Senior Software Engineer, Platforms FDE

Ditto • Tampa, FL

12h • Onsite

About The Position

As a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE), you are the technical tip of the spear. FDEs are elite, versatile engineers who work shoulder-to-shoulder with our most critical users to solve complex challenges in real time. Your primary mission is to radically decrease the time-to-value of our software by integrating it directly into the user's operational environment.
Because you see firsthand how our technology performs in the wild, you will also act as a crucial conduit, feeding technical insights and feature requirements back to our core product engineering team. This role requires a highly adaptable problem-solver who is comfortable moving fast, navigating ambiguity, and figuring things out quickly in high-stakes environments.

Requirements

• Clearance Requirement: Must hold an active TS/SCI clearance (Due to federal security clearance requirements, U.S. Citizenship is strictly required for this role).
• 5+ years of experience in platform engineering, DevOps, site reliability engineering (SRE), or cloud infrastructure engineering. This includes hands-on experience deploying, configuring, and troubleshooting complex systems in live production environments.
• 2+ years of technical experience with container orchestration platforms and cloud-native architectures in secure environments, including CI/CD pipeline design and infrastructure-as-code tooling.
• Demonstrated experience with AWS GovCloud or equivalent FedRAMP-authorized cloud platforms at IL4/IL5/IL6, including a deep understanding of the compliance, networking, and architectural constraints of operating at these impact levels.
• A highly adaptable, problem-solving mindset, with the ability to navigate ambiguity, move fast, and balance immediate operational fixes with long-term technical fidelity.
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal. As the crucial bridge between the operational edge and our core development team, you must be able to translate complex, edge-case technical realities and user workflows into clear, actionable requirements for product engineers.

Nice To Haves

• Hands-on experience with Cross Domain Solutions (CDS) and data diodes, including architecting or troubleshooting unidirectional data flows between unclassified and classified networks.
• Experience with the Authority to Operate (ATO) process, including STIG implementation, vulnerability management, and working with ISSMs/ISSOs to achieve and maintain accreditation.
• Familiarity with SOCOM-specific or SOF-centric IT environments, including an understanding of the SOCOM enterprise network architecture and its unique operational requirements.
• Experience with GitOps workflows (e.g., ArgoCD, Flux) for managing Kubernetes deployments in air-gapped or disconnected environments.
• Previous experience with event streaming or data messaging platforms (e.g., Kafka, NATS, RabbitMQ) in high-security environments.
• Previous experience working directly with DoD, IC, or SOCOM customers, with an understanding of navigating classified network environments.
• A background in systems programming (e.g., Rust, Go, or C++) alongside standard scripting, allowing for deep optimization of platform services.

Responsibilities

• Implement the Core Aggregation Node: Lead the on-site architecture, deployment, and configuration of our central data hub within SOCOM's highly secure, distributed cloud environment.
• Architect and Manage GovCloud Infrastructure: Stand up, harden, and operate production workloads on AWS GovCloud at high impact levels, ensuring full compliance with security and accreditation requirements.
• Deploy and Maintain Container Orchestration: Own the lifecycle of Kubernetes clusters (including RKE2/K3s variants) across cloud and on-premise environments, managing upgrades, scaling, monitoring, and incident response.
• Engineer Secure Cross-Domain Data Flows: Architect and troubleshoot data synchronization pipelines that traverse Cross Domain Solutions (CDS) and data diodes, ensuring secure, policy-compliant, unidirectional data transfer between classification levels.
• Bridge the Gap: Translate the unique, edge-case operational realities you observe (e.g., ATO constraints, network segmentation at the SOCOM enterprise level, cross-domain latency) into actionable technical requirements for the core product development team.

Benefits

• We offer competitive salaries and meaningful equity. We believe everyone on the team should have a stake in what we’re building.
• Benefits vary by region to make sure you're covered in the ways that matter most. In the US, that includes health, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance, plus a 401(k) and flexible spending accounts.
• Regardless of where you live, everyone at Ditto can utilize flexible time off. And while we work remotely, our Atlanta and San Francisco offices are open if you ever want a place to work or meet up with teammates.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 101-250 employees