Staff Software Engineer, Image Build & Release

OpenKrill; United States; Remote; USD 230,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Inclusive Team

Growth Opportunities

Innovative Culture

Remote Work

Competitive Compensation

Health, vision & dental care for you &

Flexible vacation policy

Generous parental leave

Job summary

Horizon3 is seeking an Expert Engineer for the Image Build & Release team to own how NodeZero is built and delivered to customer environments. You will set technical direction for the build pipeline, signing and OTA delivery, shaping automation, reliability, and delivery velocity across thousands of deployments.

You will write code, create architecture designs, and mentor engineers while reporting to the Client Platform Engineering Manager and collaborating with OTA Services.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional software engineering experience in build/release engineering or CI/CD for containerized apps.
• Expert-level Docker/container image construction, multi-stage builds, base image selection, layer optimization and hardening.
• Experience with container image signing and verification (Cosign, Notary, or equivalent) and image scanning toolchains (Trivy, Grype, Snyk).
• Strong track record building and operating CI/CD pipelines at scale (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Tekton).
• Deep understanding of Kubernetes and image versioning in running clusters.
• Experience designing and operating OTA/remote update systems with rollout strategies and rollback.
• Proficiency in Go, Python, or shell scripting for pipeline tooling.
• Experience with artifact registries (ECR, GCR, Docker Hub, Harbor).

Responsibilities

• Design and own the CI/CD pipeline for NodeZero container images from source to signed, scanned artifacts.
• Define image hardening, CVE scanning, and signing strategies meeting security/compliance before shipment.
• Design delivery mechanism for updates with rollout, rollback, and version pinning.
• Set build reproducibility and release gating standards for the Client Platform team.
• Mentor mid-level engineers through reviews and architecture discussions.
• Own end-to-end build and release infrastructure, including on-call for failures and incidents.

Skills

CI/CD pipelines

Docker

Kubernetes

Go

Python

Shell scripting

Image signing

Artifact registries

Tools

Cosign

Notary

Trivy

Grype

Snyk

GitHub Actions

GitLab CI

Tekton

ECR

GCR

Docker Hub

Harbor

Job description

Get to Know Us

Horizon3 http://Horizon3.ai is a fast-growing, remote cybersecurity company dedicated to the mission of enabling organizations to proactively find, fix and verify exploitable attack vectors before criminals exploit them. Our flagship product, the NodeZero™ platform, delivers production-safe autonomous pentests and other key assessment operations that scale across the largest internal, external, cloud, and hybrid cloud environments. NodeZero has been adopted by organizations of all sizes, from small educational institutions to government agencies and Global 100 enterprises. It is used by IT Ops/SecOps teams, consulting pentesters, and MSSPs and MSPs.

We are a fusion of former U.S. Special Operations cyber operators, startup engineers & operators, and formerly frustrated cybersecurity practitioners. We're committed to helping solve our common security problems: ineffective security tools and false positives, resulting in alert fatigue, blind spots, "checkbox" security culture, cybersecurity skills shortage, and the long lead time and expense of hiring outside consultants. Collectively, we are a team of learn-it-alls, committed to a culture of respect, collaboration, ownership, and results.

As a remote first company, we require minimum 25Mbps consumer grade broadband connection.

What You'll Do

The Expert Engineer on the Image Build & Release team is the technical anchor for how NodeZero gets built and delivered to customer environments. NodeZero runs as a container in customer infrastructure — building that image correctly, delivering it reliably, and updating it safely across thousands of deployments is a hard systems problem with direct customer impact. You will set the technical direction for the build pipeline, the image signing and scanning strategy, and the OTA (over-the-air) delivery infrastructure that pushes updates to deployed NodeZero instances.

This is a hands-on staff-level role. You will write code, produce architecture designs, mentor engineers, and own the most consequential technical decisions for how NodeZero is packaged and shipped. The team is building from a strong starting point — you will raise the bar on automation, reliability, and delivery velocity. This role reports to the Client Platform Engineering Manager and works directly with the OTA Services team on the delivery side.

