--- title: 'Staff Machine Learning Engineer - Team Lead (Active Secret Clearance) at Striveworks' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/staff-machine-learning-engineer-team-lead-active-secret-clearance-striveworks-kjrdkkkmnyf9' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-11-04' --- # Staff Machine Learning Engineer - Team Lead (Active Secret Clearance) at Striveworks - **Company:** Striveworks - **Location:** OR Austin, TX - **Work type:** remote - **Posted:** 2026-11-03 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-04 - **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/striveworks/jobs/8166556003 ## Job description “In 36 months, agentic AI systems will be an operating reality across major institutions. We intend to be central to it.” — Dr. Jim Rebesco, Cofounder and CEO, Striveworks The government’s demand for AI is growing far faster than the systems required to support it. Fewer than 15% of federal AI programs have reached sustained production, despite billions of dollars invested. The models perform in testing, but they degrade in the real world. And when performance drops, trust goes with it. Striveworks was built to solve that problem. ## What you’ll build Since 2018, we have delivered the most trusted AI systems operating in real-world use cases—providing a layer of assurance underneath hundreds of deployed models that monitors performance, manages drift, and sustains systems long after they leave the lab. As a Staff Machine Learning Engineer, you will be both a core contributor and a customer-facing technical leader. You’ll initiate the design, build, and delivery of systems—from data shaping and analytics to end-user delivery. Customers and engineers will bring you the hard problems. You’ll turn them into working systems and see them through to execution. The work will take you into the field, where direct customer input will shape what we build next. What it’s like here We lead with trust, treat each other with respect, and use candor consistently, kindly, and constructively. We care deeply about our work, and we find genuine satisfaction in doing it well. Above all, we take ownership—because we feel the weight of collective results personally. We are looking for people who share these values and are eager to put them into practice. ## What we’re looking for - An advanced degree in data science, machine learning (ML), computer science, or a related discipline and 10+ years of relevant experience - Proven ability to lead, manage, and mentor cross-functional engineering teams across office, remote, and customer environments - Demonstrated experience defining, scoping, planning, and driving execution plans for complex, production-level technical solutions - Strong communication skills and a track record of translating complex technical topics with clarity and professionalism to both internal engineering teams and external stakeholders - Broad proficiency in programming languages common to machine learning, with excellence in Python and at least one systems programming language - Proficiency in the design and delivery of algorithms, data structures, and production analytics and in the use of design patterns in cloud environments - Expertise in the building, training, evaluation, and/or deployment optimization of ML models - Proficiency with modern software engineering tools and processes - Active Secret (or above) US security clearance and US citizenship The following isn’t required, but we’d love to see it: - Experience with K8s and horizontally scaled architectures - Knowledge of NATS, Kafka, RabbitMQ, or similar - Experience building AI agents and workflows - Experience with complex and varied data types - Experience delivering technology solutions in secure government environments You will be remote or hybrid out of our Austin, Texas, office. This role requires travel up to 25% of the time. ## Compensation The anticipated base pay range for this position is $210,000–$260,000/year. Striveworks’ total compensation package includes a competitive base salary, equity grants, and cash bonuses. Benefits include: - Medical/dental/vision insurance - Voluntary life, long-term disability, accident, and hospital indemnity insurance - HSA and FSA (including dependent care FSA) plans - 401(k) plan - Unlimited PTO - Paid parental leave Ready to build systems that work for a mission that matters? Let’s talk. Striveworks is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, belief, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity or expression), national origin, social or ethnic origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factors. Striveworks will not tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind. If you require assistance or a reasonable accommodation in the application process, please contact People Operations at hr@striveworks.us. