Software Engineer, DevSecOps Software Washington, DC

helsing.ai; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible paid time off

Insurance coverage (medical and travel)

Remote work options

Job summary

helsing.ai in Washington, D.C. is looking for a security-focused engineer to integrate security into its developer platform. You will work on maintaining secure CI/CD pipelines and ensuring compliance with CMMC Level 2.

The ideal candidate has 5+ years in security engineering and solid experience with Kubernetes. A competitive compensation package and flexible working options are offered, emphasizing outcomes over time-tracking.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in DevSecOps, security engineering, or infrastructure engineering with a security focus.
• Understanding of software supply chain security, including vulnerability scanning and artifact signing.
• Experience implementing security controls from NIST frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Deploy and secure Kubernetes workloads using ArgoCD and GitOps workflows.
• Build and maintain secure CI/CD pipelines that enforce policy and scan for vulnerabilities.
• Conduct threat modeling to identify architectural risks prior to incidents.

Skills

Kubernetes deployment

Security engineering

Python

Bash

CI/CD pipeline design

Education

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

Tools

ArgoCD

GitOps

AWS

Job description

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, and maintain the shared infrastructure that all teams depend on. This role combines hands‑on engineering with deep security expertise: you are not just auditing compliance, you are building the systems that make compliance automatic.

The day-to-day

• 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 entire organization depends on
• Implementing and enforcing security controls aligned with CMMC L2, NIST 800-171, and other frameworks required for 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 in DevSecOps, security engineering, or infrastructure engineering with a security focus
• Have a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Cybersecurity, or a related field
• Have deep experience with Kubernetes deployment, networking, RBAC, pod and cluster security, and operational troubleshooting
• Are proficient with ArgoCD or similar GitOps tooling for managing Kubernetes workloads at scale
• Have strong experience writing and maintaining Helm 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
• Are a U.S. citizen eligible to obtain a security clearance

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 or NixOS
• 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

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.

Equal Opportunity Employment

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.