Cloud / Platform Engineer (Linux, Identity, Security)

About the position

Kosma modernizes a Learning Management System for a U.S. federal agency. You build, secure, and operate the platform below that system for the full 12 months: the Linux estate, the database and cache layer, the cloud migration, identity federation, security hardening, monitoring, disaster recovery, and release management.

A Moodle subject matter expert owns the product decisions for the first eight months — then hands you operational ownership of the application. You do not need to arrive as a Moodle expert. You do need to be a strong platform engineer who owns that application by the end of the year.

What you will do

• Build and operate the Linux estate behind a production web application; migrate the platform into a Government-authorized cloud.
• Own the database and cache layer (MariaDB/PostgreSQL, Redis): configuration, tuning, backup, restore, and performance against defined page-render targets.
• Build single sign-on with OIDC (SAML 2.0 where required), federated with an enterprise directory, smart-card credentials, and MFA; own platform-layer access control.
• Harden against a defined federal control framework and keep the audit evidence; run monthly vulnerability scans, a documented patch cadence, and central logging, monitoring, and alerting.
• Manage releases through CI/CD. You hold the final release authority; the Moodle expert defines application rollback criteria.
• Design and test disaster recovery against defined objectives; keep uptime against a contractual business-hours commitment; control change inside Government blackout windows.
• Run the reporting infrastructure — the Moodle expert designs the reports, you make them run.
• Take operational ownership of the Moodle application during months 6 to 8, then operate, patch, release, and repair it alone.

Minimum qualifications

• 5+ years engineering and operating Linux systems behind production web stacks.
• A production cloud migration you carried out — Microsoft Azure preferred.
• OIDC federation against an enterprise identity provider, plus MFA administration.
• Operating MariaDB or PostgreSQL, and Redis or an equivalent.
• Security hardening against a documented control framework, with recurring scan remediation.
• Disaster-recovery tests you ran yourself, and CI/CD pipeline ownership.
• Enough PHP and SQL to patch an application you did not build — and a record of taking over an unfamiliar production application and operating it alone.
• U.S. citizenship (required by the Government for this contract), eligibility for a favorable Public Trust determination, completion of agency security training and compliance with the agency Rules of Behavior, and reliable availability during core U.S. business hours.

Preferred qualifications

• Moodle, LMS, or production PHP operations — strongly preferred. You inherit this application at month 8.
• Federal cloud authorization boundary work (FedRAMP or equivalent); Entra ID / Azure AD; PIV or CAC authentication.
• Splunk or comparable SIEM; Zero Trust or CISA directive compliance work; a Linux, cloud, or security certification (RHCSA, RHCE, Azure Administrator, Security+, or equivalent).

Term, schedule, and location

• Term position of 12 months — the full base period of the contract. This is the only role present for the whole period.
• Core hours are 10:00 to 15:00 Eastern; you set the rest of your schedule.
• Occasional coordination in the Washington, DC area and at a second agency office in the southeastern United States; travel is infrequent, reimbursed at federal per diem rates.
• Scheduled maintenance happens outside business hours on a published calendar. Kosma does not run a 24/7 on-call rotation for this contract.

What this job is really like

The uptime commitments are contractual, not targets. No production change happens inside a Government-defined blackout window.

This is the only 12-month seat. The Moodle specialist and the content developer both leave before you do, and the application becomes yours to run — a planned, scheduled handover, not a problem you solve alone.

In exchange you get a defined scope, a Moodle expert beside you through the heaviest phase, and a Delivery Lead who takes the meetings, gives escalation support, and arranges cover for your planned leave in advance.

Conditions of employment

This position depends on a contract award. Kosma has not submitted the quotation yet. You receive an offer only if all six of these conditions occur:

1. The Government awards the contract to Kosma Technology LLC.
2. You are a U.S. citizen.
3. You receive a favorable Government suitability determination at the Public Trust level.
4. You complete a satisfactory background check.
5. You pass Kosma's hands-on technical evaluation.
6. You show your identity and authorization to work in the United States (Form I-9).

The evaluation: 2 to 3 hours, hands-on, scored against a written rubric in a Kosma-built Moodle environment that matches the target stack — after award notification, before your start date. No one works on this contract without passing one. If Kosma names you in the quotation, you also have a short technical conversation before submission.

Anticipated start: on or about 1 October 2026. The actual date depends on the award date and the Government suitability process. We control neither.

Pay & benefits

Base pay is $120,000 to $165,000 each year, paid as W-2 wages — approximately $120,000 to $165,000 for the 12-month term. A $500/month health insurance stipend, paid as taxable wages, adds $6,000; total cash for the term is approximately $126,000 to $171,000. You select and buy your own coverage; Kosma does not administer a health plan.

• Paid time off: 15 days per year, prorated to 15 days for this term. Usable as sick leave.
• Paid federal holidays: the 11 federal holidays that fall inside your term.

Kosma does not sponsor group health insurance or a retirement plan. This position has no bonus, commission, or equity.

About Kosma

Kosma Technology LLC is a founder-led Veteran-Owned Small Business in Poolesville, Maryland, delivering systems engineering for U.S. federal missions. We are building our first delivery team — you will be among the first hires, and we hire senior practitioners only.

Equal employment opportunity

Kosma Technology LLC is a veteran-friendly, equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, ancestry, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Equal Opportunity Employer / Veteran / Disabled.

Reasonable accommodation. If you need an accommodation to apply or to take part in the hiring process, write to resume@kosmatechnology.com.