Staff Engineer
Core
Senior technical leader responsible for evolving the architecture, execution, and engineering rigor of Raft's AI Mission System ([R]AIMS), a platform for autonomous data fusion and Agentic AI serving U.S. military and government agencies.
Role type
Staff Engineer (Hands-on IC with leadership)
Builds
[R]AIMS platform (distributed data systems, AI/ML workflows, Kubernetes-native infrastructure)
Domain
Defense technology, AI/ML, Distributed Systems
Deliverable
production ML models
Required skills
System design and architecture, Distributed systems design, Kubernetes and cloud-native architecture, Full-stack software engineering, Technical leadership and mentorship, Stakeholder management, Security compliance (IL4/IL5/IL6)
Preferred skills
AI/ML infrastructure and agentic systems, Streaming/event-driven architectures (Kafka, Flink), Platform engineering, Real-time inference, Defense/national security program experience
Technologies
Kubernetes, Kafka, Apache Flink, Cloud-native ecosystems
Responsibilities
Drive architectural decisions across the [R]AIMS platform, Lead major technical epics from conception through delivery, Simplify and rationalize distributed system architecture, Optimize platform performance across edge and cloud, Establish strong engineering foundations and reusable patterns, Mentor engineers at multiple levels, Partner with AI/ML engineers on model integration and deployment, Engage directly with customers and program stakeholders
Seniority
Staff, hands-on IC with strategic influence
