--- title: 'Principal Platform Engineer at Shift5' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/principal-platform-engineer-shift5-rosslyn-va-0n5k1nczhwb2' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-10-13' --- # Principal Platform Engineer at Shift5 - **Company:** Shift5 - **Location:** Rosslyn VA, OR - **Work type:** remote - **Posted:** 2026-10-06 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-13 - **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/shift5/jobs/6218489004 ## Job description ## About Shift5 Shift5 delivers operational intelligence for onboard OT across defense, aerospace, and commercial transportation fleets. We capture and analyze databus data to detect anomalies, predict failures, and secure critical infrastructure against cyber threats. ## The Role & Team The Platform Engineering team owns four core capabilities: Operating Systems (BaseOS, Manifold, Yocto), Cloud & Infrastructure (AWS/GovCloud to edge), Developer Experience (CI/CD guardrails, internal tooling), and AI Enablement (secure AI orchestration and tooling). As Principal Platform Engineer, you are the senior-most individual contributor on the team, serving as the primary technical anchor for architecture and a key multiplier for the engineering org. You will drive overall technical strategy, mentor senior engineers, and step into direct team leadership or people management as needed. ## What You'll Do - Release Engineering: Architect, develop, and operate end-to-end release infrastructure and GitOps delivery pipelines using tools like Atlantis, ArgoCD, Earthly Lunar, GitHub, and internally developed tools. - Cloud Infrastructure: Architect and manage a complicated AWS estate spanning commercial and govcloud using services like EKS, RDS, S3, VPC, Transit Gateway, etc. - Supply Chain Security & Compliance: Lead artifact security (Harbor, Cosign, Vault Transit Engine) and build automated, compliance-by-default pipelines (NIST controls, SBOM generation) to eliminate program friction. - OS Lifecycle & AI Enablement: Support hardware OS image builds (Yocto, Manifold) and productionize internal AI gateways, RAG tooling, and developer AI workflows (Cursor). - Technical & Team Leadership: Author RFCs/design docs, run architecture reviews, plan roadmaps, and mentor mid/staff-level engineers. Provide direct management (1:1s, hiring, performance reviews) during transitions or scale. - Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with security, embedded, and field teams to ensure seamless delivery across airgapped and edge environments. What Success Looks Like - Predictable Delivery: Release engineering is seamless, observable, and fully trusted across teams. - Automated Security: Compliance evidence and SBOMs are generated natively in CI/CD without manual overhead. - Governed AI: AI tooling is securely integrated, well-documented, and actively adopted by developers. - Team Growth & Resilience: Engineering standards elevate across the org, priorities remain clear, and team leadership operates without single points of failure. ## What We’re Looking For Required: - 10+ years in software/platform engineering, with 5+ years managing production infrastructure at scale. - Technical & People Leadership: Proven track record leading projects, designing architecture, mentoring engineers, and readiness (or prior experience) for direct people management. - Cloud & Modern Delivery: Hands-on mastery of Kubernetes, ArgoCD, GitHub Actions/Earthly, and Infrastructure as Code (Terraform/OpenTofu, AWS/GovCloud). - Supply Chain Security: Strong background in artifact registries, container signing (Cosign/Sigstore), Vault, and SBOM generation. - Clearance: Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Security Clearance (U.S. Citizenship required). Preferred: - Background in defense, aerospace, or regulated environments (NIST 800-53, IL4/IL5, CMMC). - Embedded Linux/OS experience (Yocto, SLE Micro) and airgapped/edge deployment models. - Experience deploying internal AI/LLM infrastructure (RAG, model gateways, governance). - Scripting proficiency in Go, Python, and Bash. ## Compensation & Benefits - Base Salary: $255,000 - $280,000 - Bonus program and equity in a fast-growing startup - Competitive medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and their families - Health Savings Account with annual employer contributions - Employer-paid Life and Disability Insurance - Uncapped paid time off policy - Flexible work & remote work policy - Tax-deferred public transit benefits with Metro SmartBenefits (DC/MD/VA) We are committed to building an inclusive culture of belonging that embraces the diversity of our people and represents the communities in which we work and the customers we serve. We know the happiest and highest performing teams include people with diverse perspectives and ways of solving problems. We strive to attract and retain talent from all backgrounds and create workplaces where everyone feels empowered to bring their full, authentic selves to work. Shift5 is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identify, national origin, disability, age, marital status, ancestry, projected veteran status, or any other protected group or class. [Privacy Policy and Notice for Shift5, Inc. Job Applicants, Employees & Contractors](https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSoqk1SJimaI-_eN6ivV05XJKDJIvh7t32xMVM_7CEFDjGHGjEyFAs6_4v7Uv_OxALOz8g_IzQ6VYmn/pub) ## About Shift5 ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Shift5 provides an operational intelligence platform that analyzes onboard serial bus and radio frequency data from military and commercial fleets to deliver near real-time threat detection, predictive maintenance, and compliance automation. - **Entity Type**: Private – Series C (raised $75M ~10 months ago; total funding $180.75–$185M) - **Headquarters**: Arlington, Virginia, USA - **Founded**: 2019 - **Founders**: Josh Lospinoso (co-founder, now Board Member); the company was also founded by former U.S. Army Cyber Command officers. ## Core Business - **Primary industries**: Defense, aviation, ground vehicles, maritime, rail – operational technology (OT) cybersecurity and observability. - **Target customers**: B2B – U.S. Department of Defense, military branches (Air