Staff Software Engineer

Location: Rome, NY; Hanscom AFB; NCR Area

Department: Engineering

Who we are:

Raft (https://TeamRaft.com) 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.

About the role:
Raft is building mission-critical data platforms for the Department of War that process billions of events per day from hundreds of sensors and operational sources, delivering intelligence to operators who use it to make time-sensitive decisions. Our platform runs across multiple classification levels and deployment environments. We are seeking a Staff Software Engineer to join our team. 

What you will do: 

• Architect, develop and implement end-to-end cluster and application lifecycles 
• Work with clients architecting, developing and implementing Kubernetes or Docker solutions both in the Cloud and on-premises
• Develop and implement CI/CD pipelines 
• Implement GitOps for Software Delivery 

What we are looking for: 

• 3+ years of relevant DOD industry experience 
• 3+ years' experience with Docker and Kubernetes, provisioning production clusters and maintaining their compliance.
• Experience with building and managing data-intensive platforms using popular streaming technologies such as Kafka, Pinot, or FlinkExperience in data management technologies including ETL processing, data governance, and data storage
• Experience with AWS and/or other cloud computing solutions
• Experienced with building, deployment, release automation, or orchestration 
• Experience with Kubernetes monitoring (i.e. Prometheus, Grafana) and logging (i.e. Fluentbit, Kibana, Loki) solutions
• Experience with Infrastructure as Code (e.g. Terraform, Ansible, etc.) 
• Experience with configuring CI/CD pipelines using GitLab Runners 
• Obtain Security+ within the first 90 days of employment with Raft
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret clearance
• Ability to travel up to 25%

Highly preferred:

• Solid understanding of Helm Charts 
• Experience using a variety of package managers/dependency managers including Maven, Gradle, NPM, and Yarn 
• Knowledge of Istio, 
• Experience with supporting enterprise Cloud applications or infrastructure 
•  Experience in automation languages like Python or GoLang
•  Comfortable provisioning and debugging complex CI/CD pipelines

Clearance Requirements:

• Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret clearance to Top Secret

Salary Range: $140,000 - $190,000

• The determination of compensation is predicated upon a candidate's comprehensive experience, demonstrated skill, and proven abilities

Work Type:

• Hybrid in Rome, NY, Hanscom, or NCR (National Capital Region - DC)
• Domestic travel up to 35% to customer sites

What we will offer you: 

• Highly competitive salary
• Fully covered healthcare, dental, and vision coverage
• 401(k) and company match
• Take as you need PTO + 11 paid holidays
• Education & training benefits
• Generous Referral Bonuses
• And More!

Our Vision Statement: 

We bridge the gap between humans and data through radical transparency and our obsession with the mission. 

Our Customer Obsession: 

We will approach every deliverable like it's a product. We will adopt a customer-obsessed mentality. As we grow, and our footprint becomes larger, teams and employees will treat each other not only as teammates but customers. We must live the customer-obsessed mindset, always. This will help us scale and it will translate to the interactions that our Rafters have with their clients and other product teams that they integrate with. Our culture will enable our success and set us apart from other companies.

How do we get there? 

Public-sector modernization is critical for us to live in a better world. We, at Raft, want to innovate and solve complex problems. And, if we are successful, our generation and the ones that follow us will live in a delightful, efficient, and accessible world where out-of-box thinking, and collaboration is a norm. 

Raft’s core philosophy is Ubuntu: I Am, Because We are. We support our “nadi” by elevating the other Rafters. We work as a hyper collaborative team where each team member brings a unique perspective, adding value that did not exist before. People make Raft special. We celebrate each other and our cognitive and cultural diversity. We are devoted to our practice of innovation and collaboration.