Senior Software Engineer - Open Source (RD217)

Defense Unicorns

4h • $148,750 - $201,250 • Remote

About The Position

Defense Unicorns seeks an experienced Software Engineer to build, maintain, and steward its open source products and the ecosystems they depend on. The role collaborates with product managers, designers, engineers, community contributors, and end users to develop effective solutions. It combines community stewardship, product development, and technical execution to design, implement, and maintain cloud native software that supports mission outcomes.

The engineer will bring strong Golang experience and an interest in cloud native technologies, while learning TypeScript to support the broader open source ecosystem. There may also be opportunities to contribute in additional languages and communities, including Rust. The role includes making architecture decisions, maintaining technical quality across open source codebases, APIs, and contributor workflows, and contributing improvements to relevant open source projects.

This is a remote position in the United States, with expected travel of 5–15%. The stated annual compensation range is $148,750–$201,250 USD, with final packages based on candidate experience. The position works with mission-focused customers and projects involving secure software delivery, Kubernetes, cloud environments, infrastructure-as-code, continuous delivery, automation, GitOps, containers, and related open source products.

Requirements

• At least 5 years of software engineering experience.
• Proficiency in Go.
• Strong understanding of system design, libraries and software APIs, Kubernetes, and cloud architecture, such as AWS or Azure.
• Ability to assess complex problems, propose solutions, and implement them effectively.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, including the ability to convey technical concepts to technical and non-technical audiences.

Nice To Haves

• Experience building or maintaining open source software tools, especially in cloud native, software lifecycle, or software supply chain domains.
• Interest in learning TypeScript and contributing in additional modern languages such as Rust.
• Experience contributing to open source projects and participating in open source communities.
• Involvement with the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), Apache Software Foundation (ASF), Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF), or similar communities.
• Familiarity with core Kubernetes concepts, including controllers, operators, and CRDs.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with internal engineers and open source contributors on features, bug fixes, reviews, and releases through clear communication and responsible stewardship.
• Engage with open source communities, industry partners, and standards bodies using platforms such as Slack and GitHub; help advance projects and upstream ecosystems, including facilitating community meetings with internal and external users.
• Promote projects within the ecosystem by delivering a mission-focused end-user experience and collaborating with users on case studies, blogs, or conference presentations.
• Identify and resolve ambiguity across product requirements, community needs, and upstream project constraints.
• Build and integrate secure, interoperable cloud native software for defense environments and contribute improvements to relevant open source projects where appropriate.
• Own architecture decisions and ensure technical quality across open source codebases, APIs, and contributor workflows.
• Develop design proposals, contribution guides, user documentation, and maintenance guides.
• Keep abreast of emerging cloud native, open source, and secure software supply chain technologies to inform product enhancements and ecosystem contributions.
• Provide technical mentorship and elevate engineering standards across the team.
• Influence product direction through an understanding of user needs and system constraints.
• Work proactively, manage time efficiently, and adapt to evolving organizational needs.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage with premiums 100% paid by the company.
• Health Savings Account.
• Life insurance.
• Disability insurance.
• 401(k) retirement plan.
• Company stock options.
• Home office budget.
• Flexible Time Off for full-time employees.
• Federal holidays, one week off for Thanksgiving, and two weeks off for Christmas and New Year's.
• Paid parental leave.
• Reimbursement for approved training and subscriptions.
• Conference travel, lodging, and fees.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed