US Defense Software Engineering Lead

Keystone AI is the leading collaborative workflow platform for defense, intelligence, security, and critical infrastructure. Trusted by the U.S. Department of War and Fortune 500s, our platform runs on-premises and in private clouds, delivering secure messaging, file sharing, workflow automation, audio/screenshare, and project management—all with full data and operational control. Keystone AI powers high-stakes workflows across mission planning, real-time, real-world operations, DevSecOps, incident response, and cyber defense—enabling secure collaboration from tactical edge and DDIL environments to enterprise HQ. Teams operate across web, desktop, and mobile, with embedded interoperability for Microsoft Teams, Outlook, and Microsoft 365. To learn more, visit www.mattermost.com Keystone AI is seeking a fully remote US Defense Software Engineering Lead anywhere in the United States to lead a small, agile development team dedicated to building mission-critical capabilities on top of the Keystone AI platform for US national security customers. You will sit at the intersection of product delivery, customer partnership, and engineering excellence — translating the complex operational needs of defense users into software that works reliably in the most demanding environments on earth. This is not a role for a detached manager. You will be hands-on, customer-facing, and deeply invested in the US national security mission. You'll collaborate closely with customers and forward-deployed engineers to gather requirements from the field, then translate those requirements back to your product engineering team to drive delivery. You will own the full stack — from architecture decisions to shipping — and set the bar for quality, velocity, and accountability. Do you thrive in high-stakes environments where the software you build genuinely matters? Are you energized by leading focused, high caliber engineers and working directly alongside the customers who depend on your work? Do you embrace AI as a force-multiplier for engineering productivity? If so, we want to hear from you. What You'll Do Work remotely and autonomously within a distributed, global team — you'll own your work and stay closely connected across time zones. Lead, mentor, and grow a small, agile full-stack engineering team focused on delivering product capabilities tailored to US national security customers on top of the Keystone AI platform. Own the end-to-end engineering delivery lifecycle: requirements, architecture, development, testing, and release. Collaborate with customers and forward-deployed engineers to capture requirements directly from the field and translate them into well-scoped, executable engineering work for the core team. Interface directly and professionally with US national security customers — building trust, managing expectations, and communicating technical trade-offs clearly to non-engineers. Partner with product and design stakeholders to define roadmaps that balance customer needs, platform constraints, and strategic priorities. Maintain a full-stack technical perspective, contributing to architecture decisions across frontend, backend, and infrastructure layers. Establish and uphold engineering standards for code quality, security, testing, and documentation appropriate for a defense-grade software environment. Champion the adoption of AI-powered development tools (e.g., Cursor, Claude, GitHub Copilot) across the team to accelerate velocity and automate repetitive engineering tasks. Actively manage team health: conduct regular 1:1s, identify growth opportunities, address blockers, and foster a culture of ownership and psychological safety. Participate in technical hiring and onboarding to expand the team as the mission scales. Provide accurate effort estimates, status updates, and risk assessments to leadership and program stakeholders on a regular cadence. What We're Looking For Required Qualifications BS in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field/experience. 5+ years of professional software engineering experience, including 2+ years in an engineering management or tech lead role. Proven full-stack product development experience — comfortable owning decisions across frontend (e.g., React) and backend (e.g., Go, Node.js) layers. Demonstrated ability to lead small, agile teams in a fast-paced, high-accountability environment. Experience interfacing directly with customers or end users in a technical capacity — able to listen, synthesize, and communicate complex technical concepts clearly to non-engineers. Strong written and verbal communication skills for collaborating across distributed, remote teams and presenting to senior stakeholders. Proficiency with AI/LLM development tools (e.g., Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Claude) with a genuine commitment to integrating them into daily engineering workflows. US citizenship is required. This role may require the ability to obtain and maintain a US government security clearance in the future. Applicants must reside in the United States. Applicants must meet eligibility requirements for access to export-controlled information as defined by US export control laws, including EAR and ITAR. Strong personal alignment with the US national security mission and the communities it serves. Travel 1-2 weeks per quarter. Clearance Requirements Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance Active Secret clearance preferred; TS/SCI is a plus Preferred Qualifications Previous experience working with or for the US Department of Defense (DoD), defense contractors, or the intelligence community. Familiarity with defense-specific software environments, including DDIL (Disconnected, Denied, Disrupted, Intermittent, and Limited) network conditions. Experience working fully remotely with distributed, global teams. Background building secure, compliant software for government or regulated industries. Experience hiring, growing, and retaining exceptional engineering talent in a remote environment. Prior work in open-source projects or platform-level software development. Contributions to Keystone AI or similar collaboration/communications platforms. Why Keystone AI Keystone AI is uniquely positioned at the intersection of secure collaboration, mission software, and defense modernization. This role offers the opportunity to shape and scale Keystone AI's presence within one of the largest and most strategic branches of the U.S. Department of Defense. If you thrive in complex environments, understand how mission outcomes drive technology adoption, and want to sell software that matters—we'd love to hear from you. Compensation Keystone AI takes a market-based approach to pay and pay may vary depending on your location. The successful candidate's starting pay will be determined based on job-related skills, experience, qualifications, work location, and market conditions. These ranges may be modified in the future. Base Salary Range: $180,000 – $245,000 USD Keystone AI is an EEO Employer, we are a remote-first, open-source company. We are continually working to expand our hiring in more countries and regions, ensuring compliance with local laws and regulations, which takes time. Keystone AI values your unique perspective—we welcome all applicants. We encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply and are committed to assessing candidates based on their skills and qualifications. We do not tolerate discrimination against staff or applicants based on race, religion, national origin, age, disability, pregnancy status, veteran status, or other personal characteristics. If you require accommodations during the interview process, please let us know—we’re happy to assist.