Application Guide

How to Apply for Senior DevOps Engineer (NOAA badge required)

at Element84

🏢 About Element84

Element 84 is a woman-owned small business specializing in cloud-based geospatial data processing, remote sensing, and Earth science systems for public, private, and non-profit clients. They tackle challenging problems that impact our health, infrastructure, and planet, and have a flexible, remote-friendly culture with a strong commitment to work-life balance and meaningful projects.

About This Role

As a Senior DevOps Engineer, you'll design, build, and maintain cloud infrastructure and CI/CD pipelines to support geospatial data processing at scale, likely for NOAA-related projects. Your work will directly enable scientists and decision-makers to derive insights from Earth observation data, contributing to critical environmental and climate initiatives.

💡 A Day in the Life

You'll start your day with a stand-up meeting with your distributed team, then dive into automating infrastructure for a new geospatial data pipeline or optimizing an existing CI/CD workflow. You might collaborate with scientists to understand their needs, troubleshoot a deployment issue, or research new cloud services to improve system reliability and performance.

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🎯 Who Element84 Is Looking For

  • Extensive experience with cloud platforms (AWS preferred) and infrastructure-as-code tools like Terraform or CloudFormation.
  • Proven track record in building and managing CI/CD pipelines (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions) and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes).
  • Familiarity with geospatial data processing frameworks and tools (e.g., GDAL, rasterio, STAC) or a strong willingness to learn.
  • Experience working in government or regulated environments, with the ability to obtain a NOAA badge (background check required).

📝 Tips for Applying to Element84

1

Highlight any experience with geospatial data or Earth science systems in your resume and cover letter, as Element 84's core mission is in this domain.

2

Emphasize your ability to work remotely and collaborate effectively with distributed teams, as Element 84 has a large remote workforce.

3

Explicitly state your willingness and ability to obtain a NOAA badge, and mention any prior government clearance or background checks you've passed.

4

Showcase specific DevOps tools and technologies you've used that align with Element 84's tech stack (e.g., AWS, Terraform, Kubernetes, Python).

5

Reference Element 84's values (We Invest in Each Other, We are Reliable, Our Work Benefits our World) and weave them into your application to demonstrate cultural fit.

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

["Your passion for using technology to address environmental and societal challenges, aligning with Element 84's mission.", "Concrete examples of how you've built scalable, reliable infrastructure for data-intensive applications, preferably in geospatial or scientific contexts.", 'Your experience collaborating with cross-functional teams, including scientists and engineers, to deliver impactful solutions.', 'Your ability to thrive in a remote work environment and your commitment to reliability and continuous improvement.']

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🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → Learn about NOAA's mission and the types of geospatial data they handle (e.g., satellite imagery, climate data) to understand the context of your work.
  • → Explore Element 84's projects and blog posts to get a sense of their technical stack and the impact of their work.
  • → Understand the significance of a NOAA badge and the background check process, and be prepared to discuss any potential delays.
  • → Research the geospatial data ecosystem, including tools like STAC, COG, and cloud-native formats, to demonstrate domain knowledge.

💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 How you would design a CI/CD pipeline for a geospatial data processing application on AWS.
2 Your experience with infrastructure-as-code and how you ensure reproducibility and scalability.
3 A time you troubleshooted a complex production issue in a cloud environment and how you resolved it.
4 How you stay current with DevOps best practices and emerging technologies, especially in the geospatial domain.
5 Your approach to collaborating with remote teams and ensuring reliable communication and delivery.
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⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Not addressing the contingent nature of the position and the NOAA badge requirement in your application, which could signal a lack of attention to detail.
  • Submitting a generic DevOps resume without highlighting geospatial or Earth science experience, as this is a key differentiator for Element 84.
  • Failing to demonstrate remote work capability or experience, as Element 84 relies heavily on remote collaboration.

📅 Application Timeline

This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.

Typical hiring timeline:

1

Application Review

1-2 weeks

2

Initial Screening

Phone call or written assessment

3

Interviews

1-2 rounds, usually virtual

✓

Offer

Congratulations!

Ready to Apply?

Good luck with your application to Element84!

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