Founding DevSecOps Engineer

Due to the nature of the work, this role does require you to be a US Citizen performing the work on US soil.

Founding DevSecOps Engineer – startup is in stealth, backed by a16z – is building the AI operating system for radio frequency spectrum — the trillion-dollar invisible infrastructure that powers 5G, autonomous vehicles, and satellites.

We’re building a software platform to modernize how RF spectrum is accessed, managed, and shared. Our platform will shorten licensing timelines, enable dynamic spectrum sharing, and strengthen communications resilience across government and commercial networks.

Our founders are Millen (a16z engineering fellow, built 150+ satellites at Planet) and Ari (employee #2 at True Anomaly and Chief Engineer of a multi-mission program). This startup grew out of years of frustration working in satellite communications and spectrum management: spectrum licenses that take 24 months and cost hundreds of thousands, bandwidth congestion from mega constellations, and comms systems that are increasingly vulnerable to interference and jamming.

We’re looking for a Founding DevSecOps Engineer to help define the backbone of our platform — securing and scaling data systems that handle fragmented, high-stakes datasets, and building the core of modern spectrum infrastructure. The problems are hard, the mission is critical, and the impact is global.

What You’ll Do:

● Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines with integrated security checks, vulnerability scanning, and automated testing for cloud systems.

● Configure and enforce role-based access controls, encryption, and logging for sensitive datasets across AWS/Azure GovCloud.

● Implement automated monitoring, alerting, and auditing to detect misconfigurations, data anomalies, and compliance violations.

● Integrate with legacy government systems, resolve data normalization issues, and ensure secure, auditable data flows.

● Develop and maintain infrastructure-as-code templates (Terraform, CloudFormation, or equivalent) to enforce reproducible, secure deployments.

You Should Have:

● Experience with government-accredited cloud platforms (AWS GovCloud, Azure GovCloud, or equivalent) and knowledge of compliance frameworks (FedRAMP, DoD SRG, NIST).

Nice-to-Haves:

● A security clearance

● Experience integrating with classified systems and classified data.

● Experience getting software accredited to operate on SIPR, JWICS, or similar networks.

You thrive on:

● Taking ownership and navigating shifting priorities in a fast-moving, high-impact environment.

● Moving seamlessly between high-level architecture and hands-on implementation.

● Solving the hard problems of modernizing legacy government systems and enabling secure, mission-critical communication.

Beyond technical skill, we’re looking for someone who wants to take on a ton of responsibility, is comfortable with shifting priorities, and moving fluidly between high-level architecture and hands-on implementation. Equally important, they should be energized by tackling the hard problems of modernizing legacy government systems, helping space communicate with Earth, and building mission-critical infrastructure that endures.

You must be local to DC or NYC Metro areas.

Compensation:

Company offers flexible structures depending on whether someone prioritizes cash, equity or a balanced mix.

Here’s the current range (and other perks) for the role:

• Base salary: starting near/around $200K with flexibility based on experience and whether you prefer a higher-cash or higher-equity package
• Equity: approximately 1% with room to adjust based what the final offer mix looks like
• Benefits: 95% employer-covered health insurance, unlimited PTO, and a 401k launching January 1st
• Additional perks: meals covered when you’re working and relocation assistance, up to $15K (if applicable)