Principal Devops Engineer Jobs in Virginia
Principal Devops Engineer jobs in Virginia are among the most active in the country, concentrated in federal IT contracting, defense systems, cloud infrastructure, and cybersecurity across a market that draws candidates at every level from senior engineer to distinguished architect. The heaviest hiring runs through Northern Virginia, Richmond, and the Hampton Roads corridor, where employers like Leidos, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Amazon Web Services maintain deep engineering operations. Platform engineering, Kubernetes orchestration, and FedRAMP compliance automation are the most sought-after specialties right now. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Job Title: Dev Ops Engineer - Mid Level
Location: Winchester, VA - ONSITE - ONE Day in Chantilly, VA
Salary: based on experience on other qualifications. OR 1099 is also available only for individuals NOT C2C scenario, check will be issued in legal name
Clearance: TOP SECRET is a must and job is fully ONSITE
Education: Bachelor's degree with 5+ years of experience
Job description:
We are seeking an experienced Dev Ops Engineer - Mid Level with following job responsibilities:
Deploys and configures services using infrastructure as a service provider (e.g., Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Compute Engine, RackSpace/OpenStack). Configures and manages Linux-based servers to serve a dynamic website. Debugs cluster-based computing
Standard benefits: Our standard benefits include: Our standard benefits include 3 weeks of Paid time off (PTO that includes sick leave). Any unused PTO will be issued as a check at the end of an employee's anniversary with us. we also provide 2 floating and 8 public holidays. Floating and holidays expire at the end of every year of service of an employee. In addition, company will cover 50% of health and dental insurances only for all full time employees, however, dependents can be added at extra cost. Employee's health and dental coverage becomes effective after 30 days or first of the month after an employee completes initial 30 working days, we cover 50% for the employee's health and dental insurances. An employee has to finish all of your paper work for health and dental in the first 30 days of your employment with us. We provide STD, LTD and one time salary equivalent of life insurance at NO cost to all full time employees. All full time employees or w-2 employees with no benefits will be eligible to participate in company's 401k program after 90 days of employment with a company match of 4%, immediate vesting. In addition, all w-2 employees are eligible to be part of company's profit sharing, no employee contributions required.
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Find JobsPrincipal Devops Engineer Jobs by City in Virginia
Where Virginia roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Principal Devops Engineer Job Market in Virginia
A snapshot from current Virginia openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
What Virginia Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in principal devops engineer jobs across Virginia.
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, information systems, or a related engineering discipline
- Ten or more years of devops or site reliability engineering experience with infrastructure at scale
- Deep expertise in Kubernetes, Terraform, and CI/CD pipeline design and governance
- Experience operating in FedRAMP, DoD IL4, or other federal compliance environments
- Active DoD security clearance or eligibility to obtain a Secret or Top Secret clearance
- Demonstrated leadership of devops platform teams and cross-functional engineering organizations
Principal Devops Engineer Jobs in Virginia: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a principal devops engineer in Virginia?
The most direct path in Virginia is building a foundation in systems engineering or software development, then accumulating hands-on infrastructure leadership experience within the federal contracting ecosystem that dominates the state. Virginia does not require a state-issued license for devops engineers, but obtaining a CompTIA Security+, AWS Certified DevOps Engineer, or Certified Kubernetes Administrator credential significantly strengthens candidacy. Many principal-level roles in Northern Virginia also require or strongly prefer candidates who can obtain a federal security clearance.
How much do principal devops engineers make in Virginia?
Principal devops engineers in Virginia earn a median of about $136,460 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $83,350 for the lowest 10% to over $211,930 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire principal devops engineers in Virginia?
Employers hiring principal devops engineers in Virginia right now include Swift, Parsons, and Nightwing, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. Virginia's concentration of defense contractors and cloud infrastructure providers means many of these openings sit inside large federal program offices or hyperscaler operations in Northern Virginia and the Richmond area.
Which Virginia cities have the most principal devops engineer jobs?
Sterling, Virginia, and Manassas account for the most principal devops engineer openings in Virginia. Northern Virginia drives the largest share because it is home to the country's densest concentration of federal contractors and data center campuses, while Richmond draws demand from financial services and state government IT modernization programs, and Hampton Roads hiring is anchored by Navy and defense technology operations.
Are there remote principal devops engineer jobs in Virginia?
Yes, and more than most fields. About 25% of principal devops engineer openings tied to Virginia are remote or hybrid as of September 2026, reflecting the cloud-native and infrastructure-as-code nature of the work. Roles that involve classified federal systems or on-premises data center operations are more likely to require on-site presence, while commercial cloud platform and SRE positions tend to be the most remote-friendly.
How can I get hired as a principal devops engineer in Virginia with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry point is a junior systems administrator, cloud support engineer, or DevOps associate role inside one of Virginia's large federal IT contractors, where internal mobility programs at organizations like Leidos, SAIC, or General Dynamics IT regularly move early-career engineers onto platform teams. Completing a CompTIA Linux+ or AWS Solutions Architect Associate certification before applying gives a measurable edge, and starting the security clearance process early removes the single biggest barrier to advancement in Virginia's dominant contracting market.
Where can I find and apply to principal devops engineer jobs in Virginia?
You can find and apply to principal devops engineer jobs in Virginia on Migrate Mate, which lists current Virginia openings across Northern Virginia, Richmond, Hampton Roads, and beyond. Find the roles that fit your background and apply directly from each listing.
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