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify their identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete an employment eligibility verification form upon hire. Striveworks is a participating employer in the E-Verify program. ## About Striveworks ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning Operations (AIOps), Defense & National Security - **Target customers**: B2B, primarily U.S. government and defense agencies (Army, Navy, etc.), as well as enterprise organizations requiring mission-critical AI - **Mission or purpose**: "Make artificial intelligence work today and in the future" – delivering trustworthy, adaptive AI that operates reliably in unpredictable environments. ## Products & Services - **Striveworks AIOps Platform**: A command center for enterprise AI that allows users to build, launch, and maintain AI models in hours, deploy them with one click, and keep them working as conditions change. Key capabilities include: - **Cloud-to-Edge Deployment**: Run essential services to deploy, manage, and monitor models in disconnected and compute-constrained environments. - **Multi-Domain Awareness**: Fuse satellite geospatial data, edge-sensor video feeds, and electronic intelligence (ELINT) for threat detection and situational awareness across land, air, and sea. - **Adaptive, Multi-Domain ATR (Automatic Target Recognition)**: Automatically detect, classify, and track objects of interest from overhead satellite images to low-angle drone feeds, maintaining custody across changing perspectives and sensor types. ## Market Standing - **Valuation**: Not publicly disclosed - **Key Metric**: Total funding of $50.3M (LinkedIn) / $51M (Tracxn – conflicting); estimated annual revenue of $4.5M (LinkedIn) - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Washington Harbour Partners (led Series B, $18M in March 2026), Centana Growth Partners (led Venture Round, $32.3M in June 2023) - **Growth Signals**: - Deloitte Technology Fast 500 (2023, 2024) – fastest-growing tech companies in North America - Built In Best Places to Work award (4 years running, through 2025) - U.S. Government awarded Striveworks a $70 million contract in April 2026 to scale AI deployments across defense agencies - U.S. Army selected Striveworks for AI Test and Evaluation (January 2026) - First AI company to bridge the Army’s two largest battlefield AI efforts - Demonstrated AI resiliency for the U.S. Navy in harsh sea conditions (April 2026) ## Competitive Advantages - Deep specialization in defense and national security AI, with proven deployment in disconnected, contested environments. - Proprietary platform enables rapid model adaptation and redeployment at machine speed, even as operational conditions change. - First mover in bridging Army’s major battlefield AI initiatives, creating a unique integration moat. ## Strategic Focus - Scaling AI deployments across U.S. defense agencies and expanding into allied defense communities. - Continuing to invest in edge computing, multi-domain awareness, and autonomous target recognition capabilities. - Building long-term partnerships with government and enterprise customers to maintain mission-critical AI systems. ## Why Work Here - **Culture**: Recognized as a Built In Best Place to Work for four consecutive years. Emphasis on mission-driven work, collaboration, and innovation. - **Work Policy**: Hybrid – employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work. Offices in Austin, TX and Vass, NC. Some roles require an active U.S. Secret clearance. - **Perks & Benefits**: - Competitive compensation with equity and performance bonuses - Comprehensive healthcare (medical, dental, vision), Flexible Spending Account (FSA) - Generous parental leave and family medical leave - Free snacks and drinks, onsite office parking - Lunch and learns, job training and talent development programs - Promotion from within culture - **Engineering Culture**: 43 product + tech employees out of 67 total. Technology stack includes modern AI/ML tools. Teams are relatively small and cross-functional, offering significant ownership and impact. ## Sources 1. [striveworks.com](https://www.striveworks.com/) 2. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/striveworks) 3. [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/striveworks) 4. [tracxn.com](https://tracxn.com/d/companies/striveworks/__luW1WNXDUTkFWBwjJ3NOwKxh7EhbRVSgVcNC13FAXSY) ## Other roles at Striveworks - [Field Program Manager (Active Top Secret Clearance)](https://feeny.ai/job/field-program-manager-active-top-secret-clearance-striveworks-falls-church-zpc1kn165wa1) — Falls Church, VA - [Technical Sourcer](https://feeny.ai/job/technical-sourcer-striveworks-austin-65mycwf0qwk4) — Austin, TX - [Senior Machine Learning Engineer–Field Engagement](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-machine-learning-engineer-field-engagement-striveworks-washington-a8pm0pa7qcs0) — Washington, DC / Seattle, WA / Raleigh-Durham, NC - [Senior Software Engineer (Secret Clearance Eligible)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-software-engineer-secret-clearance-eligible-striveworks-or-austin-xt76r7m17vq2) — OR Austin, TX - [Field Program Manager (Active Top Secret Clearance)](https://feeny.ai/job/field-program-manager-active-top-secret-clearance-striveworks-tacoma-qc0p8a4q9p7a) — Tacoma, WA - [Senior Product Manager–Edge AI Management](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-product-manager-edge-ai-management-striveworks-austin-zj5k0f07b0fg) — Austin, TX - [Senior Front-End Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-front-end-engineer-striveworks-or-austin-4s4qxgefrq4r) — OR Austin, TX - [Senior Machine Learning Engineer, Agentic Systems](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-machine-learning-engineer-agentic-systems-striveworks-or-austin-35n6n7j2qzry) — OR Austin, TX - [Senior Machine Learning Engineer, Agentic Systems (Active Secret Clearance)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-machine-learning-engineer-agentic-systems-active-secret-clearance-b68kfmtxhj5x) — OR Austin, TX - [Junior Software Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/junior-software-engineer-striveworks-austin-f7v9ja5cqa59) — Austin, TX