Platform Engineer, Defense Unicorns
$147.2-219k
+ Stock Options
More information about location
Office located in El Segundo, CA
Software for national security systems
Open for applications
Software for national security systems
101-200 employees
Open for applications
$147.2-219k
+ Stock Options
More information about location
Office located in El Segundo, CA
101-200 employees
Company mission
To create software to solve the unique challenges experienced by the government.
Role
Who you are
- Active TS/SCI clearance highly preferred
- Proven experience as a DecSecOps Engineer, with a focus on system architecture and development
- Familiarity with continuous delivery, distributed systems and architecture, everything-as-code, containerization, and cloud services (specifically AWS)
- Active participant in open source projects and product repositories, showcasing a commitment to industry innovation
- Expertise in solving highly technical problems that span multiple knowledge domains
- Deep knowledge in 1-2 key technologies, demonstrating proficiency in areas such as pipelines, GitOps, Kubernetes, Go, or others
- A critical thinker capable of weighing various methods for solving business problems with a focus on product excellence
- Experienced in Department of Defense work, specifically working on an Authority to Operate (ATO'd) system
- Possess a DoD 8570 IAT II certification
- Experienced with Big Bang, Iron Bank, and/or C-ATO processes
- Knowledgeable about DevSecOps/DevOps and CI/CD theory
- Experienced in working on a team following an Agile framework
- Comfortable and experienced in working on projects with compliance requirements
- Experienced with automated testing
What the job involves
- We are seeking talented and experienced Platform Engineers to join our team in a hybrid capacity in the Los Angeles, California area
- The ideal candidate will play a crucial role in the development and maintenance of our Space Portfolio’s pipeline team, demonstrating a strong understanding of system architecture, problem-solving skills, and the ability to guide junior engineers
- You will join a team of dedicated unicorns who are focused on advancing freedom and independence globally by making software a strategic deterrent
- Our teams are working on architecting, building, and deploying mission critical software capabilities for the United States Space Force
- In this role, your primary responsibilities will include leading and guiding the team architecting the Space Portfolio’s CI/CD pipelines
- You will be a crucial link between the Application Development team and the Production Environment, advocating best practices and facilitating communication between the application development teams and platform teams
- Validate Solutions/Implementations: Ensure that solutions and implementations align with the outlined tasks and business requirements
- Conduct thorough validations to maintain the integrity and efficiency of the platform
- Independently Problem Solve: Demonstrate the ability to identify and solve business problems independently
- Develop small components to address specific challenges without relying on explicit architecture diagrams
- Understand Medium-Level Tasking: Comprehend how medium-level tasks contribute to the achievement of overall goals
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate various components into a cohesive and functional platform
- Estimate Time and Effort: Provide accurate time and effort estimates for medium-sized tasks
- Assist in project planning and resource allocation based on estimated timelines
- Demonstrate Programming Language Proficiency: Possess familiarity with at least one programming language
- Exhibit a basic understanding of when to use a programming language versus a shell script for efficient task execution
- Interject "best practices" to the application development team and facilitate collaboration between the application development and platform teams
- Inform discussions on the benefits of using cyber-secure tools
- Establish and facilitate automated Zarf builds as part of CI for multiple app dev teams
- Collaborate with the Platform team on End-to-End (E2E) and Integration testing
- Understand CI/CD and other automation best practices and lead implementation of deployment pipelines
- Build and maintain automated pipeline functions, leading teams towards delivery and sustainment options
- Implement infrastructure as code and contribute to the build/maintenance of kubernetes clusters on various distributions (i.e EKS & RKE2)
Our take
Military defence technology is having to adapt at a quickening pace. However, innovations in the tech sector, outdated technology, varied compute environments and complex security and compliance issues create lags in new defence technology. Defense Unicorns is an open-source tech developer aiming to minimise this lag.
Founded by former Department of Defense software engineers, Defense Unicorns uses AI and innovative software to create military technology for various uses and combat landscapes. The company is particularly focused on tech that can be used in “air-gapped” areas - those that are disconnected from the internet.
In terms of the company's future position in the market, it's notable that the US annual defence budget specifically for IT and cyber has increased to just under $59 billion in 2024. This funding growth exemplifies a rapidly changing combat landscape set against an unpredictable global backdrop, one in which Defense Unicorns has the chance to be an important player.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
Company
Funding (2 rounds)
Feb 2024
$35m
SERIES A
Oct 2022
$0.5m
SEED
Total funding: $35.5m
Company benefits
- Medical/Dental/Vision (premiums are 100% company paid)
- Health reimbursement account
- Life insurance & disability insurance
- 401k with employer contribution (regardless of employee contribution)
- Company stock options
- Home office setup budget
- Unlimited paid time off, with a mandatory 10 days off on top of 11 federal government holidays
- Paid parental leave
- Reimbursement for approved trainings/subscriptions
- Conferences (travel, lodging, and fees)
Company HQ
Southeast Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, CO
Leadership
Robert Slaughter
(Co-Founder & CEO)Works as a Trainer at Project Blue. Previously the Director of DoD Platform One, a Counselor at SpaceCAMP, and worked in DevOps for the US Airforce.
Andrew Greene
(Co-Founder & Engineer)Previously worked for DoD Platform One. Was also a Software Engineer at Omitron and at SGT.
Jeff McCoy
(Co-Founder)Previously Co-Founder and CTO at Platform One, Was also CTO at SpaceCAMP, Senior Software Engineer at Defense Innovation Unit, and Co-Founder at DDS Rogue Squadron.
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