Principal Software Engineer, Field Engineering

Raft Company Website•Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD

3d•$160,000 - $220,000•Onsite

About The Position

Raft is a customer-obsessed non-traditional defense tech company dedicated to empowering U.S. military and government agencies with cutting-edge AI/ML and data solutions. We are a leader in autonomous data fusion and Agentic AI, with a purposeful focus on Distributed Data Systems, Platforms at Scale, and Complex Application Development. With headquarters in McLean, VA, our range of clients includes innovative federal and public agencies leveraging design thinking, cutting-edge tech stack, and cloud-native ecosystem. We build digital solutions that impact the lives of millions of Americans. Our product suite, [R]DP (Raft Data Platform), [R]AIMS (Raft AI Mission System), and [R]AP (Raft Application Platform), is being fielded across the U.S. Army and joint force to power data fusion, AI/ML, and mission applications at the tactical and operational edge. We are looking for an experienced Principal Software Engineer to be embedded with our Army customers at Aberdeen Proving Ground, serving as Raft’s senior technical presence on the ground: someone who can write production code in the morning, troubleshoot a Kubernetes deployment in a SCIF in the afternoon, and brief a program office on fielding status before end of day.

Requirements

5+ years of hands-on software engineering experience with demonstrated ability to write, debug, and ship production code in complex enterprise or government environments
Active Secret clearance required; U.S. citizenship required
Hands-on production coding experience in at least one backend language such as Go, Java, or Rust; this is a development role, not just a deployment role
Strong DevSecOps experience: CI/CD, container builds, infrastructure as code, secrets management, and applying security controls in production deployments
Working proficiency with Kubernetes sufficient to confidently deploy, configure, and debug containerized products in customer environments, including Helm, manifests, operators, pod and networking troubleshooting, storage, and ingress
Strong scripting skills in Bash and Python for automation, integration tooling, and operational playbooks
Demonstrated ability to build runbooks and reproducible procedures that other engineers and customer administrators can follow without hand-holding
Working understanding of the U.S. Army’s mission, organizational structure, and common Army data sources such as C2, intelligence, logistics, and sensor data
Strong customer-facing skills; able to represent Raft credibly with senior Army stakeholders, partner integrators, and operators and translate clearly between mission users and engineering teams
Self-directed in the field; able to make pragmatic decisions under ambiguity and incomplete information while maintaining the judgment to escalate when needed
Ability to obtain Security+ certification within the first 90 days of employment
Must be willing to commute to or relocate within reasonable distance of Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD

Nice To Haves

Prior experience working at Aberdeen Proving Ground or supporting APG-based Army programs such as C5ISR Center, PEO C3T, PEO IEW&S, or DEVCOM
Direct experience supporting Army programs such as NGC2, IBCS, or other tactical and operational C2, data, or AI/ML efforts
Experience integrating with Army data standards, message formats, and mission systems such as MIL-STD-2525, Link 16, VMF, OMS/UCI, or TAK
Experience deploying and operating Kubernetes-based platforms in DDIL (Disconnected, Disrupted, Intermittent, Limited) or tactical edge environments
Experience with IL4 through IL6 environments, RMF/ATO processes, and DoD compliance frameworks
Experience with data platforms, streaming systems, or AI/ML deployment such as Kafka, Iceberg, vector stores, model serving, or agentic workflows
Prior military service or significant experience working alongside uniformed operators and Army units
Active Top Secret or Top Secret/SCI clearance strongly preferred

Responsibilities

Serve as Raft’s embedded senior technical lead at Aberdeen Proving Ground, working with Army customers, program offices, and partner integrators to install, integrate, and operate [R]DP, [R]AIMS, and [R]AP in their environments
Own end-to-end product deployment and fielding at APG and the Army units we support, including environment preparation, installation, configuration, integration with Army data sources and mission systems, validation, and sustainment
Write and contribute production-quality code in Go, Java, or Rust, turning field-driven gaps and fixes into durable product features between integration cycles rather than waiting for the core team to catch up
Build, improve, and maintain installation, integration, and troubleshooting playbooks that any Raft engineer or qualified customer administrator can confidently execute in connected, disconnected, and degraded environments
Apply DevSecOps practices end to end: CI/CD pipelines, container builds, infrastructure as code, secrets management, and RMF-relevant security controls that keep fielded deployments secure, reproducible, and auditable
Deploy and debug Kubernetes workloads in customer environments, including Helm charts and manifests, pod and networking troubleshooting, storage, ingress, and operator management on clusters where Raft products run
Integrate Raft products with Army data sources, mission systems, and partner platforms, applying a working understanding of how data and decisions flow across Army echelons
Champion Raft products on site by running hands-on enablement with operators and developers, answering hard technical questions, and building lasting trust through credibility and follow-through
Capture lessons learned, customer feedback, and unmet needs from the field and translate them into actionable input for Raft’s product, engineering, and growth teams
Know when to reach back. Identify problems that need the broader Raft team, frame them clearly, and pull in the right help quickly rather than grinding alone in the field