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Senior Technical Lead — R&D Mission Platforms

Location: United States
Work Model: Remote
Travel: Approximately 15% for R&D events, technical demos, and collaboration sessions
Clearance: U.S. citizenship required. Active Secret clearance preferred; candidates must be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance.

Role Overview

Rackner is seeking a Senior Technical Lead — R&D Mission Platforms to help design, prototype, demonstrate, and advance mission-relevant software capabilities within our internal R&D environment.

This is a hands-on technical leadership role for someone who can move from concept to working software quickly, operate in ambiguity, and communicate technical ideas clearly to engineering and non-engineering stakeholders. You will work closely with Rackner's technical leadership and R&D team to build modern platform capabilities, support technical demos, and help translate operational needs into practical software solutions.

The right candidate will be comfortable balancing deep technical work with customer-facing interaction. This role is not a traditional heads-down engineering position. It is designed for someone who can build, explain, iterate, and represent technical work in mission-focused environments.

What You'll Do

• Lead the design, prototyping, and development of mission-relevant software and platform capabilities
• Build backend services, APIs, full-stack applications, and cloud-native components using modern engineering practices
• Translate ambiguous mission needs, user workflows, and technical concepts into working software
• Support rapid build, demo, feedback, and iteration cycles for R&D initiatives
• Collaborate directly with technical leadership, R&D engineers, and stakeholders on architecture and implementation decisions
• Participate in technical demos, customer-facing discussions, and mission-focused events
• Help shape system design, platform direction, and technical tradeoffs across emerging capabilities
• Guide or mentor other engineers through architecture decisions, prototyping efforts, and implementation challenges
• Deploy and support applications in cloud-native, containerized, or Kubernetes-based environments
• Use modern development workflows, including AI-assisted tools where appropriate, to accelerate prototyping, testing, and delivery
• Represent Rackner's technical work with clarity, professionalism, and credibility in collaborative settings

Minimum Qualifications

• U.S. citizenship required due to federal contract requirements
• Professional background developing software systems, backend services, APIs, full-stack applications, or platform capabilities
• Proficiency with Python, JavaScript / TypeScript, or similar modern programming languages
• Hands-on knowledge of cloud platforms, containers, Kubernetes, DevSecOps, or cloud-native deployment environments
• Ability to work independently in ambiguous, prototype-driven, or fast-moving technical settings
• Strong communication skills with the ability to explain complex concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences
• Demonstrated ownership of engineering outcomes from concept through implementation
• Willingness to travel approximately 15% for R&D events, technical demos, collaboration sessions, or mission-focused engagements

Preferred Qualifications

• Active Secret clearance or higher
• Background supporting DoD, Air Force, Platform One, Big Bang, DevSecOps, mission planning, C2, ISR, autonomy, or defense software programs
• Ability to engage with operators, mission users, customers, or non-engineering stakeholders to understand workflows and translate needs into technical solutions
• Familiarity with Python, TypeScript, JavaScript, React, Go, FastAPI, Postgres, AWS, Docker, Kubernetes, Helm, Terraform, or CI/CD tooling
• History of leading engineering projects, serving as an informal technical lead, or guiding architecture decisions
• Involvement in technical demos, pilots, field events, customer-facing discussions, or live exercises
• Background building in R&D, prototype-heavy, startup-like, defense tech, or mission-focused environments
• Exposure to AI-enabled systems, LLMs, automation-heavy software, data-driven decision tools, or autonomy-adjacent technologies
• Familiarity with secure software delivery, observability, infrastructure-as-code, or compliance-aware engineering practices

Travel & Event Support

This role requires approximately 15% travel for R&D events, technical demos, collaboration sessions, and mission-focused engagements. Travel is planned in advance whenever possible and may include participation in customer-facing or internal engineering events.

About Rackner

Rackner is a software consultancy focused on building mission-critical systems for the U.S. government. Our teams work across cloud platforms, DevSecOps, AI/ML, distributed systems, and modern software engineering initiatives supporting federal agencies and national security missions.

Rackner engineers collaborate closely with technical leadership, program teams, and mission stakeholders to design, build, and improve software systems that address complex operational challenges.

Benefits & Perks

Rackner invests in its people, because when you grow, we all win.

• Company-supported certifications aligned to current and future program work, including cloud, Kubernetes, DevSecOps, security, AI/ML, project management, and related technical areas
• Clear advancement tracks and future leadership opportunities
• 401(k) with 100% match up to 6%
• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life, and disability coverage
• Generous PTO and paid holidays
• Home-office equipment plan and remote work support
• Fitness and wellness reimbursement
• Weekly pay schedule and modern perks, including team events

Equal Opportunity

Rackner is an equal opportunity employer and considers all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or other protected characteristics.