{"id":2119866,"url":"https://alion.io/job/teamraft-principal-engineer-2","title":"Principal Engineer","company":{"id":3807236,"name":"Teamraft","domain":"teamraft.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/teamraft","size_band":"51-200","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":null},"role":"Backend","role_family":"Backend","seniority":"lead","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"inferred","locations":[],"countries":[],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":160000,"max":220000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":220000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":5,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Agentic Workflows","optional":false},{"name":"AI Agents","optional":false},{"name":"Apache Kafka","optional":false},{"name":"CI/CD","optional":false},{"name":"Go","optional":false},{"name":"Helm","optional":false},{"name":"Java","optional":false},{"name":"Kubernetes","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":false},{"name":"Rust","optional":false},{"name":"Edge AI","optional":true},{"name":"Ubuntu","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-01T13:46:00Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-06","last_verified_at":"2026-10-12T04:21:05Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":40,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":40},"description":"This is a U.S. based position. All of the programs we support requireU.S. citizenship to be eligible for employment. All work must be conducted within the continental U.S.\nThis is a U.S. based position. All of the programs we support require U.S. citizenship to be eligible for employment. All work must be conducted within the continental U.S. \nWho We Are\nRaft (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.\nOur 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 Fort Hood, 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.\nAbout The Role\nAs Principal Engineer you are Raft’s embedded technical lead at Fort Hood. You will work directly with Army customers, program offices, and partner integrators to deploy, integrate, and operationalize [R]DP, [R]AIMS, and [R]AP in their environments. You are a software engineer first. The field engineering context means your work has immediate operational impact, but between integration cycles you are writing code, building tooling, and contributing features back to the core product.\nThis is not a testing role or a pure DevOps role. You are expected to understand the software you are deploying at a deep enough level to diagnose it, improve it, and in some cases extend it. You will operate at the intersection of software development, DevSecOps, Kubernetes-native infrastructure, and Army data integration, with the autonomy to make calls in the field and the discipline to pull in the broader Raft team when the situation demands it.\nYou will partner closely with Raft’s product, platform, and delivery teams to ensure our products are fielded well: installed cleanly, integrated with Army data sources and mission systems, observable in production, and easy for operators and downstream developers to use.\nWhat You’ll Do\nServe as Raft’s embedded senior technical lead at Fort Hood, working with Army customers, program offices, and partner integrators to install, integrate, and operate [R]DP, [R]AIMS, and [R]AP in their environments\nOwn end-to-end product deployment and fielding at Fort Hood and the Army units we support, including environment preparation, installation, configuration, integration with Army data sources and mission systems, validation, and sustainment\nWrite 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\nBuild, 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\nApply 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\nDeploy 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\nIntegrate Raft products with Army data sources, mission systems, and partner platforms, applying a working understanding of how data and decisions flow across Army echelons\nChampion 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\nCapture lessons learned, customer feedback, and unmet needs from the field and translate them into actionable input for Raft’s product, engineering, and growth teams\nKnow 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\nWhat We’re Looking For\n5+ years of hands-on software engineering experience with demonstrated ability to write, debug, and ship production code in complex enterprise or government environments\nActive Secret clearance required; U.S. citizenship required\nHands-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\nStrong DevSecOps experience: CI/CD, container builds, infrastructure as code, secrets management, and applying security controls in production deployments\nWorking 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\nStrong scripting skills in Bash and Python for automation, integration tooling, and operational playbooks\nDemonstrated ability to build runbooks and reproducible procedures that other engineers and customer administrators can follow without hand-holding\nWorking understanding of the U.S. Army’s mission, organizational structure, and common Army data sources such as C2, intelligence, logistics, and sensor data\nStrong 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\nSelf-directed in the field; able to make pragmatic decisions under ambiguity and incomplete information while maintaining the judgment to escalate when needed\nAbility to obtain Security+ certification within the first 90 days of employment\nMust be willing to commute to or relocate within reasonable distance of Fort Hood, TX\nHighly Preferred\nPrior experience working at Fort Hood or supporting Army programs such as C5ISR Center, PEO C3T, PEO IEW&S, or DEVCOM\nDirect experience supporting Army programs such as NGC2, IBCS, or other tactical and operational C2, data, or AI/ML efforts\nExperience integrating with Army data standards, message formats, and mission systems such as MIL-STD-2525, Link 16, VMF, OMS/UCI, or TAK\nExperience deploying and operating Kubernetes-based platforms in DDIL (Disconnected, Disrupted, Intermittent, Limited) or tactical edge environments\nExperience with IL4 through IL6 environments, RMF/ATO processes, and DoD compliance frameworks\nExperience with data platforms, streaming systems, or AI/ML deployment such as Kafka, Iceberg, vector stores, model serving, or agentic workflows\nPrior military service or significant experience working alongside uniformed operators and Army units\nActive Top Secret or Top Secret/SCI clearance strongly preferred\nClearance Requirements\nActive Secret clearance required to begin\nMust be eligible for and willing to obtain a Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility\nSalary Range: $160,000.00 - $220,000.00\nThe determination of compensation is predicated upon a candidate’s comprehensive experience, demonstrated skill, and proven abilities.\nWork Type\nOnsite at Fort Hood, TX; candidates must live within commuting distance of Fort Hood or be willing to relocate\nUp to 30% travel to other Army units, Raft sites, and customer locations\nWhat we will offer you: \nHighly competitive salary\nFully covered healthcare, dental, and vision coverage\n401(k) and company match\nTake as you need PTO + 11 paid holidays\nEducation & training benefits\nAnnual budget for your tech/gadgets needs\nGenerous Referral Bonuses \nAnd More! \n Our Vision Statement: \nWe bridge the gap between humans and data through radical transparency and our obsession with the mission. \nOur Customer Obsession: \nWe 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. \nHow do we get there? \nPublic-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. \nRaft’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. \nWe’re an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status. \nWe’re an equal opportunity employer. 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