Software Engineer, DevSecOps AI & Engineering Washington, DC

Helsing GmbH; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 170,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Insurance coverage

Flexible paid time off

Remote/hybrid work

Job summary

Helsing GmbH is seeking a security-focused Platform Engineer to embed security across the developer platform and delivery pipeline. You will own the security posture of the development environment, ensure CMMC Level 2 compliance, harden the software supply chain, and enable product teams to achieve ATO against NIST and other frameworks.

You will build secure CI/CD pipelines, enforce policy-as-code, maintain shared infrastructure like GitLab and artifact registries, and operate with AWS

Qualifications

• 5+ years of DevSecOps, security engineering, or infrastructure engineering with a security focus.
• Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering/Cybersecurity or related field.
• Deep experience with Kubernetes deployment, networking, RBAC, pod and cluster security.
• Experience with ArgoCD or similar GitOps tools at scale.
• Strong Python and Bash, automating security workflows.
• Knowledge of software supply chain security, image hardening, SBOM, and artifact signing.
• Experience implementing security controls from frameworks like NIST 800-171, NIST 800-53, or CMMC.
• Comfort with CI/CD pipeline design and security gates/policy-as-code.

Responsibilities

• Deploying, updating, and securing Kubernetes workloads through ArgoCD and GitOps workflows
• Building and maintaining secure CI/CD pipelines that enforce policy, scan for vulnerabilities, and produce auditable build artifacts
• Maintaining and hardening shared services (GitLab, Artifactory, container registries) that the organization depends on
• Implementing and enforcing security controls aligned with CMMC L2, NIST 800-171, and other frameworks for ATO
• Securing the software supply chain: image signing, SBOM generation, dependency scanning, provenance tracking
• Conducting threat modeling to surface architectural risks before incidents
• Detecting, investigating, and responding to security incidents across infrastructure and applications
• Working with product teams to ensure workloads meet security and compliance requirements
• Supporting the secure hosting of ML/AI workloads, including model training environments and sensitive data handling

Skills

Kubernetes

ArgoCD

GitOps

Python

Bash

CI/CD

Policy-as-code

NIST 800-171

CMMC

AWS

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Cybersecurity, or related field

Tools

GitLab

Artifactory

Container Registries

Helm

SBOM tooling

Job description

Who we are

Helsing develops artificial intelligence-enabled capabilities to protect and defend democracies.We build Altra, an AI-powered drone software platform, and HX-2, our autonomous drone. We are growing our US operations, cultivating an ambitious and committed team of mission-driven professionals to apply their skills to solve challenging problems.

The role

You will join the Platform Engineering team as a security-focused engineer responsible for embedding security into every layer of our developer platform and software delivery pipeline. You will own the security posture of our development environment - ensuring CMMC Level 2 compliance, hardening our software supply chain, and implementing the controls required for product teams to achieve ATO against NIST and other cybersecurity frameworks. You will work closely with platform and product engineers to build secure CI/CD pipelines, enforce policy-as-code, andmaintainthe shared infrastructure that all teams depend on. This role combines hands-on engineering with deep securityexpertise: you are not just auditingcompliance,you are building the systems that make compliance automatic.

The day-to-day

• Deploying, updating, and securing Kubernetes workloads throughArgoCDandGitOpsworkflows

• Building andmaintainingsecure CI/CD pipelines that enforce policy, scan for vulnerabilities, and produce auditable build artifacts

• Maintaining and hardening shared services (GitLab, Artifactory, container registries) that the entire organization depends on

• Implementing and enforcing security controls aligned with CMMC L2, NIST 800-171, and other frameworksrequiredfor ATO

• Securing the software supply chain: image signing, SBOM generation, dependency scanning, and provenance tracking

• Conducting threat modeling to surface architectural risks before they become incidents

• Detecting, investigating, and responding to security incidents across infrastructure and applications

• Working with product teams to ensure their workloads meet security and compliance requirements before and after deployment

• Supporting the secure hosting of ML/AI workloads, including model training environments and sensitive data handling

You should apply if you

• Have 5+ years of experience inDevSecOps, security engineering, or infrastructure engineering with a security focus

• Have aBachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Cybersecurity, or a related field

• Have deep experience with Kubernetes-deployment, networking, RBAC, podandclustersecurity, and operational troubleshooting

• Are proficient withArgoCDor similarGitOpstooling for managing Kubernetes workloads at scale

• Have strong experience writing andmaintainingHelm charts

• Are proficient in Python and Bash, with experience automating security and compliance workflows

• Understand software supply chain security, including container image hardening, FIPS-validated cryptography, vulnerability scanning, SBOM, and artifact signing

• Have hands‑on experience implementing security controls from frameworks like NIST 800-171, NIST 800-53, or CMMC

• Are comfortable with CI/CD pipeline design, particularly building in security gates, policy‑as‑code, and automated compliance checks

• Have working knowledge of AWS and can collaborate effectively on infrastructure decisions

• U.S. citizenship required

Nice to have

• Experience with Go or other systems programming languages

• Experience shepherding systems through an ATO process

• Familiarity with DISA STIGs and the Risk Management Framework (RMF)

• Familiarity with Terraform and infrastructure‑as‑code for cloud resources

• Experience with Nix orNixOS

• Experience with SIEM platforms (e.g., Elastic) and security monitoring/incident response

• Experience securing and deploying ML/AI workloads - GPU environments, training pipelines, data classification

• Red teaming or penetration testing experience

• Certifications such as CKS, Security+, or CISSP

• Experience in defense, intelligence, or other regulated environments

Join Helsing and work with world‑leading experts in their fields

• Helsing's work is important. You'll be directly contributing to the protection of democratic countries while balancing both ethical and geopolitical concerns

• The work is unique. We operate in a domain that has highly unusual technical requirements and constraints, and where robustness, safety, and ethical considerations are vital. You will face unique Engineering and AI challenges that make a meaningful impact in the world

• Our work frequently takes us right up to the state of the art in technical innovation, be it reinforcement learning, distributed systems, generative AI, or deployment infrastructure. The defense industry is entering the most exciting phase of the technological development curve. Advances in our field of world are not incremental: Helsing is part of, and often leading, historic leaps forward

• In our domain, success is a matter of order‑of‑magnitude improvements and novel capabilities. This means we take bets, aim high, and focus on big opportunities. Despite being a relatively young company, Helsing has already been selected for multiple significant government contracts

• We actively encourage healthy, proactive, and diverse debate internally about what we do and how we choose to do it. Teams and individual engineers are trusted (and encouraged) to practice responsible autonomy and critical thinking, and to focus on outcomes, not conformity. At Helsing you will have a say in how we (and you!) work, the opportunity to engage on what does and doesn't work, and to take ownership of aspects of our culture that you care deeply about

What we offer

• A focus on outcomes, not time-tracking

• A generous compensation and benefits package (in addition to base salary) that includes, but may not be limited to, insurance coverage (medical and travel), flexible paid time off, paid holidays, and remote and/or hybrid work available depending on position. All compensation and benefits are subject to the terms and conditions of the underlying plans or programs, as applicable and as may be amended, terminated or superseded from time to time.

Helsing is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We will consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetics, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Please do not submit personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, data concerning your health, or data concerning your sexual orientation.