--- title: 'Software Project Lead at Red Cell Partners' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/software-project-lead-red-cell-partners-united-states-cvj998345vme' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-11' --- # Software Project Lead at Red Cell Partners - **Company:** Red Cell Partners - **Location:** United States - **Work type:** remote - **Posted:** 2026-07-28 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-11 - **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/redcellpartners/jobs/5197398007 ## Job description ## About Us 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 This is a rare opportunity to be the software champion for a mission-critical DoW effort, owning it end to end from the customer's problem to working, deployed software. As a Software Project Lead, you will own the software design, architecture, and delivery for a dedicated program. You lead first and build when needed: strong enough in software to get hands-on and cover ground yourself, and conversant enough in data science and AI to help decide what gets built and pull in the right specialists. Above all you lead and communicate, directing the developers on the effort, setting technical direction, and keeping the customer and team aligned. Concretely, you own three things: the software build itself, integrating the optimization and analytics work into the product, and the path from unclassified development to secure delivery. You will not be alone: a program manager owns customer cadence, a subject-matter expert owns the mission content, and an optimization scientist owns the analytic core. Your job is to coordinate their work and turn it into shipped software, building from an existing starting point toward a durable, deployable system. The work spans both modern commercial engineering practices and the realities of DoW delivery, with unclassified development that moves to a government classified environment to meet real data. This is a fully remote role with travel up to 25% to the customer site, DEFCON AI HQ, and vendor facilities as required. ## Key Responsibilities System Ownership & Architecture - Own the software design, architecture, delivery & deployment for the program - Be accountable for delivery; keep the effort honest about scope, schedule, and risk, and raise issues early. - Favor proven, open-source and off-the-shelf tools, and reuse what already exists, over building from scratch. ## Requirements & Customer Engagement - Sit with the customer and end users, gather requirements, and turn what they need into a design and a plan, including the user experience and UX direction. - Represent DEFCON's engineering to the customer and work the "how does our software get onto your network" conversation to a resolution. - Communicate clearly across many audiences: run stakeholder workshops and translate between the customer, the PM, subject-matter experts, and the optimization and data-science staff. ## Team Leadership & Delivery - Drive the technical vision and keep the program aligned to it. - Coordinate across the PM, subject-matter experts, and the software team, sequence the work, define what "done" looks like, and unblock the team. - Lead a small software team as the effort grows. - Own the release cadence from capability intake through demonstration and deployment, aligned to government timelines. Unclassified to Secure Delivery - Own the unclassified-to-secure delivery path: design so software built in the open runs unchanged once it moves into the government's secure environment. - Own the data and schema contract that lets the app ingest securely-prepared data it has never seen before, and keep unclassified fixtures and secure-side data in strict parity. - Drive the transfer process end to end: offline, self-contained packaging, the low-to-high move, and a secure-side smoke test, working it early so it stays off the critical path. - Keep sensible CI/CD hygiene (testing, security scanning) as a normal engineering practice, and coordinate with the security team on whatever accreditation the program ultimately requires. Required Qualifications - 8+ years building and shipping production software, including at least one system owned end to end as the senior technical voice accountable for it, not just a component. - Front-end and data visualization engineering in a modern component framework (React, Angular, Vue, or Blazor): the deliverable is a data-visualization product, so you can architect and personally build its core surfaces. - A working lead, not just a director: this is a small team without other software depth early, so you write and review code directly while leading the developers on the effort. - Unclassified-to-secure delivery: building software in the open so it runs unchanged in a government secure or air-gapped environment, owning the data and schema contract, and driving the transfer. Sensible CI/CD hygiene expected; deep RMF and ATO ownership is a plus, not a requirement. - Requirements and architecture instincts: you can sit with a customer who does not speak software, pull out what they need, and turn it into a design and a plan. - Partnering with an optimization scientist: conversant enough in the analytic core (optimization, dependency management, critical-path analysis) to define the contracts between engine and UI and pressure-test feasibility, without owning the models yourself. - Leading small teams and coordinating across roles (PM, SMEs, data scientists, operations research and