SRE – Jr. Automation Engineer
At a glance
Junior Site Reliability role at Leidos. Norfolk · full-time · $69,550–$125,725 base.
devopsroles summary, based on the employer's posting.
What you'll do
- Automate recurring system work and software updates, then keep functional, integration, security and load-testing procedures current
- Build and test Ansible playbooks outside production, then support their move into production networks
- Set up release plans and schedules, and check site equipment and software to confirm package needs
- Write operating guides for automation processes and train teams when major technology changes arrive
What you bring
- You have a bachelor’s degree with two to four years of relevant work, or a master’s degree with under two years
- You bring one to two years of hands-on site engineering automation and working knowledge of Ansible and Windows
- You hold an active DoD Secret clearance, are a U.S. citizen and have an IAT Level II baseline certification before starting
- You can script and maintain automation in PowerShell or Python and have used CI/CD tools such as Jenkins or GitLab
Who this fits
This junior engineering role suits someone comfortable with automation, release work and operations across virtualized or on-prem environments. You must support classified work, access SIPRNet from an NMCI site on short notice, and handle local travel. The role requires a U.S. citizen with an active Secret clearance and the specified certification.
From the employer
The U.S. Navy’s Service Management, Integration, and Transport (SMIT) program has an opening for a Jr. Site Reliability Automation and Orchestration Engineer on a high-visibility DoD program that provides engineering support to the Navy Marine Corps Intranet (NMCI), the largest information technology (IT) network in the world. This position will provide many opportunities to challenge and grow your skills.
Position Summary:
This person should be a seasoned, self-motivated, professional with hands-on engineering and testing experience in virtualized or on-prem environments. A skilled technician knowledgeable and experienced in infrastructure such as code environments, automating patches and system configurations, orchestrating network operations and DevOps pipelines, automating and orchestrating operations, scaling releases, and day-to-day system operations in commercial cloud and on-prem environments.
Key Responsibilities:
Provide continuous development and continuous integration to include site reliability engineering and integration, release management, implementation & migration, and training & knowledge transfer.
SRE Engineering and Integration:
- Automate routine tasks and software updates, document, and maintain functional, integration, security, and load/stress testing procedure
- Document and deliver an approach for automated acceptance testing, integration/regression testing, all new applications, and all new capabilities
- Develop Ansible playbook design, role development, and testing, in non-production environments, as well as migration to production networks
Release Management:
- Participate in the development of the release management process, procedures, and policies
- Establish, manage, update, and maintain the overall Release Management Plan and Release Schedule
- Conduct site surveys, as necessary, to assess existing equipment and software being used to validate release package requirements and dependencies
Training & Knowledge Transfer
- Develop, document, and maintain work instruction materials for related Automation and Orchestration processes
- Provide training when substantive technological changes are introduced
Required Qualifications:
- BS degree and 2 – 4 years of prior relevant experience or Masters with less than 2 years of prior relevant experience. Additional related education or certifications may be considered in lieu of experience
- 1-2 years of hands-on site engineering automation
- Currently possess an IAT Level II Baseline Certification (e.g. CCNA Security, CySA+, GICSP, GSEC, Security+ CE, CND, SSCP) prior to your start date with Leidos, as well as ability to maintain certification for duration of assignment to the SMIT-NMCI contract.
- Must possess an active DoD secret security clearance
- Must be a US Citizen
- Ansible knowledge and experience with windows necessary
- Must be able to support program execution in classified environments and access SIPRNet from an NMCI location on short notice (local travel)
- Experience with automated script design, coding, debugging, and maintenance skills
- Experience in CI/CD toolsets (e.g. Jenkins, GitLab, etc.)Familiarity with agile development methodologies
- Skilled and disciplined to work with a distributed team
- Ability to work in a highly collaborative, forward thinking, and innovation-driven environment
- Basic understanding Azure DevOps workflows, projects, custom configurations
- Experience in automating tasks with scripting languages like PowerShell, or Python
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience with Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools such as Terraform, Ansible, or CloudFormation for automating test environments
- ITILv4, Scrum Master, or Agile SAFe certification(s) or applicable experience
NGEN
If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares.
Original Posting:
October 13, 2026For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.
Pay Range:
Pay Range $69,550.00 - $125,725.00The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.