--- title: 'Software/AI developer at Rackner' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/software-ai-developer-rackner-remote-adwc8chwrdp7' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-10-16' --- # Software/AI developer at Rackner - **Company:** Rackner - **Location:** Remote - **Work type:** remote - **Posted:** 2026-06-02 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-16 - **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/rackner/jobs/4702047005 ## Job description Software/AI developer. R&D Location: United States Work Model: Remote Travel: Approximately 15% for R&D events, technical demos, and collaboration sessions Clearance: U.S. citizenship required. Active Secret clearance preferred; candidates must be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance. Build Mission-Focused Software and AI Capabilities Rackner is seeking a Software/AI Developer. R&D to design, build, test, and demonstrate software and AI-enabled capabilities supporting government and defense missions. This is a hands-on engineering role for someone who enjoys turning ideas and mission needs into working software. You will work alongside R&D engineers, technical leaders, and mission stakeholders to rapidly develop prototypes, backend services, APIs, data workflows, and AI-enabled applications that can be tested with real users and matured into operational capabilities. The right person is a strong software developer who is comfortable working in an R&D environment where requirements may evolve as we learn. You should be able to take ownership of technical problems, write quality code, experiment with new approaches, and move from an early concept to a working demonstration. The work may involve AI/ML applications, large language models (LLMs), agentic AI, backend development, APIs, data pipelines, analytics, automation, mission systems, and cloud-native software. ## What You’ll Build - Design, develop, test, and maintain software for mission-focused R&D projects. - Build backend services, APIs, integrations, and data-processing workflows. - Develop AI-enabled applications using LLMs, machine learning models, and other modern AI technologies. - Build and evaluate AI agents, retrieval workflows, automation tools, and other AI-assisted capabilities. - Integrate AI models and services into usable software applications rather than treating AI as a standalone experiment. - Develop prototypes and proofs of concept that can be demonstrated to government customers and mission users. - Work with structured and unstructured data, including data ingestion, transformation, validation, and retrieval. - Write clean, maintainable, testable code and participate in code reviews and technical design discussions. - Debug software, integration, data, and model-related issues across development and testing environments. - Collaborate with DevSecOps engineers to containerize, deploy, monitor, and improve applications in cloud and secure environments. - Evaluate new AI models, frameworks, libraries, and development approaches for potential use in R&D projects. - Participate in technical demos, field events, experiments, and customer feedback sessions. - Turn feedback from technical teams and mission users into software improvements and new capabilities. - Document technical decisions, APIs, system behavior, and development approaches so solutions can be maintained and extended. ## What You’ll Bring - U.S. citizenship due to federal contract requirements. - Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance. - Strong hands-on software development experience, particularly with Python. - Experience developing backend applications, services, APIs, or data-driven software. - Experience building, integrating, or supporting AI/ML or generative AI applications. - Understanding of software engineering fundamentals, including application design, testing, debugging, version control, and code review. - Experience working with APIs, JSON, databases, and structured or semi-structured data. - Ability to take a technical problem from concept through implementation and demonstration. - Experience working in fast-moving environments where requirements may not be fully defined at the beginning. - Ability to independently investigate technical problems, evaluate options, and build practical solutions. - Strong communication and collaboration skills with engineers, technical leaders, and non-engineering stakeholders. - Willingness to travel approximately 15% for R&D events, demos, testing, and collaboration sessions. Helpful Experience - Active Secret clearance or higher. - Experience supporting DoD, Air Force, Space Force, mission command, battle management, C2, ISR, mission planning, autonomy, or other national security programs. - Experience developing applications using LLMs, generative AI, agentic AI, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), embeddings, vector databases, or model APIs. - Experience evaluating model outputs, accuracy, reliability, latency, and other AI performance considerations. - Experience with AI/ML frameworks or libraries such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, Hugging Face, LangChain, LlamaIndex, or similar technologies. - Experience with REST APIs, microservices, event-driven systems, or backend frameworks. - Experience with SQL, NoSQL databases, data pipelines, or data-processing frameworks. - Familiarity with AWS, Azure, or other cloud platforms. - Experience with Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD, Git, Terraform, Helm, or similar development and deployment technologies. - Familiarity with MLOps, model deployment, observability, evaluation, or production AI workflows. - Experience developing software for disconnected, classified, edge, or other constrained environments. - Experience building prototypes, proofs of concept, technical demos, or experimental software. - Experience working in R&D, defense technology, applied AI, or startup-like engineering environments. What Success Looks Like In this role, success means turning mission problems and R&D concepts into software that actually works. You will be expected to write code, build and integrate AI capabilities, test ideas quickly, and work closely with the team to determine what is worth developing further. You do not need to be an expert in every AI framework or infrastructure technology listed above. We are looking for a strong software developer who understands how to build reliable applications, has meaningful exposure to modern AI development, and is comfortable learning new technologies as the R&D mission evolves. Travel & Event Support This role requires approximately 15% travel for R&D events, technical demos, collaboration sessions, and mission-focused engagements. Travel is planned in advance whenever possible and may include customer-facing or internal engineering events. ## About Rackner Rackner is a software consultancy focused on building mission-critical systems for the U.S. government. Our teams work across cloud platforms, DevSecOps, AI/ML, distributed systems, and modern software engineering initiatives supporting federal agencies and national security missions. Rackner engineers collaborate closely with technical leadership, program teams, and mission stakeholders to design, build, and improve software systems that address complex operational challenges. ## Benefits & Perks Rackner invests in its people, because when you grow, we all win. - Company-supported certifications aligned to current and future program work, including cloud, Kubernetes, DevSecOps, security, AI/ML, project management, and related technical areas - Clear advancement tracks and future leadership opportunities - 401(k) with 100% match up to 6% - Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life, and disability coverage - Generous PTO and paid holidays - Home-office equipment plan and remote work support - Fitness and wellness reimbursement - Weekly pay schedule and modern perks, including team events ## Equal Opportunity Rackner is an equal opportunity employer and considers all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or other protected characteristics. ## 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. 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