Principal Devops Engineer Jobs in Colorado
Principal Devops Engineer jobs in Colorado are concentrated in Denver, Boulder, and Colorado Springs, where aerospace and defense contractors, tech firms, and public-sector agencies maintain large infrastructure teams. Lockheed Martin, DISH Network, and Palantir Technologies all have established Colorado footprints and consistently hire at the principal level for cloud platform engineering, infrastructure automation, and site reliability. The Colorado market is among the most active in the Mountain West for senior-level devops talent, with demand running strong across container orchestration, CI/CD pipeline architecture, and zero-trust security implementation. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.
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Principal DevOps EngineerAt KBR, we deliver science, technology and engineering solutions to governments and companies around the world. KBR employs approximately 37,000 people worldwide with customers in more than 85 countries and operations in over 28 countries. KBR is proud to work with its customers across the globe to provide technology, value-added services, and long-term operations and maintenance services to ensure consistent delivery with predictable results.
Trinzic is the future independent company to be created through the planned spin-off of KBR's Mission Technology Solutions business, expected in January 2027. Our people work at the frontier of what is possible, delivering solutions in challenging environments and advancing some of the world's highest-priority national security and space missions.
Backed by decades of mission success, deep expertise, and trusted partnerships, Trinzic will launch as a global organization with more than 18,000 employees supporting customers around the world. Join us at a defining moment and help shape the future of a company built to tackle complex challenges and make a meaningful impact.
Candidates who join KBR's Mission Technology Solutions business before the spin-off will transition to Trinzic when the separation is complete and will not need to reapply for employment.
Belong. Connect. Grow. with KBR!
KBR’s National Security Solutions team provides high-end engineering and advanced technology solutions to our customers in the intelligence and national security communities.
Our KBR team in Colorado Springs, CO is seeking a Principal DevOps Engineer. This role is pivotal in integrating cloud technologies with DevOps practices, requiring a blend of technical skills and operational acumen.
As a Principal DevOps Engineer, your contributions will directly impact the success of our projects and the overall business outcomes we aim to achieve.
Why Join Us?
- Innovative Projects: Build the infrastructure that powers Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) prototypes — rapid-prototype cloud environments supporting warfighter capabilities across air, space, and cyber domains. This is a small team where engineers own decisions end-to-end; we value working code and face-to-face collaboration over process. AFRL leads the discovery, development, and integration of affordable warfighting technologies for our air, space, and cyberspace force.
- Collaborative Environment: Our rapid prototyping environment requires that we empower and entrust our engineers to make high level decisions. We live the Agile values, prioritizing development team autonomy, face-to-face communication, and working code over processes and documentation.
- Impactful Work: Your work will directly support the Air Force in expanding national capabilities. As the Air Force's leader for National-to-Tactical capability development, AFRL collaborates with leading experts across the Intelligence Community, Department of Defense, National Laboratories, industry, inter-agency, academia, and partner nations.
Key Responsibilities:
- Within your first year, you will:
- Own the CI/CD pipelines that deliver containerized applications to Azure Government clusters supporting AFRL rapid prototypes — from build to scan to deployment.
- Design and maintain deployments for air-gapped Kubernetes environments, establishing patterns other teams adopt.
- Containerize legacy applications and build the Helm charts that package them for production.
- Architect cloud-native networking and system designs for classified workloads.
- Diagnose and resolve pipeline and deployment issues — you are the team's go-to for Kubernetes troubleshooting.
- Build and deploy helm charts to Kubernetes clusters
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to support a variety of tech stacks
- Technology Ownership:
- Containerization & Orchestration: Kubernetes, Helm, and Zarf
- Cloud Environments: Microsoft Azure Government, Air-Gapped Cloud Platforms
- CI/CD Platforms: GitLab CI
- Security: Anchore, Trivy, Grype, SAST tools
Work Environment:
- Location: Colorado Springs, CO – Onsite
- Travel Requirements: Minimal
- Working Hours: Flexible
Qualifications:
Required:
- Security Clearance: Must have an active U.S. government TS/SCI security clearance, which is something only a U.S. citizen can obtain
- Education: B.S. in Computer Science. Other degrees will be considered with relevant work experience or certification.
- 5+ years building and deploying Kubernetes microservices on cloud platforms (Azure Government preferred)
- Production Kubernetes experience (Helm, container orchestration)
- Proficiency with GitLab CI/CD
- Experience deploying to air-gapped networks
- DoD 8140 / Security+ or equivalent (must obtain within 90 days of start)
- On-site in Colorado Springs, CO (flexible schedule)
- Ability to research and solve complex technical problems independently
Desired:
- Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate (KCNA) certification or similar
- Azure cloud certification
- Familiar with infrastructure-as-code tools (Terraform, PowerShell scripting, Ansible, etc.)
