---
title: 'Distributed Systems ML Infrastructure Engineer at OpenTeams'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/distributed-systems-ml-infrastructure-engineer-openteams-washington-pcmbae499j9v'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-05'
---

# Distributed Systems ML Infrastructure Engineer at OpenTeams

- **Company:** OpenTeams
- **Location:** Washington, DC / Denver, CO / Colorado Springs, CO
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2026-09-01
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-05
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/openteams/jobs/4729673005

## Job description

## Who We Are

Every organization runs on intelligence: years of accumulated knowledge, decisions, and context. As AI takes on more of that work, companies face a choice: rent that intelligence from vendors who keep the data, the context, and the results, or own it.

OpenTeams exists to make ownership possible.

Founded by Travis Oliphant, creator of NumPy and SciPy, and built by people with deep roots across the open-source ecosystem, including NumPy, SciPy, PyTorch, and Jupyter, we help enterprises and governments build AI they control, govern, and evolve themselves.

If that sounds like your kind of work, we'd like to meet you.

Distributed Systems ML Infrastructure Engineer

Location: Washington, DC; Denver, CO; or Colorado Springs, CO preferred (hybrid). Highly qualified candidates outside these locations may also be considered for unclassified work.

Work Authorization: U.S. citizenship required

Clearance: An active TS/SCI clearance with CI polygraph is strongly preferred. Candidates without an active clearance may be considered for unclassified work but must be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance.

Salary Range: $145,000–$250,000 USD, dependent on experience level and location

## About the Role

We're looking for a Distributed Systems and ML Infrastructure Engineer to build the core services of a containerized, API-first AI platform. This is a role for someone who wants to build the thing itself, not integrate someone else's.

You design and implement the services the platform runs on — workflow orchestration, data ingestion, results management, model serving, policy enforcement, usage accounting, audit logging. Those services have to hold up across cloud, dedicated, isolated, and limited-connectivity deployments, which means portability and operability are design constraints from the first commit rather than problems handed to someone downstream.

Development happens primarily on unrestricted infrastructure with an open-source toolchain. Engineers with the right access also carry releases into controlled production environments, integrate data sources there, and validate the platform in place — so there's a path to seeing your work through to where it actually runs.

This position is contingent upon contract award. Travel of up to 15% may be required, primarily to Government facilities and between company locations. Unclassified work may be performed remotely, while classified promotion and validation activities require onsite work in an accredited facility and the appropriate security clearance.

## Key Responsibilities

- Design and implement platform services for workflow orchestration, data ingest, and results management, exposed through documented APIs with no proprietary front end
- Implement and operate model gateway and serving services that route invocations to approved managed model services with policy enforcement, usage accounting, and audit logging
- Maintain a documented provider abstraction so the platform runs on AWS-native managed services where appropriate while remaining deployable across other cloud and dedicated environments
- Deploy platform releases into classified host environments, perform data source integration, and execute validation procedures on a recurring promotion cadence
- Verify environment parity after each promotion
- Size and validate the platform against documented workload models, and verify capacity and performance by load test
- Constrain platform dependencies to services confirmed available in the target environments, and gate any development-only dependency behind feature flags
- Reproduce high-side defects on the low side through sanitized feedback paths and fix them where the full toolchain is available

Required Skills & Experience

- U.S. citizenship and eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance
- 6+ years of experience in distributed systems, platform engineering, infrastructure engineering, or a related software engineering role
- Production experience operating Kubernetes and containerized workloads on a major cloud platform
- Experience with managed Kubernetes services such as Amazon EKS or an equivalent platform
- Experience supporting machine learning workloads in production, such as model serving, GPU scheduling, or large-scale data and evaluation pipelines
- Experience designing, building, or operating distributed services that support reliability, scalability, and performance requirements
- Proficiency in Python, Go, or a comparable programming language
- Experience with infrastructure-as-code and deployment tools such as Terraform, Helm, or equivalent technologies
- Experience designing API-first services and implementing documented interface specifications
- Experience testing platform capacity and performance against expected workload requirements
- Ability to document technical interfaces, deployment procedures, architectural decisions, and validation results
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience

