Open to opportunities

Joel Watlington

@joelwatlington

Message

I build secure cloud infrastructure, DevOps pipelines, and automated testing systems.

United States

Message

What I'm looking for

I'm looking to build secure, scalable cloud and DevOps systems where I can automate delivery, strengthen infrastructure security, and contribute across CI/CD, Kubernetes, AWS, Linux, and software development.

I've built secure cloud and automation systems for the FBI, Northrop Grumman, Wright Patterson AFB, the State of Maine, and Robins Air Force Base. Most recently, I engineered GitLab CI/CD pipelines, hardened AWS security groups with Terraform, automated Ansible deployments, and deployed Kafka clusters for real-time data streaming.

At Northrop Grumman, I developed Jenkins pipelines, automated test generation and post-test analysis with Eggplant and Python, and taught a full team how to use Eggplant for automation. I also created Bash-based ingestion automation, supported Ansible software installation, and helped Scrum Masters, Product Owners, and technical leads manage delivery through Jira.

My work spans AWS, Docker, Kubernetes, Linux, Elasticsearch, Angular, Java, databases, and secure access control. I'm Security+ and Server+ certified, hold Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility, and bring hands-on experience turning manual operations into reliable automated workflows.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Mid-Level Cloud Developer

FBI

Mar 2026 - May 2026 (2 months)

Engineered automated GitLab CI/CD pipelines using Docker-in-Docker for AMI builds. Refactored Terraform for security and scalability, and streamlined patch management with Ansible playbooks.

Gitlab CI Docker Ansible Terraform AWS Kafka ZooKeeper Linux BASH CURL

Automation Engineer Lead

Northrop Grumman

Sep 2024 - Feb 2026 (1 year 5 months)

Developed and optimized DevOps pipelines using Jenkins, and employed Eggplant and Python for automated test generation. Led team instruction and created Jira stories for work management.

Jenkins Eggplant Python Ansible BASH Jira Confluence Linux

DevOps Engineer

Wright Patterson AFB

Mar 2024 - Aug 2024 (5 months)

Engineered streamlined GitLab pipelines with Docker for secure service containers. Managed Kubernetes deployments using Helm charts and optimized container images.

Docker Kubernetes Helm jFrog Linux BASH C++

Software Engineer

State of Maine

Jun 2023 - Nov 2023 (5 months)

Maintained web applications, resolved bugs, and implemented features to enhance client satisfaction. Provided timely support for software installations and database fixes.

Web Development MySQL SQL Server Customer Support Cybersecurity

Elasticsearch Engineer

Robins Air Force Base

Jul 2021 - Mar 2023 (1 year 8 months)

Assembled custom Elastic Integration Packages and architected Logstash pipelines for data accuracy. Developed Kibana dashboards and deployed machine learning for anomaly detection.

Elasticsearch Logstash Kibana Machine Learning Angular Spring Boot Linux