analytics, security), customer-facing in a government setting. - US Citizenship Required - Active Secret Clearance - Willingness to Travel up to 25% to customer site, Defcon AI HQ, and vendor facilities as required. ## Preferred Qualifications - Background in defense and national-security software, especially anything touching classified, cross-domain, or air-gapped environments - Hands-on depth in optimization or operations research (e.g. building or integrating solvers), or a track record partnering closely with OR and data-science teams - Experience standing up software in government-furnished or classified environments (IL-6 or equivalent) - Experience transitioning systems from an existing or incumbent starting point to a durable production system, or standing one up greenfield - Experience leading AI-augmented software delivery: directing agent-assisted implementation, critically reviewing AI-generated code, and working inside a gated spec, review, and retro workflow (or a clear track record adopting new delivery methods fast). This is how the team works. - Familiarity with government secure-software platforms and accreditation pipelines (RMF and cATO, containerized or air-gapped delivery), and with platforms such as Iron Bank, Platform One, Second Front (Game Warden), Stormbreaker, or Black Pearl - Comfortable across a modern software stack: backend in any of Python, C#/.Net, Java, or Node.js, plus JavaScript/TypeScript on the front end, SQL, databases and containerized cloud deployment. - Deep optimization or operations-research depth, or full-stack depth beyond the front end - Range to flex across efforts. The core of this role is owning one program, but a lead who can lend a hand across other efforts and help the broader engineering org is a real plus What Success Looks Like - A program that ships; the customer's problem turned into working, deployed software on the government's timeline - A clean unclassified-to-secure delivery path: software that runs unchanged on the government's secure environment, with the transfer proven ahead of time - A customer who trusts DEFCON's engineering, with requirements understood and no surprises - A small team with clear ownership and a clear definition of done 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: $175,000-$215,000. 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 with strong performance as 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](https://www.taramind.com/). - Cost effective GLP-1 solutions available through [Crux](https://soon.getcrux.com/). 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. Applicant Data Disclosure By submitting an application, you acknowledge that Red Cell Partners, LLC ("Red Cell") uses third-party service providers to facilitate its recruitment and hiring processes. These providers include applicant tracking systems, candidate verification platforms, and fraud detection tools (collectively, "Hiring Platforms"). Your application materials, including your résumé, cover letter, work samples, responses to application questions, and any other information you submit, may be transmitted to and processed by these Hiring Platforms for the following purposes: - Managing and administering your application throughout the hiring process; - Verifying the accuracy and authenticity of application materials, including by cross-referencing information you provide against publicly available sources and proprietary databases; - Identifying indicators of potentially fraudulent, fabricated, or materially misleading application content, including but not limited to discrepancies between submitted materials and publicly available professional profiles, geographic anomalies, and fabricated work histories. Applications that are flagged through this process as containing indicators of fraud or material misrepresentation may be declined from further consideration. If you have questions about the status of your application or the evaluation process, please contact talent@redcellpartners.com. Red Cell requires its Hiring Platform providers to process your information solely for the purposes described above and in accordance with applicable law. Your information will be retained only for as long as necessary to fulfill these purposes and any applicable legal obligations, after which it will be deleted in accordance with Red Cell's data retention policies. For more information about how your data is used, please refer to our Privacy Policy and [Applicant Privacy Notice](https://www.redcellpartners.com/applicant-privacy-policy/). ## About Red Cell Partners ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Red Cell Partners is an incubation firm that builds, launches, and scales technology-led companies in healthcare, cyber, and national security. - **Entity Type**: Private (incubation firm) – has raised $497M across the firm and its incubations - **Headquarters**: McLean, Virginia, United States - **Founded**: 2020 - **Founders**: Grant Verstandig ## Core Business - Primary industries: Venture building / incubation; practice areas are Healthcare, Cyber, and National Security. - Target customers: The firm sells to no single customer; it builds B2B companies that serve government agencies, defense organizations, healthcare providers, and enterprise security teams. - Mission: “To build a healthier, safer, and more secure future for the next generation.” [about page] ## Products & Services Red Cell does not sell a single product; it operates three practice areas that each incubate separate technology companies: - **Healthcare Practice**: Incubates companies focused on improving patient outcomes, care delivery, and healthcare operations (e.g., senior living technology, care coordination). - **Cyber Practice**: Incubates companies in cybersecurity, including AI-driven security operations centers and threat protection. - **National Security Practice**: Incubates companies in defense, resilience, and national security (e.g., power delivery, disruption response). ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed (private firm). - **Key Metric**: $497M raised across Red Cell Partners and its portfolio of incubations. [home page] - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Not publicly named, but key executives include Grant Verstandig (Founder, Chairman & CEO), David Silverman (President), George Barnes (President, Cyber Practice), Honorable Veronica Daigle (President, National Security Practice), and Timothy Ferris (President, Healthcare Practice). The firm has acquired companies such as Andesite AI and TRADE SYSTEMS INC. [LinkedIn] - **Growth Signals**: - 75 full-time Red Cell employees (as of June 2026) [home page]. LinkedIn reports 69 employees with +3.4% monthly growth. - 9 companies publicly launched; average incubation period of 16 months. [home page] - 36 active job postings, up 125% year over year. [LinkedIn] ## Competitive Advantages - **CIA-Inspired Methodology**: The firm’s name and approach derive from the CIA’s post-9/11 “Red Cell” concept – assembling cross-functional experts to challenge conventional models and propose novel solutions. - **Vertically Focused Incubation**: Unlike generalist venture builders, Red Cell concentrates exclusively on three mission-critical sectors (healthcare, cyber, national security) where government and enterprise demand is high and regulatory barriers create moats. - **High Talent Density**: Leaders include former senior government officials and military operators (e.g., George Barnes, former NSA deputy director; Veronica Daigle, former federal judge; Marcus Capone, former Navy SEAL). ## Strategic Focus - Continue scaling its three practice areas and launching new companies from each. - Extend incubation capabilities into adjacent defense and healthcare sub-verticals. - Grow headcount aggressively (job postings up 125% YoY) to support a pipeline of 9+ launched companies and more in stealth. ## Why Work Here - **Remote-First Culture**: Most roles are fully remote, though some require occasional travel to the Washington, D.C. office or other locations. [careers page] - **Comprehensive Benefits**: 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision; 14 weeks of paid parental leave at full salary; unlimited PTO (with manager approval); 401K and FSA; professional development budget. - **Hiring Process**: 4–6 weeks; includes a written application, an initial screen, a skills assessment (live or take-home), peer interviews, and an executive interview. The firm emphasizes “we hire the best and the brightest at every level.” - **Culture**: Values include Dedicated, Thorough, Principled, Collaborative, Resilient, Bold, and Visionary. The firm describes itself as mission-first and “safe-to-fail” – action-oriented and focused on learning from mistakes. ## Sources 1. [redcellpartners.com - Home](https://www.redcellpartners.com/) 2. [redcellpartners.com - Careers](https://www.redcellpartners.com/careers/) 3. [redcellpartners.com - About](https://www.redcellpartners.com/about/) 4. [redcellpartners.com - Our People](https://www.redcellpartners.com/our-people/) 5. [linkedin.com/company/red-cell-partners](https://www.linkedin.com/company/red-cell-partners) ## Other roles at Red Cell Partners - [Director, Revenue Operations](https://feeny.ai/job/director-revenue-operations-red-cell-partners-united-states-washington-dc-42mqvsg10gp1) — United States / Washington, DC - [Staff DevOps Engineer, Federal/National Security](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-devops-engineer-federal-national-security-red-cell-partners-united-states-v8trrecbp4wd) — United States - [Senior Account Executive (National Labs & Federal Health)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-account-executive-national-labs-federal-health-red-cell-partners-mclean-tv5nqx8kc642) — Mclean, VA - [Technical Director, AI Decision Systems](https://feeny.ai/job/technical-director-ai-decision-systems-red-cell-partners-united-states-6hzf4ykaag7p) — United States - [Senior Account Executive (Department of Homeland Security)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-account-executive-department-of-homeland-security-red-cell-partners-e028apr6jbxx) — Mclean, VA - [Senior Account Executive (All–Source & Defense Intelligence)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-account-executive-all-source-defense-intelligence-red-cell-partners-zwwghh31kmhh) — Mclean, VA - [Senior Product Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-product-manager-red-cell-partners-seattle-0h8887njr0vq) — Seattle, WA - [VP of Defense Solutions & Growth - Clearance Required](https://feeny.ai/job/vp-of-defense-solutions-growth-clearance-required-red-cell-partners-washington-g1ksy1y7w5xq) — Washington, DC - [Cloud Systems Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/cloud-systems-engineer-red-cell-partners-united-states-8nxy40tggeey) — United States - [Vice President, Investor Relations](https://feeny.ai/job/vice-president-investor-relations-red-cell-partners-washington-8dz5h9pe6hzq) — Washington, DC