## Nice to Have

- Active TS/SCI clearance with CI polygraph
- Hands-on experience deploying or operating software in classified, air-gapped, or limited-connectivity environments
- Experience with classified cloud environments, including AWS Secret or Top Secret regions
- Experience building or operating model gateways, LLM routing layers, inference services, or inference-brokering platforms
- Familiarity with software promotion into classified environments, cross-domain transfer processes, and release packaging
- Experience with agentic workflow frameworks or the orchestration of multi-step AI pipelines
- Experience supporting GPU-accelerated workloads and distributed model inference
- Experience designing vendor-agnostic platforms that operate across multiple cloud or dedicated environments
- Experience supporting rapid prototyping programs or defense innovation initiatives

## What We Offer

- Medical, Dental & Vision – 100% paid for employees, 75% for dependents
- 401(k) Match – Up to 5% with full vesting after 2 years
- Unlimited PTO – With a required minimum of 15 days off annually
- Fully Remote Setup – Includes up to $3,000 equipment reimbursement
- Continuous Education –  Includes up to $500 reimbursement
- Disability & Life Insurance – 100% employer-paid
- HSA & FSA Options – With monthly HSA contributions from OpenTeams

Grow With Us

At OpenTeams, growth isn’t just about the company—it’s about you.

We believe the best careers are built at the edge of your potential. That is where new tools, ideas, and technologies change the world. Here, you’ll work alongside pioneers of AI, solving problems that matter: making AI more transparent, more ethical, and more empowering. As your skills grow, our career framework provides a pathway and recognition of that increased impact.

Opportunities aren’t limited by geography. You’ll collaborate with global experts, contribute to open source projects that power the world’s technology, and stretch your skills daily.  That global perspective and diversity makes our solution more universal and robust.  We are committed to continuing to celebrate diversity on our team.

Supported people are successful people.  We offer 100% employer paid medical premiums for employees and self-managed PTO with a minimum time off requirement, so that our teams are able to do their best work.

We invest  in curiosity, creativity, and ownership. That means you’ll be trusted to boldly innovate, supported to learn fast, and celebrated for successful collaboration.

Commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging

OpenTeams understands that valuing diverse creative practices and forms of knowledge is crucial to and enriches the company’s core mission. We encourage applications from everyone, including members of all equity-seeking communities, such as (but certainly not limited to) women, racialized and Indigenous persons, disabled people, persons of all sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions.

We are an equal opportunity employer - all qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for recruitment, interviews, employment, training, compensation, promotion, and related activities. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, gender, gender identity, gender expression, color, national origin, pregnancy, ancestry, domestic partner status, disability, sexual orientation, age, genetic predisposition, medical condition, marital status, citizenship status, military or veteran status, or any other basis covered by applicable laws. OpenTeams will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on these characteristics or any other unlawful behavior, conduct, or purpose.

## About OpenTeams

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: OpenTeams helps organizations design, build, and operate fully owned AI systems using modular, open-source infrastructure, enabling them to move from renting to owning their AI.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Total funding $7.1M across Pre-Seed, Venture Round, and Debt Financing; acquired Quansight’s AI consulting division in 2025)
- **Headquarters**: Austin, Texas, United States
- **Founded**: 2019
- **Founders**: Travis Oliphant (CEO & Co-Founder), Dharhas Pothina (CTO & Co-Founder), Matt Harward (CRO & Co-Founder)

## Core Business
- **Primary industries**: AI infrastructure, open-source software deployment, enterprise consulting, government/defense AI solutions
- **Target customers**: Enterprise, Government (including U.S. Department of Defense), Research institutions, BioTech, Energy, Financial services – primarily B2B, with a mix of mid-market and large enterprise
- **Mission**: “AI you own” – building accountable, auditable, and fully owned AI systems rather than renting from hyperscalers.

