Early-Career Platform Engineer - Cloud Engineering, DevOps, Systems Architecture

RTI International is an independent, scientific research institute dedicated to improving the human condition. Our vision is to address the world's most critical problems with technical and science-based solutions in pursuit of a better future. Clients rely on us to answer questions that demand an objective and multidisciplinary approach-one that integrates expertise across social, statistical, data, and laboratory sciences, engineering, and other technical disciplines to solve the world's most challenging problems.

We believe in the promise of science and technical solutions, and we push ourselves every day to deliver on that promise for the good of people, communities, and businesses in the US and around the world. If you are looking for the opportunity to make a real difference, RTI is the place for you.

RTI International's Platform Team serves as a strategic technology enablement group that helps RTI business units deliver secure, scalable, and cost-effective digital solutions. We provide reusable platform patterns through modern cloud & data engineering and operational support services for research computing, analytics, application development, and data-intensive work steams. We work collaboratively with project & software teams as well as infrastructure teams, compliance, and security partners across RTI to reduce one-off technology builds, improve delivery consistency, and help business units bring solutions to market more efficiently.

The Platform Team is currently expanding the shared environments, services, and operational capabilities it develops, operates, and maintains in support of RTI projects and strategic initiatives. These capabilities support a broad range of cloud, application, analytics, and research computing needs, including:

• Research computing and analytics environments
• Kubernetes-based application and platform services
• Secure data enclave and lakehouse architectures
• CI/CD, GitOps, and Infrastructure-as-Code automation
• Cloud cost modeling, observability, and platform operations
• Integrated tools such as JupyterHub, RStudio/Posit, Airflow, REDCap, Stata, Databricks, and custom web applications
  

We have an immediate opportunity for an Early-Career Platform Engineer to join our growing platform team. The successful candidate will work with multidisciplinary teams including platform engineers, software developers, data engineers, security and infrastructure teams, project leaders, and non-technical stakeholders to support, operate, maintain, and enhance existing platform capabilities as well as contribute to the development of new services that support RTI projects and initiatives.

This position is right for you if you:

• Exhibit passion for technology, enjoy working across several projects and systems at the same time, and are energized by building, understanding, maintaining, and troubleshooting complex cloud and platform environments.
• Want to continually learn and apply new technologies, patterns, and practices in cloud engineering, DevOps, research computing, data platforms, and secure application delivery.
• Have experience designing, building, and operating in a cloud computing environment, including the use of Infrastructure-as-Code and automated deployment patterns.
• Have a strong understanding of the software delivery lifecycle using version control, continuous integration/continuous deployment, project tracking tools, automated testing, and operational release practices.
• Are proactive and communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders with varying degrees of technical knowledge.
• Are interested in helping project teams adopt reusable platform patterns that improve delivery speed, compliance readiness, operational consistency, and cost transparency.

This position is based at RTI International's headquarters in Research Triangle Park (RTP), North Carolina, with the potential for a hybrid work arrangement.

The Platform Engineer assists with designs, implements, automates, and supports enterprise platform services that enable scalable, secure, and compliant delivery of research, analytics, and business applications. Supports development and maintenance of cloud-native infrastructure, Kubernetes platforms, CI/CD pipelines, observability solutions, and platform automation capabilities supporting other strategic technology initiatives. Collaborates with application development teams, researchers, security teams, and infrastructure teams to improve platform reliability, operational efficiency, and service delivery.

Responsibilities:

• Supports design, implementation, and operationalization of multi-tenant cloud-native platform services across AWS and Azure.
• Develops and modifies Infrastructure as Code (IaC) solutions using OpenTofu, Terraform, or similar technologies with guidance.
• Utilizes platform security controls, secrets management, identity integration, and policy enforcement capabilities.
• Assists with platform performance, availability, scalability, resiliency, and cost optimization identification and implementation.
• Follows and assists with writing platform engineering standards, reference architectures, operational procedures, and technical documentation.
• Participates with security operations, governance, and application teams to collaborate on platforms infrastructure and security requirements.
• Uses continuous learning and on-hands training to develop skills and experience to perform job duties.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Computer Engineering, Information Systems, or a related field.
• Experience working with open-source frameworks, tools, and applications.
• Foundational knowledge of Kubernetes and container orchestration, gained through education or hands-on experience.
• Proficiency in managing software packages and dependencies.
• Working knowledge of cloud-based storage solutions, such as Amazon S3, EFS, and/or RDS.
• Understanding of Agile development methodologies, DevSecOps practices, and the software development lifecycle (SDLC).
• Strong analytical, critical-thinking, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to evaluate challenges and identify practical solutions.
• Ability to understand and navigate complex technical systems and their interdependencies.
• Ability to support troubleshooting and issue resolution across infrastructure, platform, networking, and application layers.
• Collaborative mindset and ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Strong organizational skills, with the ability to prioritize responsibilities and manage competing demands in a dynamic environment.
• Detail-oriented approach, commitment to quality and accuracy, and a willingness to continuously learn and develop new technical skills.
• To qualify, applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States and should not require, now or in the future, sponsorship for employment visa status(e.g., H-1B visa status, etc.).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Familiarity with cloud-native development and deployment practices, including GitOps, CI/CD pipelines, multi-environment deployments, and GitHub Actions or equivalent workflow automation tools.

• Foundational understanding of Layer 4 and Layer 7 cloud networking concepts, including how they support application connectivity and traffic management.

• Familiarity with authentication, authorization, and identity and access management systems, such as Microsoft Entra ID, Amazon Cognito, or Keycloak.

For San Francisco, CA USA Job Postings Only: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. Further information is availablehere.

RTI accepts applications to our job openings from candidates with criminal histories or conviction records in accordance with all applicable laws, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.

For Applicants in Massachusetts Only:It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

The anticipated pay range for this role is listed below. Our pay ranges represent national averages and may vary by location as a geographic differential may be applied to some locations within the United States. RTI considers multiple factors when making an offer including, for example: established salary range, internal budget, business needs, and education and years of work experience possessed by the applicant. Further, salary is merely one element to our offer.

At RTI, we demonstrate our commitment to rewarding individual and team achievement through a total rewards package. This package includes (among other things) a competitive base salary, a generous paid time off policy, merit based annual increases, bonus opportunities and a robust recognition program. Other benefits include a competitive range of insurance plans (including health, dental, life, and short-term and long-term disability), access to a retirement savings program such as a 401(k) plan, paid parental leave for all parents, financial assistance with adoption expenses or infertility treatments, financial reimbursement for education and developmental opportunities, an employee assistance program, and numerous other offerings to support a healthy work-life balance.