Some engineers optimize ad clicks. 🎯 You could architect the backbone of an AI platform that helps the U.S. and its allies get critical technology into the field — at Silicon Valley speed, not paperwork speed. ⚡ Recruiter Drive is hiring a Backend Platform Engineer for a venture-backed AI lab 🔒 (client name shared in process) rebuilding how the Western world equips itself for the missions that matter. Over the past year, their platform has helped Global 500 companies — including RTX, BAE Systems, Palantir, and Ukrainian drone manufacturers 🛡️ — win $12B in contracts across 30 NATO nations 🌍. They’re the youngest founding team ever to win a U.S. defense contract 🏆. They’re just getting started. You’ll own the core backend 🏗️ — architecture, data pipelines, APIs, deployment, and scale — for an AI platform used in government contract capture. You’ll build LLM-powered agents and workflows 🤖 that help customers find and win contracts that shape national security outcomes. You’ll work with a small, high-output team 👥 (six engineers, founders included) that ships daily 🚀 — and occasionally sit with operators and forward-deployed engineers on-site (a few days/month) to learn what actually needs to be built. 🛠️ What you'll do • Design and build the core backend architecture for a production AI platform in national security • Own systems end-to-end — from schema and APIs to infra, observability, and production rollout • Integrate AI agents and LLM workflows into real customer pipelines • Partner with product and forward-deployed engineers serving Special Forces units, Fortune 500 defense contractors, and allied programs 🎖️ • Ship fast in a team where founders write code and everyone owns outcomes ✅ What you bring • 2–8 years building and owning backend / infrastructure in production • Strong hands-on experience across several of: Python 🐍, Kubernetes ☸️, Terraform, AWS/GCP ☁️, Linux/Bash, DevOps, LLM/agent tooling • Systems design instincts — you can architect reliable services from a blank page • A builder’s mindset 🔨: hungry, scrappy, clear communicator, thrives on ownership • Genuine motivation to work on mission-critical national security problems 💎 Bonus points: • TypeScript / Next.js / React • active Secret or TS clearance 🔐 • defense/gov experience • founding or forward-deployed engineer background 🎁 Why this beats another SaaS gig • 🇺🇸 National mission — classified details stay classified; the impact doesn’t • 🎖️ Build in the room with operators — work alongside Tier-1 Special Forces and defense leaders • ⚡ Team that moves — Stanford dropouts, MIT AI scientists, defense veterans, startup operators • 💰 Well-funded & scaling — nine-figure valuation; $3.3M seed (Scout Ventures, True Ventures, Y Combinator, and others) • 🏗️ Maximum technical depth — you’re laying the foundation everything else runs on 💵 Compensation: $180,000 – $260,000 base + equity: $50,000 – $500,000 (4-year vest) 📈 🛂 Logistics & requirements • Full-time · In-person — San Francisco, CA (5 days/week); DC considered for experienced candidates • U.S. citizens only 🇺🇸 (ITAR/EAR) — no visa sponsorship • Clearance not required to apply ✅ · active clearance is a strong plus 🔐