Field Chief Technology Officer (Field CTO)

Kamiwaza AI

22d•$190,000 - $230,000•Remote

About The Position

Kamiwaza AI is seeking a Field Chief Technology Officer (Field CTO) to serve as the senior-most customer-facing technical executive supporting U.S. Department of Defense and Intelligence Community customers. This role is designed for a seasoned technologist with deep, credible government experience who can operate fluently across classified mission environments, executive customer engagements, and high-stakes competitive pursuits. The Field CTO blends executive technical advisory, technical go-to-market leadership, and field-to-product strategy. You will shape how Kamiwaza’s AI orchestration, distributed data, and edge-capable platform is understood, adopted, and operationalized for national security missions—and you will ensure what we build aligns with real mission constraints. This is not a sales engineer or solutions architect role. It is a field-facing technical executive role comparable to senior Field CTO, Deputy CTO, Chief Architect, or Distinguished Engineer positions at elite defense-focused technology companies.

Requirements

15+ years total experience across industry and government.
7+ years in customer-facing technical leadership roles in the federal market (Field CTO, Deputy CTO, Chief Architect, Distinguished Engineer, Principal SA/SE leader).
Demonstrated experience supporting DoD and/or IC missions as an industry technologist serving government customers and/or as a former government technologist who has transitioned into industry.
Experience supporting OTAs, rapid prototypes, pilots, and transition-to-production pathways; familiarity with federal acquisition and program stakeholders.
Proven track record operating in classified environments and communicating effectively within security constraints.
Strong, practical understanding of applied AI/ML systems, data orchestration (RAG/streaming), distributed systems, and secure data architectures.
Experience deploying software into classified, air-gapped, hybrid, and edge environments—including disconnected/DDIL conditions.
Working knowledge of DoD/IC security, RMF/ATO processes, and compliance frameworks (e.g., NIST 800-53); ability to partner with cyber and accreditation teams.
Ability to assess AI system trustworthiness in operational settings (evaluation, model risk, data governance, and auditability).
Ability to engage credibly with senior military officers (GO/FO), SES, and IC executives.
Strong communication skills across technical and non-technical audiences; able to lead executive workshops and influence technical decisions.
Ability to influence outcomes without direct authority across Sales, Capture, Product, Engineering, and partners.
Demonstrated impact on revenue outcomes through technical leadership (win strategy, competitive differentiation, and risk reduction).
Demonstrated thought leadership (public speaking, panels, webinars, publications/whitepapers, community leadership) is strongly preferred.
Experience enabling internal and partner teams with repeatable narratives, reference architectures, and demo assets.
Active TS/SCI clearance required
Ability to travel as required, including to secure locations and customer sites across CONUS.

Nice To Haves

Prior military service or direct government technology leadership (e.g., command/agency CTO, senior technical advisor).
Relevant certifications (e.g., CISSP, PMP) and/or published work (technical articles, standards contributions, whitepapers).
Established credibility with key DoD/IC communities, integrators, or mission partners in the DC Metro and CONUS.

Responsibilities

Own the technical narrative, mission alignment, and external technical credibility for Kamiwaza Federal—ensuring the platform is positioned as mission-ready, secure, and operationally decisive from strategic headquarters to the tactical edge.
Act as the authoritative technical voice for Kamiwaza Federal with DoD and IC customers.
Serve as a trusted technical and mission advisor to senior government leaders (GO/FO, SES), program executives, and operational stakeholders.
Lead classified and unclassified executive briefings, architecture reviews, and mission workshops; facilitate technical decision-making.
Own technical escalation for complex customer situations, pilots, and competitive bake-offs.
Guide customers on secure AI adoption with full data containment and mission-based access control.
Define federal reference architectures, deployment patterns, and “how-to” guidance that accelerates pilots → production.
Partner with Sales, Capture, and BD leadership to shape technical win strategies and differentiated solution narratives
Partner with Sales, Capture, and BD leadership to qualify opportunities and influence bid/no-bid decisions
Partner with Sales, Capture, and BD leadership to support OTAs, rapid prototypes, pilots, and transition-to-production pathways
Serve as the technical closer in high-value, technically complex pursuits.
Build repeatable GTM assets: reference architectures, demo flows, competitive positioning, and enablement for account teams and partners.
Translate operational mission needs into clear, actionable product and engineering priorities.
Provide continuous feedback to platform, security, and infrastructure teams based on real-world government constraints.
Ensure internal teams understand classification, deployment, and sustainment realities.
Help drive internal alignment on packaging, deployment automation, documentation, and supportability for federal environments.
Engage and align with systems integrators, defense primes, hyperscalers, and hardware/edge vendors (compute, GPU, ruggedized platforms).
Drive joint reference architectures, integrated demos, and co-sell motions that extend Kamiwaza’s reach into programs of record.
Enable partner technical teams with repeatable architectures, demos, and deployment guidance that reduce delivery risk.
Represent Kamiwaza Federal at classified program reviews, defense industry forums, technical advisory venues, and partner events.
Serve as a visible technical spokesperson for Kamiwaza Federal through conference speaking, executive roundtables, webinars, and published technical content.
Translate complex AI and data topics into mission-relevant narratives that build trust, urgency, and adoption.
Build and nurture practitioner communities (working groups, user groups, partner enablement sessions) that expand technical influence.