Senior Technical Lead — R&D Mission Systems

Rackner is seeking a Senior Technical Lead — R&D Mission Systems to help shape, demonstrate, and advance mission-focused technical capabilities for government customers.

This is a high-visibility technical leadership role for someone who wants to stay close to the technology while having more influence over what gets built, why it matters, and how it reaches mission users.

You will work across customers, mission stakeholders, technical leadership, and R&D engineers to understand mission needs, gather requirements, guide technical direction, and help turn early ideas into usable software capabilities.

This is not a traditional sales role, and it is not a purely heads-down engineering role. The right person is technically credible, mission-aware, comfortable with ambiguity, and able to explain complex ideas clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.

The work may involve mission command, battle management, AI/data workflows, analytics, automation, data pipelines, prototypes, software architecture, and technical demos.

• Lead mission-focused R&D efforts, demos, and customer-facing technical engagements
• Work with customers, mission users, and internal stakeholders to understand what needs to be built
• Translate mission workflows, user feedback, and early requirements into clear technical direction
• Guide architecture, system design, technical tradeoffs, and prototype planning
• Partner with R&D engineers to move ideas from concept to working software or demonstrable capability
• Support prototypes involving mission systems, AI/data workflows, analytics, automation, APIs, or data pipelines
• Explain system behavior, constraints, risks, and tradeoffs to technical and non-technical audiences
• Represent Rackner with credibility and professionalism in technical meetings, events, demos, and feedback sessions

• U.S. citizenship required due to federal contract requirements
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance
• Experience leading or significantly contributing to software, data, AI/ML, mission systems, or complex technical delivery work
• Strong technical credibility with modern software engineering, system design, APIs, data workflows, cloud environments, or related technologies
• Ability to gather, clarify, and translate customer, user, or mission needs into technical requirements
• Experience working in ambiguous, fast-moving, prototype-driven, or customer-facing technical environments
• Ability to explain technical tradeoffs, architecture decisions, constraints, risks, and next steps
• Ownership of technical outcomes from concept through implementation, demonstration, or operational use
• Strong communication skills with engineers, technical leaders, customers, and non-engineering stakeholders
• Willingness to travel approximately 15% for R&D events, demos, collaboration sessions, or mission-focused engagements

• Active Secret clearance or higher
• Background supporting DoD, Air Force, Space Force, mission command, battle management, C2, ISR, mission planning, autonomy, defense software, or national security programs
• Experience engaging with operators, mission users, military stakeholders, government customers, or non-engineering audiences
• Experience gathering product requirements, translating user workflows, or helping shape technical roadmaps
• Hands-on experience with Python, APIs, backend services, data workflows, AI/data systems, automation, or analytics
• Exposure to data pipelines, structured or semi-structured data, JSON/schema transformation, data validation, model workflows, MLOps, or mission data systems
• Familiarity with cloud platforms, containers, Kubernetes, Docker, Terraform, Helm, CI/CD, observability, DevSecOps, or secure software delivery practices
• Experience building or supporting prototypes, technical demos, pilots, field events, customer reviews, or live exercises
• Ability to guide architecture decisions and help teams balance speed, quality, mission needs, and technical constraints
• Background in R&D, defense tech, applied AI, data systems, mission systems, or startup-like technical environments

This role requires approximately 15% travel for R&D events, technical demos, collaboration sessions, and mission-focused engagements.

Travel is planned in advance whenever possible and may include customer-facing or internal engineering events.

Rackner is a software consultancy focused on building mission-critical systems for the U.S. government. Our teams work across cloud platforms, DevSecOps, AI/ML, distributed systems, and modern software engineering initiatives supporting federal agencies and national security missions.

Rackner engineers collaborate closely with technical leadership, program teams, and mission stakeholders to design, build, and improve software systems that address complex operational challenges.

Rackner is an equal opportunity employer and considers all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or other protected characteristics.