Summary
✨ AI‑Generated
Architect and build the backend foundation of a high-impact AI platform. You will own data pipelines, APIs, deployment, and scale while developing LLM-powered agents and workflows. This is a high-autonomy opportunity for an engineer who wants to work on technically challenging systems with meaningful public-sector and security applications.
Highlights
Own core backend architecture for an AI platform with high-impact government and national-security use cases. The role offers broad ownership across APIs, data pipelines, deployment, scalability, and LLM-powered agents within a small, fast-moving engineering team.
Description
Some engineers optimize ad clicks.
🎯 You could architect the backbone of an AI platform that helps the U.S.
and its allies get critical technology into the field — at Silicon Valley speed, not paperwork speed.
⚡
Recruiter Drive is hiring a Backend Platform Engineer for a venture-backed AI lab 🔒 (client name shared in process) rebuilding how the Western world equips itself for the missions that matter.
Over the past year, their platform has helped Global 500 companies — including RTX, BAE Systems, Palantir, and Ukrainian drone manufacturers 🛡️ — win $12B in contracts across 30 NATO nations 🌍.
They’re the youngest founding team ever to win a U.S.
defense contract 🏆.
They’re just getting started.
You’ll own the core backend 🏗️ — architecture, data pipelines, APIs, deployment, and scale — for an AI platform used in government contract capture.
You’ll build LLM-powered agents and workflows 🤖 that help customers find and win contracts that shape national security outcomes.
You’ll work with a small, high-output team 👥 (six engineers, founders included) that ships daily 🚀 — and occasionally sit with operators and forward-deployed engineers on-site (a few days/month) to learn what actually needs to be built.
🛠️ What you'll do
Design and build the core backend architecture for a production AI platform in national securityOwn systems end-to-end — from schema and APIs to infra, observability, and production rolloutIntegrate AI agents and LLM workflows into real customer pipelinesPartner with product and forward-deployed engineers serving Special Forces units, Fortune 500 defense contractors, and allied programs 🎖️Ship fast in a team where founders write code and everyone owns outcomes
✅ What you bring
2–8 years building and owning backend / infrastructure in productionStrong hands-on experience across several of: Python 🐍, Kubernetes ☸️, Terraform, AWS/GCP ☁️, Linux/Bash, DevOps, LLM/agent toolingSystems design instincts — you can architect reliable services from a blank pageA builder’s mindset 🔨: hungry, scrappy, clear communicator, thrives on ownershipGenuine motivation to work on mission-critical national security problems
💎 Bonus points:
TypeScript / Next.js / Reactactive Secret or TS clearance 🔐defense/gov experiencefounding or forward-deployed engineer background
🎁 Why this beats another SaaS gig
🇺🇸 National mission — classified details stay classified; the impact doesn’t🎖️ Build in the room with operators — work alongside Tier-1 Special Forces and defense leaders⚡ Team that moves — Stanford dropouts, MIT AI scientists, defense veterans, startup operators💰 Well-funded & scaling — nine-figure valuation; $3.3M seed (Scout Ventures, True Ventures, Y Combinator, and others)🏗️ Maximum technical depth — you’re laying the foundation everything else runs on
💵 Compensation: $180,000 – $260,000 base + equity: $50,000 – $500,000 (4-year vest) 📈
🛂 Logistics & requirements
Full-time · In-person — San Francisco, CA (5 days/week); DC considered for experienced candidatesU.S.
citizens only 🇺🇸 (ITAR/EAR) — no visa sponsorshipClearance not required to apply ✅ · active clearance is a strong plus 🔐
