Defense Unicorns · 3 hours ago
Senior Software Engineer - Zarf
United States
Full-time
Remote
Senior Level
$149K/yr - $201K/yr
5+ years expDefense Unicorns seeks an experienced Software Engineer to work on their open source products. The role involves collaborating with product managers, designers, and end users to ensure the development of effective solutions while leading the design, implementation, and deployment of impactful features and systems.
AppsArtificial Intelligence (AI)National SecuritySoftwareSoftware Engineering
Responsibilities
Work with engineers internal to the company, and within the open source community on feature and bug fix requests, through clear communication, collaboration, and responsible stewardship
Engage with the open source community, industry partners, and standards bodies via common platforms (e.g., Slack, Github, etc.) to help drive our open source projects forward
Amplify the voice of our projects within the ecosystem by delivering a mission-focused end-user experience and collaborating with users to produce case studies, blogs, or conference presentations
Proactively identify and resolve ambiguity in product requirements
Comfortable working proactively, managing time efficiently, and thriving in a vibrant remote work environment ✨🦄
Integrate software products with existing defense systems, ensuring seamless interoperability and adherence to security protocols
Own architecture decisions and ensure technical quality across the engineering team
Develop comprehensive documentation, including design specifications (via Zarf Enhancement Proposals), user manuals, and maintenance guides
Stay abreast of emerging technologies and industry trends to inform product enhancements and innovation
Provide technical mentorship and elevate engineering standards across the team
Influence product direction through deep understanding of user needs and system constraints
Qualification
Required
5+ years experience with software engineering
Experience building a software tool with core focuses on software lifecycle and management
Proficient in Go (proficiency in other modern programming languages a plus)
Strong understanding of system design, library and software APIs, and cloud architecture (e.g., AWS, Azure)
Excited to assess intricate problems, propose solutions, and implement them effectively
Experience contributing to Open Source Projects. Participating in Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), Apache Software Foundation (ASF), or Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF) is a huge plus
Familiar with Core Kubernetes Concepts including but not limited to Controllers, Operators, and CRDs
Strong communication and collaboration skills, comfortable conveying technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences
Benefits
Medical/Dental/Vision
Premiums are 100% Company Paid
Health Reimbursement Account
Life Insurance
Disability Insurance
401k Retirement Plan
Company Stock Options
Home Office Budget
Unlimited paid time off, with a mandatory 10 days off on top of 11 federal government holidays, week of Thanksgiving, last two weeks of December (including New Year’s Day)
Paid Parental Leave
Reimbursement for approved trainings/subscriptions
Conferences (travel, lodging, and fees)
Company
Defense Unicorns
Defense Unicorns is a software startup that provides open-source software and AI capabilities for national security systems.
51-200 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageTotal Funding
$171.5MKey Investors
Bain Capital Tech OpportunitiesAnsa Capital,Sapphire Ventures
2026-01-13Series B· $136M
2024-03-07Series A· $35M
2022-10-13Seed· $0.5M
Leadership Team
Robert Slaughter
Chief Executive Officer
Jeff McCoy
Chief Technology Officer
Recent News
alleywatch.com
2026-01-20
Tech Startups - Tech News, Tech Trends & Startup Funding
2026-01-16
Company data provided by crunchbase