExpressRoute, VPN connectivity for hybrid scenariosAzure Firewall and NSG policies with AI-assisted rule generation and auditZScaler integration and troubleshooting for secure internet egressAutomation & ScriptingPowerShell modules for Azure resource management, database operations, reporting, and remediationBash scripts for Linux workloads and CI/CD pipeline integrationPython utilities for API integrations, data processing, and custom toolingAI-assisted script generation with proper error handling, logging, and testingOperational ExcellenceAzure Monitor, Log Analytics, and Application Insights configurationsDatabase and infrastructure alerting that's actionable, not noiseRunbooks and automation for common remediation tasksCost analysis and optimization—Reserved Instances, right-sizing, orphaned resourcesQualifications: You are a great fit for this role if you:Required:5+ years hands-on infrastructure experience across cloud and/or on-prem environments (AWS, Azure, or hybrid)Strong SQL Server / Azure SQL / AWS RDS skills: query optimization, index tuning, execution plans, stored proceduresStrong Terraform and/or CloudFormation experience: modules, workspaces, remote state, provider configurationStrong PowerShell: Azure modules, SQL Server modules, REST API calls, error handling, module developmentWindows Server administration: operational and administration experience in cloud and hybrid environmentsAWS and Azure networking depth: VPCs, Direct Connect, VNets, peering, Private Link, DNS, NSGs, routing, hybrid connectivityExperience with or openness to AI-assisted engineering tools (Claude Code, Copilot, Cursor) to improve speed and qualityGit workflows: branching strategies, PR reviews, merge conflict resolutionExperience with FedRAMP, CMMC, or similar compliance frameworksComfortable debugging production issues under pressure—databases, networking, or infrastructureDue to customer requirements, U.S. Citizenship is required. Ability to gain and maintain Trusted Role is required.Preferred Qualifications:You are exactly who we are looking for if you:Azure certifications (AZ-104, AZ-305, AZ-500, DP-300)Experience with database migrations, version control for schema changes (Flyway, Liquibase, or similar)Bicep experience in addition to TerraformGitHub Actions or Azure DevOps pipeline developmentPython scripting for automation and toolingExperience with Azure PIM, Conditional Access, and identity governanceContainer platforms: AKS, Container Apps, DockerBackground in defense, aerospace, or highly regulated industriesLocation: Cincinnati, OH, Herndon, VA, Hybrid(3x/week) What Sets You ApartYou've already changed how you work because of AI tools. You don't just use autocomplete—you've figured out how to prompt for entire infrastructure patterns, optimize complex SQL queries, and iterate faster than you ever could manually. You have opinions about which AI tools work best for different tasks.You prefer automation over manual effort. When you see a team doing something repetitive, your instinct is to automate it. When you see documentation that's out of date, you think about how to generate it from the source of truth.You can context-switch. Monday might be debugging a DNS forwarding issue. Tuesday might be optimizing a slow stored procedure. Wednesday might be writing a Terraform module for a new service. Thursday might be helping a developer understand why their app can't reach a database. You're comfortable across the stack.Why ExostarWe build trust infrastructure for defense contractors. FedRAMP Moderate certified, CMMC compliant, serving aerospace and defense supply chains. The work matters—our platforms enable secure collaboration across thousands of organizations in the defense industrial base.The environment: Azure Government and Commercial, complex networking with hybrid connectivity, SQL Server databases that need to perform under load, real compliance requirements (not checkbox security), and a team that's actively adopting AI tools for development. We're rolling out Claude Code to 100+ developers. We're building with AI, not just talking about it.The challenges are real: Service Bus queues that need to handle thousands of messages without crashing, DNS forwarding that has to work across multiple tenants, database queries that auditors will scrutinize, stored procedures that need to run in milliseconds not seconds. If you want interesting problems, we have them.We believe in employee development: we promote internally and provide training and educational assistanceWe provide a fun, engaged workplace, with social and community-building eventsWe offer comprehensive benefits and flexible time off plans Exostar is an Equal Employment Employer. The company provides equal employment opportunities to all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, disability status or genetic information. Exostar is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all persons in all facets of employment including recruiting, hiring, compensation, promotion, training, benefits, transfers and working conditions.