Staff Software Engineer – Build Platform

Staff Software Engineer – Build Platform Location: Remote (U.S.) or Hybrid (Bay Area Preferred) Security Requirement: U.S. Citizenship is required due to the nature of RapidFort's work supporting U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and other federal customer engagements. About RapidFort RapidFort is redefining software supply chain security. Modern enterprises spend enormous effort identifying software vulnerabilities. We believe the future isn't finding more vulnerabilities—it's eliminating them automatically. Our platform transforms vulnerable container images into production-ready, hardened artifacts that dramatically reduce software supply chain risk without requiring application code changes. By combining automated container hardening, vulnerability remediation, runtime intelligence, and policy automation, RapidFort enables engineering teams to deliver secure software faster while reducing operational complexity. We're solving some of the most challenging problems at the intersection of cybersecurity, Linux, distributed systems, containers, Kubernetes, and cloud infrastructure. If you're passionate about building platforms that power secure software at scale, you'll have an outsized impact here. The Opportunity RapidFort's platform is built on one simple idea: software should reach production already secure. Every day, our build platform transforms thousands of vulnerable open-source container images into hardened, production-ready artifacts that help enterprises and U.S. government agencies dramatically reduce software supply chain risk. We are looking for a Staff Software Engineer – Build Platform to architect, scale, and evolve the systems that make this possible. This is not a traditional DevOps or CI/CD role. This is a senior technical leadership position where you'll own one of the most critical engineering platforms at RapidFort. You'll define the architecture behind our distributed build systems, influence engineering direction across multiple teams, and build the automation that powers our products. You'll work at the intersection of Linux internals, distributed systems, Kubernetes, containers, software supply chain security, and large-scale automation while helping shape the future of RapidFort's engineering platform. What You'll Do Own the architecture and long-term technical strategy for RapidFort's Build Platform. Design and operate highly scalable distributed build systems capable of producing and maintaining thousands of production-ready container images. Build automated systems for image creation, validation, signing, publishing, and lifecycle management. Improve build performance, scalability, reproducibility, reliability, and operational efficiency. Design automation that eliminates manual engineering work while improving developer productivity. Develop internal tooling and platform services using Python, Bash, and modern cloud-native technologies. Solve complex Linux, dependency management, networking, container, and build-system challenges. Drive engineering standards around software supply chain integrity, reproducible builds, and platform reliability. Partner closely with Platform Engineering, Security Research, Product Engineering, and Infrastructure teams. Lead architecture reviews and influence technical decisions across multiple engineering organizations. Mentor senior engineers and help raise the technical bar across the company. Continuously identify opportunities to simplify systems, improve reliability, and reduce operational overhead. Minimum Qualifications 10+ years of software engineering, platform engineering, infrastructure engineering, or developer platform experience. Demonstrated experience architecting and operating large-scale build platforms or distributed infrastructure. U.S. Citizenship required pursuant to applicable federal customer requirements. Deep expertise with Linux systems and operating system internals. Expert knowledge of Docker, OCI container images, and container ecosystems. Strong Python development experience. Strong Bash scripting skills. Experience designing distributed automation systems and developer platforms. Strong Kubernetes experience in production environments. Experience operating modern CI/CD platforms such as GitHub Actions, Jenkins, Buildkite, GitLab CI, or equivalent. Strong understanding of software build systems, dependency management, package management, and artifact lifecycle. Experience troubleshooting large-scale distributed systems in production. Strong Git-based development workflows. Excellent communication and collaboration skills with the ability to influence engineering across multiple teams. Demonstrated ability to lead technical initiatives without direct management responsibility. Preferred Qualifications Go (Golang) BuildKit, Bazel, or advanced build optimization techniques Terraform or Infrastructure as Code AWS, Azure, or GCP Helm OCI registries and artifact management Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) Sigstore, Cosign, SLSA, in-toto, SPDX, or CycloneDX Prometheus, Grafana, or OpenTelemetry Supply chain security, container security, or Kubernetes security Experience building internal developer platforms Experience working in high-growth startups or cloud infrastructure companies What Makes You Successful Here We're looking for engineers who naturally think beyond individual tasks. You will thrive if you: Think in systems rather than tickets. Build platforms that other engineers love using. Automate repetitive work instead of accepting manual processes. Enjoy debugging difficult problems that don't have obvious answers. Care deeply about software quality, reliability, scalability, and elegant engineering. Take ownership of outcomes rather than simply completing assigned work. Raise the technical standards of the engineers around you through collaboration and mentorship. What Success Looks Like Within your first six months, you will: Become the technical owner of RapidFort's Build Platform. Improve build throughput, reliability, and scalability across the engineering organization. Deliver measurable improvements in build performance and developer productivity. Eliminate significant operational overhead through intelligent automation. Establish engineering standards for build systems, software supply chain integrity, and platform reliability. Become the engineering team's trusted technical expert for build infrastructure and container technologies. Deliver architectural improvements that enable RapidFort's platform to scale for future growth. Why Join RapidFort? This is an opportunity to solve difficult engineering problems that have real-world impact. You'll work on technology at the heart of modern cloud-native security while collaborating with experienced engineers who value technical excellence, ownership, and innovation. As a Staff Engineer, you'll have the freedom to influence architecture, shape engineering strategy, mentor other senior engineers, and build systems that become foundational to the company's success. If you're excited about building the platform behind secure software delivery—not just maintaining it—we'd love to talk. Compensation & Benefits Base Salary: $150,000–$200,000 , depending on experience and qualifications Annual performance bonus Meaningful equity participation Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage 401(k) Flexible PTO Flexible work environment Opportunity to work on cutting-edge cybersecurity and cloud-native technologies Direct influence on the architecture and technical direction of a rapidly growing cybersecurity company RapidFort is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.