Full-Time

Product Engineering Manager

Multiple Teams

Posted on 7/25/2025

Defense Unicorns

Defense Unicorns

51-200 employees

Secure DevSecOps platform for defense

Compensation Overview

$148.8k - $201.3k/yr

Remote in USA

Remote

Remote - USA

Category
Engineering Management (1)
Required Skills
Kubernetes
Microsoft Azure
AWS
DevOps
Google Cloud Platform
Requirements
  • 6+ years of industry experience, preferably in building, maintaining, and managing platforms and infrastructure.
  • 2+ years of experience managing engineering teams, with experience in a remote, distributed environment.
  • Strong technical background in software engineering, with deep experience in architecting and delivering scalable solutions using cloud providers such as AWS, GCP, or Azure, while deploying cloud-native software to Kubernetes.
  • Proficiency in DevOps principles, CI/CD pipelines, and infrastructure automation.
  • Excellent interpersonal, communication, and leadership skills, with a track record of inspiring and empowering teams.
  • High level of technical proficiency, with the ability to work within the team to solve complex problems.
  • Detail-oriented, highly organized, and able to prioritize tasks effectively.
Responsibilities
  • Lead, inspire, and manage a team of engineers dedicated to developing and maintaining UDS-compatible applications.
  • Own the team's deliverables, ensuring the timely delivery of scalable, highly-available products that exceed customer expectations.
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams to prioritize and manage engineering roadmaps in alignment with Product objectives.
  • Instill a spirit of continuous improvement in code quality, architecture, and processes, driving innovation and efficiency.
  • Mentor and guide the professional and technical development of team members, helping them advance their careers and achieve their goals.
  • Facilitate communication among clients/customers and engineers, ensuring clear understanding of specifications, budgets, and deadlines.
  • Stay abreast of new trends, developments, and technologies to continually improve product lines and production efficiency.
Desired Qualifications
  • Contributions to open-source projects or published projects.
  • Familiarity with Cloud-Native technologies including Kubernetes. Experience with Zarf, and the UDS ecosystem is highly desirable.
  • Understanding of the needs of airgapped systems, edge devices, and the implications of semi-disconnected software delivery is a differentiator.
  • Experience in mobile development, particularly Android software development, is a huge plus.

Defense Unicorns provides secure, open-source DevSecOps solutions and related services for defense and federal customers. Its platform is designed to be infrastructure-agnostic, integrating development, security, and operations to deliver software quickly while meeting strict federal security and accreditation standards. The company differentiates itself by focusing on mission-driven government and defense programs, leveraging open-source tooling, and offering training and consulting to help organizations upskill, transform digitally, and navigate DoD SBIR/STTR programs. The goal is to help government agencies and defense contractors deliver secure software at speed, acquire and integrate software solutions efficiently, and achieve compliance in complex procurement environments.

Company Size

51-200

Company Stage

Series B

Total Funding

$171.5M

Headquarters

Colorado Springs, Colorado

Founded

2021

Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • $136M Series B from Bain Capital reaches $1B valuation in January 2026.
  • 300% year-over-year growth in military system adoption across branches.
  • CMMC Level 2 certification achieved with zero POAMs on May 13, 2025.

What critics are saying

  • Palantir Warp Speed erodes UDS advantage via established DoD contracts.
  • Anduril Lattice bundles DevSecOps with Army hardware wins by October 2025.
  • Red Hat Zarf fork fragments ecosystem with DoD OpenShift shift by February 2026.

