Technical Director, AI Decision Systems New Remote, USA

Red Cell Partners, LLC.; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 220,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote-first environment

Competitive salary, bonus, and equity

Health insurance for you and family

Unlimited PTO

14 weeks parental leave

Flexible work environment

Equity incentives

Job summary

Red Cell Partners is seeking a Technical Director, AI Decision Systems for DEFCON AI to lead a cross-functional team delivering a new AI-enabled decision-support capability for the federal government. You will turn mission needs and technical constraints into a coherent execution plan, establish priorities, and ensure secure, explainable delivery while coordinating multiple streams.

This remote-first role requires the ability to manage incomplete information, drive fast decisions with

Qualifications

• Demonstrated leadership in zero-to-one product/mission capability
• Experience delivering technology in defense, intelligence, federal, or regulated environments
• Active Top Secret clearance preferred or above
• Experience with AWS GovCloud, CI/CD, infrastructure as code, and secure cloud delivery
• Ability to translate mission needs into coherent technical plans and execution

Responsibilities

• Lead cross-functional team across product, design, engineering, data, AI, analytics, DevSecOps, cybersecurity, and quality
• Own technical strategy, architecture, and delivery from discovery to deployment
• Translate mission priorities into clear technical plans and release objectives
• Align software, data, AI, infrastructure, security, and quality into one system
• Build and scale a high-performing technical organization
• Identify risks and dependencies to prevent delivery delays
• Remain hands-on enough to challenge assumptions and review designs
• Travel up to 25% to DEFCON AI HQ, customer sites, and vendor facilities

Skills

AI/ML

Leadership

Cloud architecture

Security

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

AWS GovCloud

CI/CD

Infrastructure as Code

DevSecOps

Job description

Red Cell Partners is an incubation firm building and investing in rapidly scalable technology-led companies that are bringing revolutionary advancements to market in three distinct practice areas: healthcare, cyber, and national security. United by a shared sense of duty and deep belief in the power of innovation, Red Cell is developing powerful tools and solutions to address our Nation’s most pressing problems.

ABOUT DEFCON AI

RESILIENCE IN THE FACE OF DISRUPTION. DEFCON AI is an insights company that leverages artificial intelligence, mathematical optimization, data analytics, and software engineering for resilient optimization of complex systems.
In today’s dynamically changing world, DEFCON AI’s technology aligns outcomes with operational goals, better decision making, and empowers customers to anticipate assess, and mitigate the impacts of disruptions.

About the Role

DEFCON AI is seeking a Technical Director, AI Decision Systems to lead the cross-functional team delivering a new AI-enabled decision-support capability for the federal government. The team spans product and design, software engineering, data architecture, applied analytics, AI solutioning, DevSecOps, cybersecurity, quality engineering, and technical transition.

This is a zero-to-one leadership role for a proven technical practitioner ready to broaden their scope. You may come from engineering, data, AI, product, design, platform, or another technical discipline. We do not expect you to be the deepest expert in every vertical. We do expect you to recognize excellent work, ask hard questions, create clarity across disciplines, and hold the system together.

You will turn mission needs, product direction, technical constraints, and delivery commitments into one coherent execution plan. You will establish technical priorities, resolve seams between teams, build an effective operating rhythm, and ensure that separate workstreams converge into a secure, explainable, and operational capability.

The right person is entrepreneurial, resourceful, and energized by the first mile. You enjoy incomplete information, emerging workflows, consequential decisions, and the opportunity to build both the system and the team delivering it. You move quickly, but you know when speed must be reinforced by testing, documentation, security, and repeatable delivery.