- OAuth2/OIDC/KeyCloak familiarity
- Cert Manager, OpenSSL, and PKI experience
- Experience with Kafka or similar event streaming platforms
- Cloud native application delivery experience
- Experience leading an engineering team
Basic Compensation: $142,000 - $212,900 (For Colorado Springs, CO Only)
The offered rate will be based on the selected candidate’s knowledge, skills, abilities and/or experience and in consideration of internal parity.
Additional Compensation:
KBR may offer bonuses, commissions, or other forms of compensation to certain job titles or levels, per internal policy or contractual designation. Additional compensation may be in the form of a sign on bonus, relocation benefits, short-term incentives, long-term incentives, or discretionary payments for exceptional performance.
Belong, Connect and Grow at KBR
At KBR, we are passionate about our people and our Zero Harm culture. These inform all that we do and are at the heart of our commitment to, and ongoing journey toward being a People First company. That commitment is central to our team of team’s philosophy and fosters an environment where everyone can Belong, Connect and Grow. We Deliver – Together.
KBR is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, union status and/or beliefs, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.
See All 6 Principal Devops Engineer Jobs in Colorado
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Where Colorado roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Principal Devops Engineer Job Market in Colorado
A snapshot from current Colorado openings, updated as new roles post.
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What Colorado Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in principal devops engineer jobs across Colorado.
- At least ten years of devops or infrastructure engineering experience with demonstrated leadership
- Deep expertise in Kubernetes, Terraform, and cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or GCP
- Experience designing and maintaining CI/CD pipelines at enterprise or large-scale production scale
- Strong background in infrastructure-as-code, configuration management, and platform automation
- Ability to obtain or maintain a federal security clearance for Colorado defense and government contractors
- Proficiency in scripting languages such as Python, Bash, or Go for pipeline and tooling development
Principal Devops Engineer Jobs in Colorado: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a principal devops engineer in Colorado?
Principal devops engineer is not a state-licensed role in Colorado, so there is no Colorado-specific exam or registration required. The typical path runs through a computer science, information technology, or related bachelor's degree, followed by progressive infrastructure or platform engineering experience. Certifications from AWS, Google Cloud, HashiCorp, or the Linux Foundation carry real weight with Colorado employers, particularly those in aerospace, defense, and government contracting where demonstrated technical credibility at the architecture level is expected.
How much do principal devops engineers make in Colorado?
Principal devops engineers in Colorado earn a median of about $138,390 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $96,480 for the lowest 10% to over $213,010 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire principal devops engineers in Colorado?
Colorado principal devops engineer roles are posted by Trinzic, Raytheon, and Qualis and others right now, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Colorado's mix of defense contractors, federal agency technology offices, and growth-stage tech companies in the Denver-Boulder corridor means principal-level devops openings appear across a wide range of industries and mission types.
Which Colorado cities have the most principal devops engineer jobs?
Colorado Springs, Aurora, and Boulder have the most principal devops engineer openings in Colorado. Denver anchors the market as the state's primary technology and financial services hub, while Boulder draws cloud-native and software-focused teams, and Colorado Springs is home to a dense cluster of defense contractors and military technology organizations that require senior infrastructure engineers with security clearance eligibility.
Are there remote principal devops engineer jobs in Colorado?
Yes, and more than most fields, since devops work is inherently infrastructure-driven and often fully executable from any location with reliable connectivity. About 67% of principal devops engineer openings tied to Colorado are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, though roles tied to classified government or defense programs typically require on-site presence at a Colorado facility. Cloud platform and SRE-focused positions tend to have the most remote flexibility.
How can I get hired as a principal devops engineer in Colorado with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is through a junior site reliability or systems administrator role at one of Colorado's large technology or defense employers, then building toward senior and staff-level positions over time. Organizations like Lockheed Martin and DISH Network run technical associate programs and hire early-career engineers into infrastructure teams. Earning a cloud certification from AWS or Google Cloud, contributing to open-source infrastructure projects, and building a GitHub portfolio of Terraform or Kubernetes work gives candidates a measurable edge even before accumulating years of professional experience.
Where can I find and apply to principal devops engineer jobs in Colorado?
You can find and apply to principal devops engineer jobs in Colorado on Migrate Mate, which lists current Colorado openings. Search the listings to find roles that match your experience level, technical stack, and preferred location or work arrangement, then apply directly to the ones that fit.
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