brightline

brightline

Lead Systems Engineer/Architect

Ashburn, Virginia

No sponsorship$171k-$800kDetected 20 days ago
PythonGoRustC++Distributed SystemsAWSGCPAzureCloud PlatformsDockerKubernetesTerraformCI/CDPlatform EngineeringRESTMachine LearningData EngineeringCybersecuritySystems EngineeringSensorsTest AutomationZero TrustLeadershipCommunication

About the role

  • We are seeking a hands-on Lead Systems Engineer / Architect to own the end-to-end systems architecture of the SpatialCore platform, 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,
  • 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

Responsibilities

  • Define and own the end-to-end systems architecture for SpatialCore, encompassing data ingestion, transformation, AI/ML fusion, real-time data serving, and client-side rendering
  • Design extensible APIs and SDKs enabling third-party connector development
  • Produce and maintain comprehensive architecture documentation: system context diagrams, component diagrams, 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 incorporating DevSecOps practices across the full software development lifecycle
  • Design real-time and near-real-time data fusion architectures integrating multiple sensor modalities and data sources
  • Design data provenance and settlement mechanisms for multi-party data exchange scenarios
  • Design Trusted Execution Environment integration for hardware-backed data security
  • Design platform architecture that cleanly separates defense and commercial deployments while maximizing code reuse

Requirements

  • Deep proficiency in designing scalable, fault-tolerant distributed systems using microservices, event-driven, and message-based architectures
  • Strong proficiency in Python and C++ required
  • experience with Rust, Go, highly valued
  • Experience with spatial data formats, 3D data pipelines, or geospatial data processing
  • Proficiency with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), infrastructure-as-code (Terraform), and at least one major cloud platform (AWS, Azure, GCP)
  • Bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a closely related engineering discipline
  • Experience with real-time or near-real-time systems - low-latency data processing, streaming architectures, or embedded/IoT system integration
  • Required Qualifications
  • Master's degree preferred, particularly in Systems Engineering, Software Architecture, or a related field

Nice to have

  • 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
  • Hands-on technical leaders who architect systems AND contribute to solving the hardest integration problems - not those who only draw diagrams
  • Systems thinkers who see the full picture from protocol layers through application logic to user-facing delivery and can make principled trade-offs across the stack

Skills

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

Compensation

  • $171k-$800k

Benefits

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

Visa & Work Authorization

  • Active or recent security clearance, or ability to obtain one
Apply directly at brightline →Create a free account for alerts like thisView brightline immigration profile

This listing is sourced directly from brightline's careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.