Staff Devops Engineer Jobs in South Dakota
Staff Devops Engineer jobs in South Dakota are actively sought by a growing number of employers, with demand concentrated in financial technology, healthcare IT, and government systems modernization across a seniority range from mid-level to principal engineer. Sioux Falls, Rapid City, and Pierre lead hiring activity, anchored by organizations like Citibank, Sanford Health, and the South Dakota Bureau of Information and Telecommunications. The most in-demand specialties include Kubernetes and container orchestration, CI/CD pipeline development, and cloud infrastructure on AWS and Azure. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Title:
Cloud DevOps 4BELONG. CONNECT. GROW. with KBR.
Around here, we define the future. We are a company of innovators, thinkers, creators, explorers, volunteers, and dreamers. But we all share one goal: to improve the world responsibly and safely.
Role Summary
Lead the modernization and migration of legacy applications to cloud‑native architectures—primarily on AWS—while building and operating secure, scalable, and cost‑effective platforms. This is a hands‑on technical role: you will own automation (IaC, CI/CD), container platforms, observability, compliance guardrails, and developer enablement. Partner closely with Enterprise/Solutions Architecture to set cloud adoption roadmaps, governance, and standards that drive business outcomes.
Responsibilities
Cloud Modernization & Architecture
- Lead migration and modernization of mission‑critical legacy applications to AWS, establishing cloud‑first patterns that maximize scalability, reliability, and cost efficiency.
- Define and enforce platform governance, security, and performance standards with Enterprise/Solutions Architecture and application teams.
- Translate business needs into secure, efficient, cloud‑native solutions and drive transformation projects from concept through completion.
DevOps Engineering & Automation
- Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Design, develop, and operate AWS environments using Terraform and/or AWS CDK/CloudFormation; build reusable modules, manage state, and enforce standards.
- Configuration management & scripting: Automate provisioning, monitoring, auditing, and de‑provisioning using Ansible and scripting in Python, Bash/Shell, or PowerShell.
- Core AWS services: Engineer solutions leveraging S3, CloudFront, EKS, Lambda, Aurora Serverless, and AWS Batch as appropriate for product needs.
CI/CD (GitLab by Default)
- Own CI/CD using GitLab and GitLab Runners for build/test/deploy workflows across environments.
- Implement staged deployments (blue/green, canary) and automated rollbacks to improve release reliability and speed.
- Maintain branch strategies, approvals, environment promotion, and artifact management aligned to governance standards.
Security, Compliance & Governance
- Develop and operate platforms in accordance with FedRAMP and FISMA standards, incorporating AWS security controls into all aspects of infrastructure, deployment pipelines, monitoring, and daily operations.
- Establish robust guardrails for identity management, secret protection, logging, auditing, and change control to meet compliance requirements.
- Work collaboratively with security leadership and auditors to ensure ongoing compliance, efficient evidence collection, and thorough mapping of all controls within FedRAMP and FISMA frameworks.
Observability, Reliability & Operations
- Develop tooling for monitoring, logging, and alerting; create runbooks and lead troubleshooting and incident response for core business applications.
- Partner with architects/engineers to design networks, systems, and storage that meet security requirements and SLO/SLAs.
- Drive resilience through autoscaling, health checks, fault isolation, and disaster recovery strategies.
FinOps & Cost Optimization
- Incorporate FinOps principles—tagging standards, show back/chargeback readiness, rightsizing, commitment management—to maintain performance and reduce waste.
- Present recommendations for savings and cost accountability to leadership and product teams.
- Establish dashboards and operating cadences for spend visibility, anomaly detection, and optimization actions.
AI-Augmented Engineering (Generative AI)
- Leverage Generative AI tools and agents (e.g., code assistants, pipeline bots, automated test generation, chat agents for runbooks) to increase developer productivity, reduce toil, accelerate documentation, and improve incident response playbooks.
- Design guardrails for responsible AI use (data handling, prompt hygiene, secret redaction) and track outcomes (cycle‑time reduction, fewer manual steps, faster RCA).
Leadership & Collaboration
- Mentor junior engineers; foster a culture of continuous learning and collaboration across cross‑functional teams.
- Align modernization decisions to business outcomes; communicate trade‑offs and technical risks clearly to stakeholders and senior leadership.
Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor’s in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field.
- 10+ years progressive experience in cloud engineering/DevOps/enterprise architecture, with strong AWS emphasis.
- 5+ years implementing DevOps practices (CI/CD, containerization, automation) and operating in regulated environments (FedRAMP Moderate or equivalent).
- Technical depth: IaC with Terraform or AWS CDK; configuration management (Ansible/Chef/Puppet); scripting (Python/Bash/PowerShell); AWS security and network controls.
- Demonstrated experience using Generative AI tools/agents to improve developer efficiency and operational workflows.
Certifications
- Required: An AWS Associate‑level certification (e.g., Solutions Architect or SysOps Administrator).
- Preferred: AWS Solutions Architect – Professional; AWS Specialty (Security, Advanced Networking); Terraform Associate.
Preferred Experience
- Master’s in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field.
- Engineering/deploying public sector or compliance‑driven solutions.
- Hands‑on ownership of GitLab‑based CI/CD at scale (runners administration, pipeline orchestration, environment promotion).
- Building GitOps patterns (e.g., ArgoCD/Flux) and service mesh/WAF integrations for secure microservices delivery.
Key Outcomes
- Deliver a cloud‑native platform that accelerates modernization while meeting security, performance, and compliance standards.
- Establish repeatable automation (IaC, GitLab‑based CI/CD) and operational excellence (observability, incident response).
- Achieve measurable cost optimization via FinOps practices without sacrificing reliability or delivery speed.
- Demonstrably improve developer efficiency with Generative AI tools/agents (e.g., faster pipeline updates, reduced manual documentation, accelerated RCA).
Work Environment & Growth
- Hands‑on technical role with opportunities to mentor, set platform standards, and influence modernization roadmaps.
- Access to training and certifications to deepen expertise across AWS, IaC, CI/CD, security, and AI‑augmented engineering.
*** Three years of continuous U.S. residency required ***
Equivalent education and/or experience will be considered.
KBR Benefits
KBR offers a selection of competitive lifestyle benefits which could include 401K plan with company match, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, AD&D, flexible spending account, disability, paid time off, or flexible work schedule. We support career advancement through professional training and development.
Click here to learn more: KBR Benefits
KBR partners with several other companies to fulfill its requirements as a government contractor. The selected subcontracting companies align their benefits as closely as possible to those above.
#LI-EM2
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 17 Staff Devops Engineer Jobs in South Dakota
Find roles in South Dakota that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Staff Devops Engineer JobsStaff Devops Engineer Jobs by City in South Dakota
Where South Dakota roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Staff Devops Engineer Job Market in South Dakota
A snapshot from current South Dakota openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
- CVS Health3

