VP, Platform Engineering

True Anomaly•Los Angeles, CA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

True Anomaly is building a new Platform Engineering organization to own the compute infrastructure that powers everything we do, from autonomous spacecraft to classified command-and-control software. As VP of Platform Engineering, you will build this organization from day one. You will hire and lead teams across AI engineering, data engineering, infrastructure engineering, and IT. You will set the technical vision for how the company builds, deploys, and operates across commercial, CUI, and classified environments. The platforms your team creates will serve every program in the company and position True Anomaly to offer accredited compute as a strategic capability in the defense market. This role has direct impact on the company’s ability to scale.

Requirements

12+ years of experience in infrastructure, platform, or systems engineering, with 5+ years leading engineering organizations of 15+ people across multiple technical disciplines
Hands-on expertise in cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure, or GovCloud variants), Kubernetes, container orchestration, networking, and CI/CD at scale
Direct experience building and operating DoD Impact Level 5 or higher accredited environments, with working knowledge of NIST 800-53, STIGs, RMF, and the ATO process
Track record of building engineering organizations from scratch in high-growth environments: recruiting teams, establishing culture, and delivering platforms that other teams depend on
Experience managing teams that operate across classification levels with mixed clearance requirements
Strong executive communication skills and the ability to represent infrastructure strategy to government customers, program leadership, and C-suite stakeholders
Active U.S. Top Secret clearance required; SCI eligibility required and must be obtainable
To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Nice To Haves

Experience in aerospace, defense, or national security technology companies
Background spanning multiple infrastructure disciplines: AI/ML platforms, data engineering, networking, and SRE/DevOps
Experience with multi-cloud and hybrid architectures including on-premises, GovCloud, and customer-deployed or disconnected environments
Prior experience at a high-growth startup (Series B through IPO) building infrastructure that scales with rapid headcount and contract growth
Familiarity with platform engineering “paved roads” operating models that balance standardization with engineering team autonomy
Active U.S. Top Secret or TS/SCI clearance

Responsibilities

Build and lead the Platform Engineering organization from the ground up: hiring managers, setting technical direction, and scaling a team to 24+ in 2026 with significant continued growth as the company expands its program portfolio and prime capabilities
Own the company’s compute infrastructure platform strategy across commercial, CUI, and classified environments, including cloud, containers, networking, and CI/CD
Define and deliver the technical architecture for DoD Impact Level 5 and IL-6 accredited compute environments, replacing subcontractor dependency with a reusable, internally owned platform
Drive AI enablement infrastructure as the company’s top strategic priority, including the AI platform, data infrastructure, and enterprise AI tooling that the rest of the company depends on
Lead the Systems Working Group: technology evaluation, approval, and standardization across the company, backed by the engineering capacity to drive outcomes
Partner with engineering leadership, program teams, and government customers to ensure infrastructure scales with the contract pipeline and positions True Anomaly to offer accredited compute as a prime capability