## Products & Services
- **[Nebari®](https://openteams.com/)**: An open-source AI hub that serves as the private infrastructure layer for an organization’s models, data, workflows, and institutional knowledge. Fully controlled and owned by the customer. Listed as a JATIC product supporting DoD AI development.
- **[Collab Desktop App](https://openteams.com/)**: A free application for publishing, discovering, consuming, and sharing agentic workflows and AI capabilities. Designed to participate in a distributed applied AI economy built on open standards.
- **[Enterprise Deployment](https://openteams.com/)**: Full-service consulting and support – includes building the system, training internal teams, and ongoing support. Emphasizes that ownership stays with the customer, not the vendor.
- **[Intelligence Hub Connect](https://openteams.com/)**: Secure integration layer that connects partners, vendors, and data providers on the organization’s terms, controlling data flow while maintaining ownership.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available
- **Key Metrics**:
  - Annual Revenue: ~$11.0M (LinkedIn estimate, as of mid-2025)
  - Total Funding: $7.13M (Pre-Seed $100K led by Sputnik ATX; Venture Round $3.0M in Nov 2021; Debt Financing $4.0M in June 2023)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Sputnik ATX (lead investor in pre-seed); strategic partner Quansight (AI consulting division acquired March 2025); partner with the Open-Source AI Foundation (O-SAIF) for government AI safety.
- **Growth Signals**:
  - Headcount: 73 employees, +106.8% year-over-year growth (+47 people in one year)
  - Operations in 13 countries (US, Canada, UK, Kenya, India, Brazil, etc.)
  - Appointed Lt. Gen (Ret) Ross Coffman to Board of Directors (June 2025)
  - Acquired Quansight’s AI consulting division (March 2025), adding ~25 people from Quansight
  - Listed as a JATIC product for the U.S. Department of Defense next-gen toolchain

## Competitive Advantages
- **Founder pedigree**: Travis Oliphant created NumPy and SciPy – foundational tools for modern AI – and previously founded Anaconda and Quansight. This gives OpenTeams deep credibility and institutional knowledge in open-source AI infrastructure.
- **Open-source DNA**: OpenTeams builds, maintains, and contributes to open-source projects; customers get transparency and flexibility without vendor lock-in.
- **“Owned Intelligence” model**: Unlike hyperscalers or SaaS vendors, OpenTeams ensures organizations own their AI models, data, and infrastructure – no hidden dependencies, no third-party control.
- **Forward-deployed engineering model**: “An army of forward-deployed engineers” that builds and maintains solutions inside the customer’s environment, training internal teams and ensuring continuous ownership.

## Strategic Focus
- **Scaling government and defense contracts**: Nebari’s inclusion in JATIC and partnership with O-SAIF signal strong push into U.S. government and defense markets.
- **Expanding the distributed AI ecosystem**: Through the Collab Desktop App and Applied AI Society, OpenTeams aims to build a global community of applied AI engineers and a networked private ecosystem.
- **Post-acquisition integration**: Absorbing Quansight’s consulting talent to deepen enterprise delivery capacity.
- **International growth**: Headcount is diversifying across North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia – with active hiring for roles like Senior Solutions Architect in the EU.

## Why Work Here
- **Engineering-led culture**: Founded by a legendary open-source developer; strong technical team with 40% of staff in technical roles (engineering, infrastructure, AI).
- **Remote and hybrid flexibility**: While the headquarters is in Austin and “on-site workspace” is noted, many roles are posted as remote (e.g., Senior Solutions Architect – UK, Founding Lead Engineer – remote U.S.). The company operates across 13 countries, suggesting a distributed-first approach.
- **Growth trajectory**: 106% headcount growth YoY and recent acquisition signal fast scaling – employees can grow into new roles and leadership.
- **Meaningful mission**: Work on AI that organizations truly own, not rent – appealing to engineers who value open-source, privacy, and ethical AI.
- **Diverse global team**: Employees from six continents; the company actively hires from a variety of talent pools.

## Sources
1. [openteams.com](https://openteams.com/) – Homepage and product overview
2. [openteams.com/about-us](https://openteams.com/about-us/) – Founders, team, beliefs
3. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/openteams) – LinkedIn company page (employees, revenue, funding, recent news)
4. [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/openteams) – Culture, careers, and perks overview
5. [greenhouse.io](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/openteams) – Current job openings and office location

## Other roles at OpenTeams

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- [Senior Infrastructure Engineer - AI/ML Platform](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-infrastructure-engineer-ai-ml-platform-openteams-united-states-pzcrjf5jzc8f) — United States
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