Senior Software Engineer, Platforms FDE

About the role

As a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE), you are the technical tip of the spear. FDEs are elite, versatile engineers who work shoulder-to-shoulder with our most critical users to solve complex challenges in real time. Your primary mission is to radically decrease the time-to-value of our software by integrating it directly into the user's operational environment. Because you see firsthand how our technology performs in the wild, you will also act as a crucial conduit, feeding technical insights and feature requirements back to our core product engineering team. This role requires a highly adaptable problem-solver who is comfortable moving fast, navigating ambiguity, and figuring things out quickly in high-stakes environments.

Responsibilities

• Implement the Core Aggregation Node: Lead the on-site architecture, deployment, and configuration of our central data hub within SOCOM's highly secure, distributed cloud environment.
• Architect and Manage GovCloud Infrastructure: Stand up, harden, and operate production workloads on AWS GovCloud at high impact levels, ensuring full compliance with security and accreditation requirements.
• Deploy and Maintain Container Orchestration: Own the lifecycle of Kubernetes clusters (including RKE2/K3s variants) across cloud and on-premise environments, managing upgrades, scaling, monitoring, and incident response.
• Engineer Secure Cross-Domain Data Flows: Architect and troubleshoot data synchronization pipelines that traverse Cross Domain Solutions (CDS) and data diodes, ensuring secure, policy-compliant, unidirectional data transfer between classification levels.
• Bridge the Gap: Translate the unique, edge-case operational realities you observe (e.g., ATO constraints, network segmentation at the SOCOM enterprise level, cross-domain latency) into actionable technical requirements for the core product development team.

Requirements

• Clearance Requirement: Must hold an active TS/SCI clearance (Due to federal security clearance requirements, U.S. Citizenship is strictly required for this role).
• 5+ years of experience in platform engineering, DevOps, site reliability engineering (SRE), or cloud infrastructure engineering. This includes hands-on experience deploying, configuring, and troubleshooting complex systems in live production environments.
• 2+ years of technical experience with container orchestration platforms and cloud-native architectures in secure environments, including CI/CD pipeline design and infrastructure-as-code tooling.
• Demonstrated experience with AWS GovCloud or equivalent FedRAMP-authorized cloud platforms at IL4/IL5/IL6, including a deep understanding of the compliance, networking, and architectural constraints of operating at these impact levels.
• A highly adaptable, problem-solving mindset , with the ability to navigate ambiguity, move fast, and balance immediate operational fixes with long-term technical fidelity.
• Strong communication skills , both written and verbal. As the crucial bridge between the operational edge and our core development team, you must be able to translate complex, edge-case technical realities and user workflows into clear, actionable requirements for product engineers.
• Hands-on experience with Cross Domain Solutions (CDS) and data diodes , including architecting or troubleshooting unidirectional data flows between unclassified and classified networks.
• Experience with the Authority to Operate (ATO) process , including STIG implementation, vulnerability management, and working with ISSMs/ISSOs to achieve and maintain accreditation.
• Familiarity with SOCOM-specific or SOF-centric IT environments , including an understanding of the SOCOM enterprise network architecture and its unique operational requirements.
• Experience with GitOps workflows (e.g., ArgoCD, Flux) for managing Kubernetes deployments in air-gapped or disconnected environments.
• Previous experience with event streaming or data messaging platforms (e.g., Kafka, NATS, RabbitMQ) in high-security environments.
• Previous experience working directly with DoD, IC, or SOCOM customers , with an understanding of navigating classified network envir

Benefits

Additional Information

About Ditto: Ditto is redefining how data moves at the edge. Our mission is to make it seamless for developers to build resilient, real-time applications, regardless of network conditions. Whether you're in a stadium, airplane, or remote military base, Ditto's peer-to-peer sync engine ensures devices stay connected and data stays consistent, even without internet. With more than $145 million in funding and trusted by organizations like Chick-fil-A, Delta Airlines, and the U.S. military, Ditto powers mission-critical experiences across aviation, retail, travel, hospitality, defense, and more. As a globally distributed, fast-growing startup, we're committed to building a diverse and inclusive team that reflects the wide range of perspectives needed to solve the world's hardest connectivity problems.

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