Lead Systems Engineer/Architect

Job Description

Job Description

Salary:

We are seeking a hands-on Lead Systems Engineer / Architect to own the end-to-end systems architecture of the SpatialCoreplatform, from data ingestion and AI/ML fusion through real-time bi-directional data serving and edge deployment. You will architect the system that ties together existing built components with new infrastructure into a cohesive, scalable, and secure platform.

You will write architecture decision records, produce system design specifications, lead design reviews, and contribute directly to the most complex integration challenges. You will set the technical standards for a rapidly growing engineering team while ensuring every architectural decision supports both defense compliance requirements and commercial scalability.

Key Responsibilities:

Systems Architecture & Platform Integration

• Define and own the end-to-end systems architecture forSpatialCore, encompassing data ingestion, transformation, AI/ML fusion, real-time data serving, and client-side rendering

• Architect the integration of existing platform components into a unified, production-grade system

• Design extensible APIs and SDKs enabling third-party connector development

• Architect edge deployment patterns for disconnected, intermittent, and low-bandwidth environments common in defense and industrial settings

• Define data flow architectures supporting token-based consumption metering (ingestion, transformation, query/export tiers)

• Establish platform scalability patterns from hundreds to tens of thousands of connected endpoints

Technical Leadership & Standards

• Produce andmaintaincomprehensive architecture documentation: system context diagrams,componentdiagrams, sequence diagrams, interface specifications, and Architecture Decision Records

• Establish and enforce engineering standards for configuration control, version management, and reproducible builds

• Lead technical design reviews and serve as the final technical authority on architectural decisions

• Define and implement the CI/CD pipeline strategy incorporatingDevSecOpspractices across the full software development lifecycle

• Translate high-level product requirements into detailed technical specifications and executable engineering tasks

• Mentor and guide engineers across the team,establishinga culture of technical rigor, thorough documentation, and disciplined execution

Data Interoperability & Protocol Engineering

• Architect the data normalization pipeline converting heterogeneous formats

• Design real-time and near-real-time data fusion architectures integrating multiple sensor modalities and data sources

• Define protocol-level integration patterns for the communications layer, including multicast, fault tolerance, and contested environment resilience

• Architect bi-directional data serving patterns supporting both cloud-based and edge-deployed topologies

• Design data provenance and settlement mechanisms for multi-party data exchange scenarios

Security, Compliance & Dual-Use Architecture

• Architect systems that satisfy defense compliance frameworks (CMMC, NIST SP 800-171/800-53) whileremainingcommerciallyviable

• Design Trusted Execution Environment integration for hardware-backed data security

• Ensure secure coding practices and threat modeling are embedded in the development process, not bolted on

• Architect role-based access control, audit logging, and data handlingappropriate forsensitive but unclassified environments

• Design platform architecture that cleanly separates defense and commercial deployments while maximizing code reuse

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with the CTO on technical vision, technology roadmap, and build-vs-buy decisions

• Collaborate with the Growth Team to translate customer requirements and field feedback into architectural priorities

• Work to evaluate and integrate emerging technologies into the platform roadmap

• Support the contracts team in technical proposal writing and solution architecture for government bids

Required Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a closely related engineering discipline

• Master's degree preferred, particularly in Systems Engineering, Software Architecture, or a related field

Experience

• 12+ yearsin systems engineering, software architecture, or platform engineering, with substantial experience delivering production systems at scale

• 5+ yearsin a technical leadership role leading architecture decisions, mentoring engineers, and owning system-level design across multi-componentplatforms

• Demonstrated experiencearchitecting distributed systems that span edge, cloud, and hybrid deployment topologies

• Proventrack recordintegrating heterogeneous data sources and protocols into unified platforms (ETL/ELT pipelines, data normalization, format conversion)

• Experience with real-time or near-real-time systems low-latency data processing, streaming architectures, or embedded/IoT system integration

• Public sector delivery experience architecting or delivering systems for DoD, federal civilian agencies, or defense primes, with working knowledge of defense compliance frameworks

Technical Expertise

• Systems design:Deepproficiencyin designing scalable, fault-tolerant distributed systems using microservices, event-driven, and message-based architectures

• Languages:Strongproficiencyin Python and C++required; experience with Rust, Go, highly valued

• Data engineering:Experience with spatial data formats, 3D data pipelines, or geospatial data processing

• Networking & protocols:Solid understanding of transport-layer protocols (UDP, TCP), multicast, and reliable messaging patterns; experience with IoT protocols (MQTT, CoAP, OPC UA, DDS) a plus

• Cloud & infrastructure:Proficiencywith containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), infrastructure-as-code (Terraform), and at least one major cloud platform (AWS, Azure, GCP)

• Security:Working knowledge of secure system design, encryption at rest/in transit, zero-trust architecture principles, and compliance frameworks (NIST 800-171, CMMC)

• DevSecOps:ExperienceestablishingCI/CD pipelines with integrated security scanning, automated testing, and configuration management

Preferred Qualifications

• Background in AI/ML system integration deploying models into production pipelines, sensor fusion, or multi-modal AI architectures

• Experience with TAK ecosystem integration or tactical edge computing platforms

• Familiarity with consumption-based pricing architectures (metering, usage tracking, billing integration)

• Experience architecting multi-tenant SaaS platforms with per-customer isolation

• Active or recent security clearance, or ability to obtain one

• Relevant certifications: AWS Solutions Architect Professional, Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA), TOGAF, INCOSE CSEP, or similar

What We Value

• Hands-on technical leaderswho architect systems AND contribute to solving the hardest integration problems not those who only draw diagrams

• Systems thinkerswho see the full picture from protocol layers through application logic to user-facing delivery and can make principled trade-offs across the stack

• Clear communicatorswho produce documentation that engineersactually useand who can explain complex technical architecture to non-technical stakeholders and investors

• Pragmatic engineerswho ship production systems, not perfectionists who endlessly refine prototypes we need someone who can integrate proven components into a working platform on a startup timeline

• Dual-use mindset comfortoperatingat the intersection of defense requirements and commercial product development, understanding that the same platform must serve both