Full-Time
Platform Engineer
Posted on 9/3/2026
Defense Unicorns
201-500 employees
Secure DevSecOps platform for defense
Compensation Overview
$123.3k - $166.8k/yr
No H1B Sponsorship
Remote in USA
Remote
Travel of 10%–25% is expected.
US Citizenship, US Top Secret Clearance Required
 DevOps & Infrastructure (1) |
|---|
Get referred to Defense Unicorns
See people who can refer or advise you
- Proven experience as a Platform Engineer or similar role, with a focus on system architecture and development.
- Demonstrated experience with cloud-native technologies such as Kubernetes, Google Cloud, and Docker.
- Familiarity with continuous delivery, distributed architectures, systems, everything-as-code, containerization, and cloud services.
- Proficiency in at least one programming language, such as Python, Go, or Ansible, and a basic understanding of shell scripting.
- Proficiency with YAML.
- Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work independently.
- Excellent communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams.
- Comfort with debugging systems and reading and writing code.
- Knowledge of DevSecOps, DevOps, and continuous integration and continuous delivery theory.
- Ability to obtain and maintain a clearance.
- Help automate and build a runtime production environment and serve as a link between applications and that environment, advocating best practices and facilitating communication between application teams and platform teams.
- Validate solutions and implementations to ensure they align with outlined tasks and business requirements, maintaining the integrity and efficiency of the platform.
- Identify and solve business problems independently, developing small components to address specific challenges without relying on explicit architecture diagrams.
- Understand how medium-level tasks contribute to overall goals and collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate components into a cohesive and functional platform.
- Provide accurate time and effort estimates for medium-sized tasks and assist in project planning and resource allocation based on estimated timelines.
- Use programming languages appropriately versus shell scripting for efficient task execution.
- Own the bridge between application development teams and the production environment.
- Active Secret security clearance or higher.
- Experience working on a team following an Agile framework in a remote environment.
- Experience with security automation and familiarity with API security, container security, and cloud security.
- Familiarity with architecture security design, monitoring, and performance instrumentation in a complex enterprise environment.
- DoD 8570 IAT II certification.
- Experience working on Department of Defense projects, specifically on a production Authority to Operate system.
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
201-500
Company Stage
Series B
Total Funding
$171.5M
Headquarters
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Founded
2021
Get referred to Defense Unicorns
See people who can refer or advise you
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- On January 13, 2026, Bain led $136 million Series B at a $1 billion valuation.
- On June 2, 2026, UDS Fleet expanded centralized software management to tactical edge systems.
- UDS Army and Navy CANES work target faster approvals and deployment across critical programs.
What critics are saying
- DittoLive sued Defense Unicorns on July 9, 2026, alleging trade secret theft in Georgia.
- Federal revenue concentration leaves budget slips at the Navy or Army instantly painful.
- A failed classified-environment deployment would cripple trust and freeze procurement across DoD.
What makes Defense Unicorns unique
- UDS ships airgap-native software to ships, submarines, and classified DoD networks.
- Defense Unicorns holds Navy CANES Next Gen, Army UDS, and Space Force contracts.
- Lauren Knausenberger joined in 2026, pairing Air Force CIO credibility with go-to-market muscle.
Help us improve and share your feedback! Did you find this helpful?
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
6 month growth
↓ -6%1 year growth
↓ -6%2 year growth
↓ -8%Defense Unicorns has appointed Lauren Knausenberger as chief business officer. Knausenberger brings decades of experience in technology advancement, digital transformation, and cybersecurity across government and defence environments. She will drive the company's growth strategy, strengthen strategic partnerships, and expand its impact across the defence ecosystem. Most recently, she served as executive vice president and chief innovation officer at SAIC, where she led strategy and AI-enabled transformation. Previously, Knausenberger was chief information officer of the Department of the Air Force, overseeing a technology portfolio valued at approximately $17 billion. She supported around 20,000 cyber operations personnel globally. Defense Unicorns, founded in 2021, builds airgap-native technologies for secure software delivery across defence environments.
