Technical Operations Engineer

Technical Operations Engineer

Washington, District of Columbia, United States

CHAOS Inc. is a global technology company delivering next-generation capabilities to the defense and critical industrial sectors. Founded in 2022 by a seasoned leadership team, CHAOS has quickly become the place where world-class multi-disciplinary engineers come to build mission-critical technologies. CHAOS has a mission-focused culture, dedicated to solving the toughest technical challenges. Its unique agile engineering approach enables rapid prototyping, while deep partnerships with defense and industry ensure real-world solutions.

Role Overview

Technical Operations Engineers sit at the intersection of technology and real-world mission environments. You'll ensure CHAOS systems operate flawlessly in the field — integrating hardware and software, diagnosing complex system issues, and delivering rapid fixes and improvements.

This role is ideal for someone who thrives in dynamic, hands-on settings — comfortable with Linux terminals, network traces, and hardware wiring as much as Python scripts and dashboards. You'll be embedded with customers, integrating CHAOS systems into existing infrastructure, and ensuring reliability under real-world conditions.

Responsibilities

• Integrate CHAOS software, sensors, and RF devices with customer systems — both physically (networking, power, and hardware bring-up) and via software interfaces (data pipelines, APIs).
• Debug complex edge issues spanning hardware, software, and networking layers.
• Develop scripts, diagnostics, and automation tools to improve reliability and observability.
• Capture operational feedback and collaborate with internal engineering teams to drive product improvements.
• Document system configurations, troubleshooting steps, and lessons learned for both internal and customer audiences.
• Travel (typically up to 50%) to customer and test sites for deployments, troubleshooting, and mission support.

Minimum Requirements

• Strong technical foundation with a degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, or related field — or equivalent hands-on experience.
• Deep familiarity with Linux environments; comfortable with SSH, networking tools, and system-level debugging.
• Strong problem-solving instincts — able to work independently and under pressure in the field.
• Understanding of networking protocols, hardware interfaces, and distributed system concepts.
• Experience integrating or maintaining hardware or sensor systems.
• Proficiency in at least one scripting or programming language (Python, Bash, or similar).
• Willingness and enthusiasm for travel and on-site technical work.

Preferred Requirements

• Experience in systems integration, field engineering, or technical operations for complex deployments.
• Background in defense, aerospace, or other mission-critical environments.
• Familiarity with telemetry, data integration, or IoT-style architectures.
• Understanding of RF systems, SDRs, or radar technologies (highly valued but not required).
• Experience with cloud and edge computing environments (Docker, Azure, AWS, etc.).
• Excellent communication and documentation skills — able to bridge technical and operational perspectives with clarity and composure.

Why CHAOS?

• Health Benefits: Your medical, dental and vision benefits will be 100% paid for by the company
• Additional benefits: life, FSA, HSA, 401k (+ Company match), and more
• Our Perks: free daily lunch, 'No meeting Fridays', unlimited PTO, casual dress code
• Compensation Components: competitive base salaries, generous pre-IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance + (coming soon!) annual bonuses
• Company Size: 150 employees and counting!
• More About Us: We're building the next generation of aerospace, defense and critical industry technologies with a seasoned team of mission-focused individuals. We were founded in June 2022 and our goal is to become the platform where world-class engineers come to solve critical, real-world problems. We use agile engineering approaches which enable rapid prototyping, deep partnerships with the defense industry ensuring real-world application, and our newly-invented Coherence platform (through which we've made a fundamental breakthrough) improves sensor performance and decision-making in real-time. As of April 2025 we have raised $490M (including a $275M Series C at a $2B valuation) from some of the most prominent VC funds and investors including Accel, NEA, 8VC, and Valar. With a managing team that includes Epirus' founding members (responsible for building a $1.5B company from scratch) + key drivers from Palantir (instrumental in Palantir's growth to $1B in revenue), we are well-positioned to become one of the fastest growing companies to date!

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

The stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base compensation range and excludes additional earnings such as bonus, equity, and benefits. If your compensation requirements fall outside of the range, we still encourage you to apply. The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations.