Senior AI Platform Engineer

Peraton Overview

Peraton is a next-generation national security company that drives missions of consequence spanning the globe and extending to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. As the world’s leading mission capability integrator and transformative enterprise IT provider, we deliver trusted, highly differentiated solutions and technologies to protect our nation and allies. Peraton operates at the critical nexus between traditional and nontraditional threats across all domains: land, sea, space, air, and cyberspace. The company serves as a valued partner to essential government agencies and supports every branch of the U.S. armed forces. Each day, our employees do the can’t be done by solving the most daunting challenges facing our customers. Visit peraton.com to learn how we’re keeping people around the world safe and secure.

Responsibilities

The Senior AI Platform Engineer will stand up and operate a bare-metal container platform, support a feasibility assessment of all platform technologies, and drive the transition towards infrastructure-as-code managed provisioning using Terraform and Ansible. This individual will work in a bare-metal-first environment while actively reducing reliance on manual installs over time, and will support core platform services and OCONUS bootstrap activities.

This role is flexible for occasional telework however, candidates must be within 50 miles to the following work locations:   Ft. Meade, MD.

Other Responsibilities Include:

• Deploy, configure, and operate large language models (LLMs), and integrate approved frontier AI models and services into enterprise environments
• Optimize model inference and deployment configurations to improve response times, throughput, and GPU/memory utilization while maintaining output quality
• Monitor, troubleshoot, and maintain model-serving environments, including model updates, API connectivity, and supporting infrastructure
• Transition platform provisioning from manual/bare-metal installs toward a fully IaC-managed model
• Install, configure, and operate bare-metal OpenShift (or equivalent enterprise Kubernetes distribution) clusters
• Design and implement infrastructure-as-code provisioning using Terraform and Ansible for platform and VM orchestration
• Support the objective feasibility assessment of OpenShift versus Spectro Cloud, documenting licensing tradeoffs, operability, and long-term sustainability considerations
• Deploy and support core platform services including authoritative DNS (e.g., PowerDNS)
• Implement and enforce STIGs and cybersecurity compliance requirements on platform infrastructure
• Monitor platform health, performance, and capacity using observability tools; manage platform logging and alerting
• Support OCONUS hardware bootstrap activities including physical hardware installation and configuration
• Document platform architecture, configuration decisions, and operational procedures

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Minimum of 12 years with BS/BA; Minimum of 10 years with MS/MA; Minimum of 7 years with Ph.D, or  minimum 16 years with no degree.
• Experience with platform/systems/integration engineering 
• Hands-on Kubernetes-based container platform experience
• US Citizenship
• Active DoD Secret clearance
• DoD 8570/8140 compliant certification
• Practical experience deploying and operating AI models, with a foundational understanding of inference and performance tuning
• Hands-on experience deploying and administering OpenShift (or another enterprise Kubernetes distribution) on bare metal
• Infrastructure-as-code proficiency, specifically Terraform and Ansible, for provisioning and configuration management
• Working knowledge of virtualization/cloud orchestration platforms (Spectro Cloud, VMware, or equivalent)
• Understanding of container platform architecture: networking (CNI), storage (CSI), cluster security, and lifecycle management
• Ability to document platform architecture, licensing tradeoffs, and operational considerations
• Strong Linux administration skills (RHEL)
• Must have regular/recurring physical access to a DISA SIPR-accredited facility
• Working understanding of agentic platform modeling/hosting/services

Preferred Qualifications:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Excellent writing and grammatical skills
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
• Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) or Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD)
• HashiCorp Certified: Terraform Associate
• Experience with GitOps workflows (e.g., ArgoCD, Flux) for platform configuration management
• Experience bootstrapping platforms in disconnected or OCONUS environments including physical hardware installation

Target Salary Range

$146,000 - $234,000. This represents the typical salary range for this position. Salary is determined by various factors, including but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the individual’s experience, education, knowledge, skills, and competencies, as well as geographic location and business and contract considerations. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay.

Benefits Statement

Peraton offers eligible employees a variety of benefits including medical, dental, vision, life, health savings account, short/long term disability, EAP, parental leave, 401(k), paid time off (PTO) for vacation, and company paid holidays. A full listing of available benefits can be viewed at https://www.careers.peraton.com/benefits.

Application Statements

The application period for the job is estimated to be 30 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates. By applying to this job, you are expressing interest in the role and the Company. During the review of your application, you may be required to participate in an on-camera interview, as well as participate in a process to verify your identity. Use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools of any kind during Peraton interviews is strictly prohibited unless the candidate has obtained prior written authorization. All interview responses must be the candidate’s own.

EEO

EEO: Equal opportunity employer, including disability and protected veterans, or other characteristics protected by law.