This is remote-first with occasional travel (up to 25% at times) to DEFCON AI HQ, customer sites, and vendor facilities as required.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the cross-functional delivery team spanning product, design, engineering, data, AI, analytics, DevSecOps, cybersecurity, and quality.
• Own technical strategy, architecture, execution, and delivery from discovery through operational deployment.
• Translate mission needs and product priorities into clear technical plans, release objectives, and engineering decisions.
• Align software, data, AI, infrastructure, security, and quality into one integrated system.
• Build, mentor, and scale a high-performing technical organization.
• Make architecture, integration, tooling, and delivery decisions that balance speed, security, quality, and maintainability.
• Identify and resolve technical risks, dependencies, and ambiguity before they impact delivery.
• Partner effectively with customers, product leadership, and external stakeholders.
• Remain technically hands-on enough to challenge assumptions, review designs, and solve hard problems.
• Significant accomplishment in software engineering, AI/ML, data systems, analytics, DevSecOps, cybersecurity, product technology, or a comparable technical discipline.
• Experience leading complex technical efforts across multiple teams and specialties.
• Demonstrated ability to turn ambiguity into working systems and measurable outcomes.
• Strong systems thinking, communication skills, and leadership judgment.
• Experience delivering cloud-native software from concept through deployment and operations.
• In scope US Secret clearance.
• Elevated security requirements apply to portions of this work and are discussed during the interview process.
• Willingness to travel up to 25% to customer sites, DEFCON AI HQ, and vendor facilities as required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Clearance: Active Top Secret.
• Experience leading a zero-to-one product, platform, or mission capability.
• Experience delivering technology in defense, intelligence, federal, or similarly regulated environments.
• Experience with AWS GovCloud, DevSecOps, CI/CD, infrastructure as code, and secure cloud delivery.
• Experience supporting RMF, ATO, accreditation, or comparable security processes.
• Experience with AI/ML, large language models, analytics, graph technologies, or data-intensive systems.
• Experience building human-in-the-loop decision-support systems and explainable AI capabilities.
• Experience partnering closely with product and design teams to deliver user-centered software.
• Experience hiring, mentoring, and organizing technical teams during rapid growth.
• Experience integrating third-party, partner, or subcontractor-delivered capabilities into a unified solution.

A Note to Candidates

You do not need to have held this exact title before to be a strong candidate. We encourage accomplished practitioners from software engineering, data, AI, analytics, product technology, DevSecOps, cybersecurity, design, or quality engineering who are ready to lead across disciplines and grow a team around an important mission.

A thoughtful cover letter will materially strengthen your application. Tell us what you have built, where your technical depth comes from, why you are ready to lead beyond your primary discipline, and how you approach a zero-to-one effort where the team, architecture, and operating model are all taking shape. Applications without a cover letter will still receive consideration, but the letter is the best opportunity to show us the judgment, motivation, and leadership potential that a résumé alone may not capture.

What Success Looks Like

• One team, one architecture, one release objective.
• Fast decisions, visible risks, and disciplined execution.
• Integrated, secure, and operational releases delivered with confidence.
• Product vision translated into real capability without losing user intent.
• Technical leaders who grow stronger and more autonomous over time.
• A system the customer can trust, operate, and sustain.

What We Offer:

• A fully remote, results-based environment
• Competitive salary, bonus, and equity package
• 100% employer paid, comprehensive health insurance including medical, dental, and vision for you and your family
• Unlimited PTO, with your manager’s approval
• Flexible work environment where you manage your work day
• 14 weeks of fully-paid parental leave

Salary Range: $220,000-$260,000. This represents the typical salary range for this position based on experience, skills, and other factors.

Our Red Cell Partners Benefits (may differ for each incubation):

For full-time roles

• Career track opportunity with potential for rapid advancement withstrong performanceas the firm grows
• 100% employer paid, comprehensive health care including medical, dental, and vision for you and your family.
• Paid maternity and paternity for 14 weeks at employees' normal pay.
• Unlimited PTO, with management approval.
• Opportunities for professional development and continued learning.
• Optional 401K, FSA, and equity incentives available.
• Mental health benefits are available through Tara Mind .
• Cost effective GLP-1 solutions available through Crux .

We’re an Equal Opportunity Employer: You’ll receive consideration for employment without regard to race, sex, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or on the basis of disability.