--- title: 'Application Security Engineer — Secure Mission Systems at Rackner' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/application-security-engineer-secure-mission-systems-rackner-remote-3yrqbjt701j1' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-10-16' --- # Application Security Engineer — Secure Mission Systems at Rackner - **Company:** Rackner - **Location:** Remote - **Work type:** remote - **Posted:** 2026-07-23 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-16 - **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/rackner/jobs/4717785005 ## Job description Application Security Engineer — Secure Mission Systems Location: Mainly remote, with onsite work in Laurel, Maryland, typically one day approximately every six weeks for team-wide sprint planning Clearance: Active final DoD Secret clearance required This position supports a pending contract opportunity and is contingent upon contract award, with an anticipated start in November 2026. Build Security into Mission-Critical Software At Rackner, you will help strengthen secure software supporting high-impact Department of Defense planning and decision-support missions. This is a hands-on application-security role where you can influence how security is built into software from development through release. You will work closely with software engineers, AI/ML engineers, platform teams, DevSecOps professionals, and customer technical leads to identify meaningful risks, support vulnerability remediation, and strengthen secure-development practices. Your work will go beyond running scanners or delivering reports. You will help teams understand security findings, separate actionable risks from false positives, verify fixes, improve software supply-chain security, and deliver resilient software with greater confidence. You will: - Integrate application-security testing throughout the software-development lifecycle. - Conduct and support static application-security testing using Fortify. - Conduct and support dynamic application-security testing using OWASP ZAP. - Support software-composition analysis and software supply-chain security using JFrog Xray. - Review and triage security findings, identify actionable vulnerabilities, and distinguish meaningful risks from false positives. - Work directly with software engineers to understand root causes, support remediation, and verify completed fixes. - Integrate automated security scanning into secure CI/CD and GitLab-based development workflows. - Strengthen dependency-management and software supply-chain controls throughout development and delivery. - Support application security within environments using GitLab, Artifactory, OpenShift, and Kubernetes. - Contribute to technical reviews, code reviews, software testing, and security-remediation activities. - Produce clear vulnerability findings, remediation reports, code-review observations, and technical documentation. - Support verification that software meets applicable functional, coding, and security requirements before release. - Collaborate with software, AI/ML, platform, DevSecOps, and customer technical teams. ## What You’ll Bring - Bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity. - At least six years of experience involving cyber resilience, SAST, DAST, and software-vulnerability remediation. - Hands-on experience with Fortify, JFrog Xray, and OWASP ZAP. - Identifying, evaluating, triaging, and supporting remediation of application-security vulnerabilities. - Working directly with software-development teams to resolve security findings. - Experience with software supply-chain security, dependency risk, or software-composition analysis. - Understanding of secure software-development lifecycle practices. - Integrating automated security scanning into software-development or CI/CD workflows. - Ability to clearly document technical findings and communicate them to developers and technical stakeholders. ## Experience That Can Strengthen Your Fit Experience with several of the following can improve alignment: - GitLab-based development and CI/CD workflows. - Artifactory or similar artifact-management platforms. - OpenShift, Kubernetes, and containerized application environments. - Additional SAST, DAST, dependency-scanning, or software-composition-analysis tools. - Secure-code review and remediation verification. - Application-security testing in disconnected, restricted, or customer-managed environments. - Supporting classified, defense, aerospace, government, or other regulated software environments. - Collaboration across application security, software engineering, platform, DevSecOps, and AI/ML teams. You do not need equal depth in every area, but your background should include direct experience with the named application-security tools and workflows. ## Why Rackner At Rackner, you will have the opportunity to protect technology supporting critical defense and public-sector missions. You will work on more than isolated scan execution or vulnerability reports. This role combines hands-on application-security testing, vulnerability analysis, remediation verification, software supply-chain security, and close collaboration across software, AI/ML, platform, and mission-focused teams. Rackner has delivered more than $30 million in recent federal awards and supports mission-critical work across defense, civilian, and public-sector environments. We are looking for an application-security engineer who can build on that momentum by strengthening secure delivery, helping teams resolve vulnerabilities, and improving confidence in the software reaching mission users. ## Benefits & Professional Growth - Competitive compensation - Company-supported certifications aligned with current and future program work - 401(k) with 100% company match up to 6% - Medical, dental, vision, life, and disability coverage - Paid time off and company holidays - Remote-work support and home-office equipment plan - Fitness and wellness reimbursement - Weekly pay schedule - Professional-development and future growth opportunities Apply If you are an application-security professional who wants broader influence across secure development, automated security testing, vulnerability remediation, and software supply-chain security, we would like to hear from you. ## About Rackner ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Rackner builds AI-enabled, cloud-native