What makes Defense Unicorns unique

  • UDS enables F-22 software updates in minutes versus months.
  • UDS Army cuts Army security approvals from 18 months to 2 weeks.
  • Airgap App Store transforms software deployment for national security.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Life Insurance

Disability Insurance

401(k) Retirement Plan

401(k) Company Match

Unlimited Paid Time Off

Paid Parental Leave

Home Office Stipend

Conference Attendance Budget

Professional Development Budget

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

-1%

1 year growth

-1%

2 year growth

3%
PR Newswire
Mar 18th, 2026
F-22 Raptor receives software updates in minutes via Defense Unicorns delivery system

Defense Unicorns, in partnership with the Air Force Sustainment Center Software Directorate, has successfully demonstrated rapid software deployment on the F-22 Raptor at Edwards Air Force Base. The technology enabled software installation and upgrades in the aircraft's open mission system in minutes, compared to the months traditionally required. The demonstration used Defense Unicorns' Unicorn Delivery Service (UDS), which allows secure deployment of modern software to military systems. The technology will eventually enable pilots and maintainers to update software capabilities directly on the aircraft, ensuring they have the latest tools for each mission. The F-22 joins several other Department of War aircraft using UDS. The system's open, modular design allows software capabilities to be readily installed on other fourth, fifth and sixth-generation aircraft with compatible environments.

PR Newswire
Feb 19th, 2026
Defense Unicorns and US Army slash software security approval time from 18 months to 2 weeks

Defense Unicorns has partnered with the US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command C5ISR Center to launch UDS Army, a platform designed to accelerate secure software delivery to soldiers. The system aims to reduce the Authorization to Operate process from 12-18 months to as little as two weeks whilst cutting compliance costs by over 70%. UDS Army provides commercial vendors with pre-authorised Microsoft Azure Government cloud environments at Impact Levels 4 and 5, combining automated security scanning with continuous compliance monitoring. The platform includes an Army App Marketplace and sandbox trial environments, enabling programme managers to test applications before acquisition. Six companies, including HERE, Kana Systems and Sandtable, are already onboarding. Defense Unicorns, founded in 2021, specialises in airgap software delivery for national security systems.

PR Newswire
Jan 13th, 2026
Defense Unicorns reaches $1B valuation with $136M Series B to modernise US military software delivery

Defense Unicorns, a provider of airgap software delivery systems for military applications, has raised $136 million in a Series B round led by Bain Capital, achieving unicorn status with a valuation exceeding $1 billion. The company has experienced 300% year-over-year growth in military system adoption. Founded in 2021, Defense Unicorns develops open-source technology enabling secure software deployment across disconnected military environments, including submarines, ships and forward operating bases. Its Unicorn Delivery Service platform allows rapid software updates in environments with limited or no connectivity. Participants in the round include Ansa Capital, Sapphire Ventures, Valor Equity Partners and former CIA Director David Petraeus. The funding will support scaling of three strategic products: UDS runtime platform, UDS Registry for software supply chain security, and UDS Army for commercial vendor integration.

Cheyenne Ventures
Aug 22nd, 2025
Defense Unicorns Accelerates Secure Software Delivery with RapidFort

Defense Unicorns has partnered with RapidFort to accelerate secure software delivery for national security missions.

PR Newswire
May 13th, 2025
Defense Unicorns Crushes Cmmc Level 2 Certification With Zero Findings

Defense Unicorns Crushes CMMC Level 2 Certification with Zero POAMsOperating The Way They Preserve Speed, Delivery, and Mission ImpactCOLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., May 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Defense Unicorns, a veteran-owned defense tech startup focused on making software a strategic deterrent, announced it has earned final CMMC Level 2 certification, with zero Plans of Action and Milestones (POAMs). This milestone authorizes the company to manage Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) under 32 CFR and prepares it for forthcoming 48 CFR enforcement. More significantly, it demonstrates Defense Unicorns' commitment to protecting the nation by securing mission-critical data and ensuring secure operations across all mission environments. "Achieving our certification with modern tools and a good unicorn experience is massive and puts us at the forefront of defense companies," said Jeff McCoy, CTO of Defense Unicorns. "There have only been about 130 CMMC assessments across the DIB this year, and they have a 50 percent pass rate. The DoD estimates there are 76,000 companies that need to attain CMMC, and many 3PAOs are booked for a year

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