Staff Systems Development Engineer (GovOps)

At Databricks, we enable data teams to solve complex problems by building and running the world's best data and AI infrastructure platform. Founded by engineers and customer-obsessed, we focus on solving technical challenges.

As a Staff Systems Development Engineer (GovOps), you will join our Cleared Engineering team in McLean, VA, serving as a technical authority for our platform across GovCloud, FedRAMP High, and air-gapped environments. You will operate as a technical force multiplier, architecting long-term system stability, driving fleet-wide supportability features, and eliminating systemic operational bottlenecks.

Key responsibilities:

• Architect High-Side Platform Reliability: Design end-to-end operational workarounds and resolve complex escalations within air-gapped and GovCloud enclaves.
• Bridge Engineering Boundaries: Act as the lead technical interface and escort between uncleared core engineering teams and secure facilities.
• Drive Fleet-Wide Supportability & Tooling: Author custom diagnostic tools, notebooks, and automated workflows to raise operational efficiency.
• Partner with Core Engineering: Collaborate with Product and Core Engineering leaders to root-cause platform defects and integrate long-term supportability features.
• Lead Critical Incident Response: Anchor high-consequence platform incidents and make authoritative technical calls.
• Uphold & Evolve Compliance Guardrails: Ensure platform interactions and deployment pipelines align with FedRAMP High, ITAR/IL5, and federal security benchmarks.

Requirements:

• Active TS/SCI security clearance.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Systems Engineering, Mathematics, or equivalent practical experience.
• 7+ years of experience in Systems Engineering, Cloud Infrastructure, Senior Support Engineering, DevSecOps, or a related technical operations role.
• Deep expertise in Linux/Unix operating-system internals, networking, process/resource debugging, and distributed systems.
• Hands-on proficiency in Python, Bash, Go, or Java.
• Experience managing, debugging, and operating cloud infrastructure across public or federal cloud boundaries.
• Solid working knowledge of Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) tools and container orchestration mechanics.

Preferred qualifications:

• Active Counterintelligence (CI) or Full Scope Polygraph (FSP).
• Prior experience supporting AWS Worldwide Public Sector (WWPS), isolated defense integration networks, or FedRAMP High / ITAR environments.
• Hands-on experience operating inside low-egress or fully air-gapped networks.

The pay range for this role is $153,400-$210,825 USD.