Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Defense Unicorns is seeking a Senior AI Software Engineer to build Ark, an AI-native software development product for creating and delivering secure applications into mission environments. The role shapes technical direction and delivers complex capabilities involving AI workflows, secure software development, and reliable delivery systems.
Responsibilities
- Own the design, implementation, testing, and delivery of complex software features and systems
- Drive pragmatic technical decisions and contribute to architecture across product components
- Proactively identify and resolve ambiguity in collaboration with Product, UX, and Mission Heroes
- Debug complex issues across Kubernetes, virtualization, storage, networking, and operating systems
- Improve the reliability, security, performance, observability, and maintainability of our software
- Review code, mentor teammates, and help establish strong engineering practices
- Document technical decisions, communicate clearly, and collaborate effectively across teams
Skills
- **EMPLOYER IS A CONTRACTOR FOR THE U.S. GOVERNMENT. THIS POSITION REQUIRES U.S. CITIZENSHIP.**
- 5+ years of professional software engineering experience
- Strong proficiency in a modern programming language
- Experience designing, building, and operating production software products
- Experience integrating LLMs, AI agents, or AI-powered capabilities into software applications
- Strong understanding of APIs, distributed systems, asynchronous workflows, and application architecture
- Experience with Kubernetes, containers, and cloud-native application development
- Experience building reliable, testable systems with automated validation and CI/CD pipelines
- Ability to navigate ambiguity, evaluate technical tradeoffs, and independently deliver complex solutions
- Strong communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills
- Go and TypeScript preferred
- Experience building AI agent orchestration systems, coding agents, or AI-powered developer tools
- Familiarity with LLM evaluation, tool calling, MCP, and agent execution frameworks
- Experience with secure sandboxing, isolated execution environments, or Kata Containers
- Experience building developer platforms, CLIs, or software development automation
- Familiarity with Zarf, Helm, Kubernetes operators, or software packaging workflows
- Experience with software supply chain security, artifact validation, and deployment automation
- Experience developing software for air-gapped, regulated, or restricted environments
- Contributions to open-source projects or developer tooling
Benefits
- Medical, dental, and vision; premiums are 100% company paid
- Health Savings Account
- Life insurance
- Disability insurance
- 401k retirement plan
- Company stock options
- Home office budget
- Flexible Time Off (FTO) plus all Federal Holidays, one week for Thanksgiving, and two weeks for Christmas and New Year’s for all full-time Unicorns
- Paid parental leave
- Reimbursement for approved trainings/subscriptions
- Conferences (travel, lodging, and fees)
Company Overview