Force, Army), commercial airlines, rail operators, and critical infrastructure fleet managers. - **Mission / purpose**: “We exist to protect the servicemembers who defend our nation and secure the critical systems that keep our economy moving.” ## Products & Services - **Shift5 Operational Intelligence Platform**: SaaS/software that ingests serial bus and RF data from fleets (aircraft, ground vehicles, ships, trains) to detect faults, cyber threats, and GPS spoofing in near real-time. - **Predictive Maintenance**: Transforms serial bus data into proactive maintenance insights to reduce unplanned downtime and improve mission readiness. - **Cybersecurity / EW**: Analyzes serial bus traffic and RF data to flag threats (e.g., GPS spoofing, advanced persistent threats) and enable operator action. - **Fleet Compliance**: Processes security log files from commercial aircraft to verify compliance with aviation regulations and identify security incidents. - **RF-Enabled GPS Threat Detection**: Plug-and-play capability that provides early warning of GPS spoofing up to 200 nautical miles away. - **Research Services**: Expert-led security assessments, novel threat research, and specialized tooling for protecting critical assets. ## Market Standing - **Valuation / Market Cap**: Not disclosed (private company). - **Key Metric**: Total venture capital funding – **$180.75M** (CB Insights) or **$185M** (company site) across multiple rounds; last raise was a **$75M Series C** approximately 10 months prior to the search date. - **Notable Investors / Partners**: Partners include **Boeing** (joint fault/threat detection initiative), **Anduril** (next-generation command & control for Army), **Rune Technologies** (defense platform sustainment), **L3Harris** (Toby Magsig, former L3Harris executive, now President & CEO). Federal contracts include **U.S. Air Force F-16** upgrades, **CSfC listing** for classified operations. - **Growth Signals**: - Over **100 full-time employees** across five time zones. - Formalized executive leadership team (Toby Magsig confirmed CEO, new C-Suite roles) following “best Q1 in company history.” - Launched advanced RF-enabled GPS threat detection (Jan 2026). - Achieved **Commercial Solutions for Classified (CSfC)** listing (June 2026). - Selected for next-gen F-16 upgrades (Dec 2025). - Partnerships with Anduril, Boeing, and Rune Technologies. ## Competitive Advantages - **Unique data access**: Only platform extracting and analyzing raw serial bus (MIL-STD-1553, ARINC 429) and RF data from military/commercial fleets, often in contested environments. - **Early-warning GPS spoofing detection**: RF-based method that detects threats up to 200 nautical miles away – a capability few competitors offer. - **Deep defense heritage**: Founders and leadership with U.S. Army Cyber Command and L3Harris backgrounds; strong trust within DoD and prime contractors. - **Regulatory compliance**: NIAP and CSfC listings enable broader use in classified and sensitive operations. - **Partnerships with primes**: Boeing, Anduril, L3Harris – validated integration into major platforms. ## Strategic Focus - **Acceleration across defense and critical infrastructure** – expanding beyond aviation into ground vehicles, maritime, and rail. - **Product expansion**: Continued investment in RF-based detection, predictive maintenance, and integration with partner ecosystems (e.g., Lattice Mesh). - **Talent scaling**: Hiring across deployment strategy, field engineering, hardware/software engineering, and go-to-market roles. - **Executive leadership stability**: Formalized C-suite to support growth and market penetration. ## Why Work Here - **Culture**: “Low-ego, high-horsepower” team from diverse backgrounds (public/private sectors). Values include Mission-First Mindset, Relentless Innovation, and Data-Driven Precision. - **Work model**: Many roles are “Remote/HQ” – flexibility to work remotely while maintaining an HQ in Arlington, VA. Open positions include Deployment Strategist, Field Engineer, Hardware Engineer, Systems Integration Engineer, and Proposal Manager. - **Benefits**: - Comprehensive medical coverage with HSA contributions. - **12 weeks paid parental leave** (birth or adoption). - **Unlimited time off** plus paid holidays. - 401(k) plan (pre-tax and Roth options via Vanguard). - Financial and legal support through internal team. - **Engineering culture**: Focus on solving tough OT problems; hardware and software teams work closely; emphasis on scalability and real-time data. - **Impact**: Direct contribution to protecting service members and critical national infrastructure. ## Sources 1. [shift5.io – Homepage](https://shift5.io/) 2. [shift5.io – Company page](https://shift5.io/company/) 3. [shift5.io – Careers page](https://shift5.io/careers/) 4. [CB Insights – Shift5 profile](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/shift5) 5. [LinkedIn – Shift5](https://www.linkedin.com/company/shift5) ## Other roles at Shift5 - [Executive Assistant](https://feeny.ai/job/executive-assistant-shift5-rosslyn-103wwb3j656d) — Rosslyn, VA - [Senior Buyer & Strategic Sourcing Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-buyer-strategic-sourcing-specialist-shift5-rosslyn-jqq8hqd3n8mh) — Rosslyn, VA - [Mission Operations Specialist - San Diego](https://feeny.ai/job/mission-operations-specialist-san-diego-shift5-remote-qm3y8dy6pyzm) - [Mission Operations Specialist - Fort Carson](https://feeny.ai/job/mission-operations-specialist-fort-carson-shift5-remote-w76nc1mn6y0h) - [Mission Operations Specialist - Fort Hood](https://feeny.ai/job/mission-operations-specialist-fort-hood-shift5-remote-wa679c5y52xf) - [Mechanical Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/mechanical-engineer-shift5-rosslyn-nj10177tpk3j) — Rosslyn, VA - [Test Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/test-engineer-shift5-rosslyn-c67hm7s3g91p) — Rosslyn, VA - [People & Talent Coordinator](https://feeny.ai/job/people-talent-coordinator-shift5-rosslyn-whakwvyytmwc) — Rosslyn, VA - [Systems Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/systems-engineer-shift5-rosslyn-va-4getq5a9cfvb) — Rosslyn VA, OR - [Senior Quality and Process Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-quality-and-process-engineer-shift5-rosslyn-kn7pf1azpbht) — Rosslyn, VA