Justin Watkins
@justinwatkins
I am a technology leader in observability and infrastructure automation with 20+ years of cloud and systems experience.
United StatesWhat I'm looking for
I am a technology leader with 20+ years driving enterprise observability, infrastructure automation, and cross-functional delivery across large public and private sector organizations.
I have architected observability and automation solutions using DataDog, Terraform, GitLab, AWS, Kubernetes, and Vault, and led initiatives for the U.S. Census Bureau and large commercial clients that standardized tooling and improved operational efficiency by 50%.
My hands-on background includes designing and migrating cloud infrastructure (AWS Control Tower, Azure), building CI/CD pipelines (GitLab CI/CD, GitHub Actions), deploying containerized apps with Helm and Kubernetes, and automating workflows with Python, PowerShell, Bash, Azure Logic Apps, and Azure Functions.
I mentor engineers, lead cross-functional teams through complex migrations and governance improvements, and partner with stakeholders to translate business needs into actionable, secure, and measurable platform solutions.
Experience
Work history, roles, and key accomplishments
Senior Integrations Specialist
Command Cyber Solutions
Nov 2024 - Present (9 months)
Architected and developed release management and observability processes using DataDog, GitLab, and Jira; advised Census Bureau leadership and drove toolset consolidation that improved operational efficiency by 50%.
Senior DevOps Engineer
Morning Consult
Sep 2022 - Nov 2024 (2 years 2 months)
Directed cross-functional delivery to expand observability and automation services; built Terraform infrastructure in AWS and implemented GitLab CI/CD with SAST/DAST while leading a multi-account AWS Control Tower migration.
Senior Systems Engineer
Arch Insurance Group
Jun 2022 - Sep 2022 (3 months)
Implemented Terraform automation and GitHub Actions to streamline deployments, built Azure Logic Apps and Azure Functions for SharePoint and reporting automation, and deployed Docker-based applications to support business units.
Principal InfoSec Architect
Legg Mason / Franklin Templeton
May 2016 - Jun 2022 (6 years 1 month)
Served as principal architect driving enterprise automation, observability, and security integrations including Azure Logic Apps for Entra ID sync and leading Office 365 migrations, improving delivery speed, compliance, and operational consistency.
Lead Technical Consultant
Perficient
Mar 2016 - May 2016 (2 months)
Managed Office 365 hybrid migrations from Exchange 2010/2013/2016 and Google Apps using MigrationWiz and PowerShell automation to ensure seamless tenant integrations and reduce manual effort.
Messaging Operations Team Lead
NaviSite (Time Warner Cable)
May 2012 - Mar 2016 (3 years 10 months)
Led Exchange 2010/2013 server builds and Office 365 hybrid migrations, automated Exchange deployments with PowerShell, and trained teams on scripting to improve operational efficiency and customer onboarding.
Security Specialist
Affiliated Computer Services (Xerox)
Oct 2011 - May 2012 (7 months)
Configured SCOM 2012 for deployment and monitoring and performed IT risk assessments for enterprise clients, supporting incident detection and operational readiness.
Exchange Engineer Integration Specialist
Citi Group
Jun 2010 - Oct 2011 (1 year 4 months)
Performed Exchange 2007 server builds and migrations including public folder migrations, and developed automation and documentation using PowerShell and VBScript to support large-scale mail systems.
Exchange Engineer
Levi Strauss & Co.
Sep 2005 - Jun 2010 (4 years 9 months)
Supported Exchange 2003 production for 8,000+ users across 25 servers and led a migration of 4,000 users from Exchange 5.5 to 2003 while designing Windows 2008 R2 AD and OCS 2007 components.
Senior Network Administrator
Good Fulton & Farrell
Feb 2004 - Aug 2005 (1 year 6 months)
Managed a team of 2 and a network of 10 servers including Active Directory; upgraded Exchange and Windows servers and built a SharePoint portal to improve project collaboration.
Network Team Manager
Conexis
Jul 2003 - Feb 2004 (7 months)
Managed a team of 2 and a 30-server environment, implemented Windows 2003 Active Directory, maintained a web farm, and administered SQL Server clusters to ensure service stability.
Director of IT Services
GMT
Jun 2002 - Jul 2003 (1 year 1 month)
Directed a team of 3 and designed a 40-server Windows 2000 Active Directory environment, implemented Exchange 2000 and web farm solutions, and deployed enterprise backup and security systems.
IT Manager
Fiber Systems
Oct 2001 - Jun 2002 (8 months)
Designed and implemented a Windows 2000 network, upgraded Exchange 5.5 to 2000, and deployed SQL Server 2000 to support business applications and reporting.
Network Engineer
Watkins Technology
Oct 2000 - Oct 2001 (1 year)
Designed and implemented customer networks including Windows 2000 Active Directory, Citrix Metaframe, and SQL Server deployments while managing remote administration tools and monitoring solutions.
Assistant IT Director
Bob and Jack's Trucking Co.
Jan 1999 - Jan 2000 (1 year)
Designed and implemented a Windows NT 4.0 network, deployed Exchange 5.5, and implemented SQL Server 7.0 for business-critical trucking database systems.
Education
Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework
Tyndale Theological Seminary
Bachelor's Degree in Theology, Theology
Bachelor's degree in Theology from Tyndale Theological Seminary.
Availability
Location
United StatesAuthorized to work in
Job categories
Skills
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