Defense Unicorns, Paramify, partner. Defense Unicorns and Paramify are teaming up to help defense and government organizations move software through secure environments faster by combining software delivery automation with compliance automation. The companies announced a strategic partnership that integrates Paramify's compliance automation platform into Defense Unicorns' Unified Defense Stack (UDS), giving federal customers a more streamlined way to manage security requirements while deploying mission-critical software. For government technology partners, the announcement highlights a growing challenge across federal IT: helping agencies modernize faster while meeting strict security and compliance requirements. Traditionally, compliance processes have required significant manual effort and documentation before new capabilities can be deployed. By automating more of that work, Defense Unicorns and Paramify aim to help organizations maintain security controls while reducing delays that can slow down mission deployments. The partnership initially targets defense and federal use cases, including programs supporting organizations such as the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy. The companies said the combined offering will help customers maintain compliance across complex environments while allowing updates and new capabilities to move more quickly. For solution providers supporting federal customers, the partnership reflects a broader shift in government technology. As agencies push for faster software delivery, partners that can help customers navigate security, compliance and deployment requirements will play an increasingly important role.
The US Navy has selected Defense Unicorns to advance to shipboard deployment phase under a Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic Other Transaction Agreement. The phase transitions from lab-based to at-sea operational evaluations aboard naval vessels and shore facilities. Defense Unicorns previously completed the CANES Next Generation prototype, demonstrating its Unified Defense Stack's ability to rapidly configure hardware and launch software in secure, airgap-native shipboard environments. The company's UDS Enterprise provides a secure platform for deploying software in air-gapped environments, whilst UDS Fleet enables infrastructure management across multiple deployed environments. Defense Unicorns is a veteran-owned defence technology company founded in 2021 by Rob Slaughter, Jeff McCoy, and Andrew Greene. Its technology is used by the US Navy, Army, Air Force, and Space Force.
Defense Unicorns launches UDS Fleet. 0 Comments On June 2, Defense Unicorns, provider of airgap-native software delivery for national security missions, announced the launch of UDS Fleet, a purpose-built product within the Unified Defense Stack (UDS) platform designed to solve one of defense's most persistent challenges: deploying and managing software at scale across distributed systems operating on the front lines. UDS Fleet is built for mission operators managing dispersed fleets of tactical systems in complex, contested environments. By replacing fragmented, manual processes with centralized fleet management, operators gain the clarity and control needed to maintain operational readiness at speed and scale. "The way defense software gets deployed and managed hasn't kept pace with the speed of modern missions. UDS Fleet changes that at the edge. We're giving mission operators a clear, practical path to manage secure software across distributed systems, whether they're in a data center or operating in the most contested environments on the planet. This is about giving the people who defend this nation the tools they need to move fast and win," said Dr. Rob Slaughter, CEO, Defense Unicorns UDS Fleet is part of the broader Unified Defense Stack platform, which also includes UDS Enterprise - designed for platform engineers and cybersecurity teams managing cloud and on-premises data center environments. The two products are designed to work together, with UDS Fleet extending secure software delivery out to the edge as an organization's operational footprint grows. "UDS Fleet reflects our commitment to delivering software that is secure by design, operationally resilient, and built for the realities of modern defense missions. We're replacing complexity with clarity, from the data center to the tactical edge," added Slaughter. Like IC News? Then please consider subscribing. You'll get full access to its searchable library of 10,000+ articles, plus new articles each weekday.
Defense Unicorns has launched UDS Fleet, a product designed to manage software deployment across distributed defense systems at the tactical edge. The platform gives mission operators centralised visibility and control over dispersed tactical systems in contested environments. UDS Fleet comprises two capabilities: Fleet Connect, which allows operators to manage software on individual systems via Android and browser-based apps, and Fleet Command, which provides unified fleet-wide visibility. The product complements UDS Enterprise for data centre environments. The San Antonio-based company serves all US military branches across over 80 mission systems. Defense Unicorns holds a $300 million Department of Defense contract for software and GenAI solutions in classified environments, plus a $15 million Space Force contract for launch range modernisation.