mission software for the US Government, applying DevSecOps, Kubernetes, and edge computing to high-consequence defense and civilian agency problems. - **Entity Type**: Private (no disclosed funding; appears bootstrapped) - **Headquarters**: Silver Spring, Maryland, United States (with offices in College Park, MD; Dayton, OH; Charlottesville, VA; Arlington, VA) - **Founded**: 2015 - **Founders**: Alexander Raul (CEO), DJ Gagner (CEO), Frank Hackenburg (President) – all University of Maryland graduates ## Core Business - **Primary industries**: IT Services & IT Consulting, Defense & Government Technology, Cloud-Native Software, DevSecOps, AI/ML - **Target customers**: US Federal agencies (Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, HHS/FDA, Department of State, NOAA) and VC-backed hypergrowth startups - **Mission statement**: “Delivering Decision Advantage Since 2015” – building mission-critical platforms that combine MLOps, DevSecOps, and cybersecurity at scale for organizations where failure isn’t an option. ## Products & Services - **DevSecOps & Kubernetes Consulting**: Kubernetes Certified Service Provider, CNCF member. Helps organizations adopt cloud-native infrastructure and automate secure software delivery. - **AI/ML Platform Development**: Custom inference models, MLOps pipelines, and AI-enabled decision advantage software for command and control systems. - **Edge, IoT/Mobile & VR**: Engineering solutions that extend compute to the tactical edge. - **Full-Stack Mission Software**: End-to-end development of cloud-native applications, from architecture to deployment, for both legacy modernization and greenfield innovation. - **Federal Prime & Subcontracts**: Holds contracts with Platform One (DoD Software Factory), US Air Force, Army, Navy, USCIS, FDA, and others. ## Market Standing - **Valuation / Market Cap**: Not publicly available - **Key Metric**: Headcount ~40 employees (+56.7% YoY as of mid-2026). Active job postings: 15 (as of July 2026). - **Notable Investors/Partners**: No external funding disclosed. Key partners: major public cloud providers (AWS, Azure, GCP), Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), DoD Platform One. - **Growth Signals**: Expanded from startups to Fortune 500 and then into federal contracting (2019 Air Force contract marked a turning point). Year-over-year headcount growth of 56.7% indicates aggressive hiring. High LinkedIn follower growth (+7.8% YoY to 5,777). Multiple active job postings spanning engineering, program management, and capture roles. ## Competitive Advantages - **Kubernetes Certified Service Provider & CNCF member** – deep, certified expertise in container orchestration and cloud-native tech. - **Government market access** – holds prime and subcontracts with key defense and civilian agencies, requiring security clearances (TS/SCI) and compliance. - **Startup agility meets mission-critical reliability** – ability to move fast while meeting DoD security and compliance standards. - **Top employer rating** – 4.5/5 on LinkedIn (10 reviews) with strong compensation (e.g., ML Engineer ~$154k, Software Engineer ~$143k) and culture scores. ## Strategic Focus - Deepen AI/ML capabilities for defense decision-support systems. - Expand DevSecOps platform offerings for more federal agencies. - Continue to hire “lifelong learners” across engineering, operations, and leadership. Job postings emphasize TS/SCI clearance and cloud-native skills. - Build reusable products and solutions alongside custom consulting services. ## Why Work Here - **Culture**: Values “mission obsession, engineering excellence, and effective communication.” Described as a remote-first, high-performance team where continuous learning is the operating model (free training, certifications). - **Work Policy**: Remote-first with DC Metro headquarters; some roles require on-site presence in Dayton, OH or Charlottesville, VA for cleared work. - **Perks**: Competitive salaries (LinkedIn estimated ranges: Software Engineer $143k, Senior DevSecOps Engineer $131k, AI/ML Engineer $154k). High employee satisfaction: 4.5/5 rating with strong scores on culture (4.4), compensation (4.5), and work-life (4.3). - **Engineering focus**: Engineers work on bleeding-edge problems – Kubernetes, WASM, MLOps, edge computing – with real-world impact on national security. Open positions include Platform Engineer, MLOps Engineer, Senior Full Stack Software Engineer, and DevSecOps SME. ## Sources 1. [rackner.com](https://rackner.com/about/) 2. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/rackner-solutions) 3. [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/rackner) 4. [greenhouse.io](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/rackner) ## Other roles at Rackner - [Kubernetes Engineer (Mid–Senior) | DoD Platform Engineering](https://feeny.ai/job/kubernetes-engineer-mid-senior-dod-platform-engineering-rackner-remote-szzk4y35csy9) - [AI/ML Engineer — Active TS/SCI | Dayton, OH](https://feeny.ai/job/ai-ml-engineer-active-ts-sci-dayton-oh-rackner-dayton-40bc51v8dahy) — Dayton, OH - [DevSecOps Engineer (DoD Secret | Hybrid)](https://feeny.ai/job/devsecops-engineer-dod-secret-hybrid-rackner-college-park-ya1mxmf7fzn9) — College Park, MD - [R&D DevSecOps Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/r-d-devsecops-engineer-rackner-remote-j8zrxsqnj26a) - [Systems Administrator (VDI) — TS/SCI](https://feeny.ai/job/systems-administrator-vdi-ts-sci-rackner-dayton-evhdzbe6t4nz) — Dayton, OH - [Business Development Representative — DoD / U.S. Air Force](https://feeny.ai/job/business-development-representative-dod-u-s-air-force-rackner-washington-tm46bcjmfyya) — Washington, DC / San Antonio, TX / Boston, MA - [Senior Federal Business Development Executive — Defense Health](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-federal-business-development-executive-defense-health-rackner-remote-q3hephtcf3xy) - [Senior Federal Business Development Executive — U.S. Air Force](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-federal-business-development-executive-u-s-air-force-rackner-remote-nc39njd9zyg8) - [Frontend Software Engineer — Secure Mission Systems](https://feeny.ai/job/frontend-software-engineer-secure-mission-systems-rackner-remote-wm13mwmpxx2v) - [AI/ML Engineer — Generative AI Mission Systems](https://feeny.ai/job/ai-ml-engineer-generative-ai-mission-systems-rackner-remote-caey6yh6f1eg)