Responsibilities

• Build Pipeline Architecture: Design and own the CI/CD pipeline that produces NodeZero container images — from source to signed, scanned artifact ready for distribution
• Image Integrity & Security: Define the image hardening, CVE scanning, and signing strategy that ensures NodeZero images meet security and compliance requirements before they ship
• OTA Delivery Infrastructure: Partner with the OTA Services team to design the delivery mechanism that pushes image updates to customer-deployed NodeZero instances reliably and safely — including rollout strategy, rollback, and version pinning
• Release Engineering Standards: Set standards for build reproducibility, artifact versioning, and release gating that the full Client Platform team follows
• Mentorship: Mentor P4 engineers through code review, design review, and architectural pairing; be the person the team turns to when they hit a hard systems problem
• Operational Excellence: Own the build and release infrastructure end-to-end — on-call for pipeline failures, build time regressions, and delivery incidents

What You'll Bring

Build & Release Engineering

• 8+ years of professional software engineering experience, with deep specialization in build systems, CI/CD, or release engineering for containerized applications
• Expert-level knowledge of Docker and container image construction — multi-stage builds, base image selection, layer optimization, image hardening
• Experience with container image signing and verification (Cosign, Notary, or equivalent) and image scanning toolchains (Trivy, Grype, Snyk, or equivalent)
• Strong track record building and operating CI/CD pipelines at scale (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Tekton, or equivalent)

Systems & Delivery

• Deep understanding of Kubernetes — how images are pulled, versioned, and updated in running clusters
• Experience designing and operating OTA or remote update systems — rollout strategies, delta delivery, version negotiation, rollback
• Proficiency in Go, Python, or shell scripting sufficient to build and maintain pipeline tooling
• Experience with artifact registries (ECR, GCR, Docker Hub, Harbor) and artifact lifecycle management

Technical Leadership

• Track record of setting engineering standards that other engineers adopt — not just writing good code but making the right approach the obvious one
• Ability to produce clear architecture documents and drive technical decisions across team boundaries
• Experience mentoring mid-level engineers through design and code review

Nice to Haves

• Experience with secure software supply chain practices (SLSA, SBOM generation, provenance attestation)
• Background in cybersecurity or building software that runs in sensitive customer environments (on-prem, air-gapped, or regulated industries)
• Experience with Helm chart packaging and Kubernetes operator patterns
• Familiarity with eBPF or kernel-level tooling relevant to containerized security software

Travel Required

We are a fully remote company, and this job may require up to 5% of travel to be successful.

Compensation and Values

At Horizon3, we believe that our people are our greatest asset, and our compensation philosophy reflects this core value. We are committed to fostering an environment where all employees feel valued, respected, and rewarded for their contributions. Our compensation structure is designed to be fair, competitive, and transparent, ensuring that every team member is recognized and compensated equitably across roles, levels, and locations.

In accordance with various State's transparency regulations, we provide the following salary range information for this position:

• Base salary range: $229,500 - $260,000 annually. The exact salary will be determined based on the selected candidate's location, qualifications, experience, and relevant skills.
• Additional compensation: This role may also be eligible for an equity package (in the form of stock options). If any other compensation benefits apply, they will be discussed during the interview process.

Perks of Horizon3 http://Horizon3.ai

• Inclusive Team: We value diversity and promote an inclusive culture where everyone can thrive.
• Growth Opportunities: Be part of a dynamic and growing team with numerous career development opportunities.
• Innovative Culture: Work in a collaborative environment that encourages creativity and out-of-the-box thinking.
• Remote Work: We are a 100% remote company. Enjoy the flexibility to work in the way that supports you and brings out your best.
• Competitive Compensation: We offer competitive salary and benefits which includes health, vision & dental care for you and your family, a flexible vacation policy, and generous parental leave.

You Belong Here

Horizon3 is not just an equal opportunity employer - we are a community that values diversity, equity, and inclusion as fundamental principles of our culture and success. We are dedicated to fostering a workplace where everyone feels welcome and respected, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, or any other legally protected status by law.

Our commitment to diversity and inclusion means we strive to attract, develop, and retain a workforce that reflects the varied communities we serve. We believe that diverse perspectives drive innovation and strengthen our ability to create cutting-edge cybersecurity solutions. At Horizon3, every team member