- KBR2

- Affirm2

- SONIFI2

- Ed Wallach Search2
Top Industries Hiring
- Aerospace & Defense4
- Healthcare & Medical Services4
- Banking & Financial Services2
- Consulting & Professional Services2
- Technology & Software1
What South Dakota Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in staff devops engineer jobs across South Dakota.
- Minimum seven years of DevOps or infrastructure engineering experience in enterprise environments
- Deep hands-on experience with Kubernetes, Docker, and container orchestration at scale
- Proven expertise with CI/CD pipeline tools such as Jenkins, GitHub Actions, or GitLab
- Strong background in cloud platforms, particularly AWS or Azure, including IaC tooling
- Experience mentoring junior engineers and leading cross-functional DevOps initiatives
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, information systems, or a closely related field
Staff Devops Engineer Jobs in South Dakota: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a staff devops engineer in South Dakota?
Staff devops engineering in South Dakota requires no state-issued license, so hiring follows a competency-based path. Most candidates build a foundation with a degree in computer science or information systems, then accumulate several years in infrastructure, systems administration, or software engineering roles. Earning certifications such as AWS Solutions Architect or Certified Kubernetes Administrator strengthens candidacy considerably. Employers in Sioux Falls and Rapid City, including financial institutions and health systems, typically look for demonstrated experience leading DevOps transformations before hiring at the staff level.
How much do staff devops engineers make in South Dakota?
Staff devops engineers in South Dakota earn a median of about $96,310 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $65,530 for the lowest 10% to over $160,380 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire staff devops engineers in South Dakota?
Employers hiring staff devops engineers in South Dakota right now include CVS Health, KBR, and Affirm, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of July 2026. South Dakota's financial services concentration in Sioux Falls and the state's investment in government IT modernization make it a consistent source of staff-level DevOps openings year-round.
Which South Dakota cities have the most staff devops engineer jobs?
Sioux Falls, Huron, and South Dakota account for the largest share of staff devops engineer openings in South Dakota. Sioux Falls drives the most volume due to its dense concentration of major banks, credit card processors, and regional health systems, while Rapid City draws demand from government contractors and technology firms serving the Black Hills region, and Pierre sees openings tied directly to state government IT and infrastructure projects.
Are there remote staff devops engineer jobs in South Dakota?
Yes, and more than most fields. About 57% of staff devops engineer openings tied to South Dakota are remote or hybrid as of July 2026, reflecting how infrastructure and pipeline work translates naturally to distributed teams. Cloud-focused roles and CI/CD pipeline ownership are the sub-areas most commonly offered fully remote, while roles requiring on-site data center access or government security clearances tend to stay in-office.
How can I get hired as a staff devops engineer in South Dakota with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is a junior systems administrator or cloud support role at one of Sioux Falls' financial institutions or Sanford Health's IT department, where internal promotion pipelines exist. Candidates without a degree often enter through infrastructure help desk or junior SRE roles and move up by earning cloud certifications. Building a public portfolio of Terraform modules or CI/CD pipelines on GitHub signals practical competence to South Dakota hiring managers who value demonstrated work over credentials alone.
Where can I find and apply to staff devops engineer jobs in South Dakota?
You can find and apply to staff devops engineer jobs in South Dakota on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings across Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Pierre, and remote positions tied to South Dakota employers. Search the listings, find roles that match your experience and target location, and apply directly to the ones that fit.
See All 17 Staff Devops Engineer Jobs in South Dakota
Find roles in South Dakota that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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