Lead Software Engineer

Readiness Delivered. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions develops and fields transformative, affordable technology, platforms, and systems for United States National Security related customers, allies, and commercial enterprises. We proactively build trusted relationships with our peers, partners and customers, and take ownership for our actions always striving to do the right thing.

Kratos is seeking a Lead Software Engineer (Level
4) in Boulder, CO
, to lead and innovate within our dynamic, agile environment. This role architects and champions a Sec Dev Ops  approach across the entire software development lifecycle, driving strategic design, development, testing, and operational scaling based on user feedback. The ideal candidate will operate with high autonomy, guiding collaborative teams to design, implement, and maintain complex software solutions while establishing modern industry standards and communicating technical vision clearly to stakeholders.

Key responsibilities include architecting system integrations to develop and deploy enterprise applications, orchestrating containerization strategies using Kubernetes to manage and scale critical services, engineering testing infrastructure and automation by designing and maintaining robust automated test scripts within optimized CI/CD pipelines, and delivering advanced operational support through technical requirements verification, system documentation, and complex troubleshooting in simulated environments.

• BA/BS Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering or related field of study
• 10 – 15 years of industry experience
• The successful candidate must have extensive, expert‑level software engineering experience, including:
  • Leading the design, development, and optimization of Java and C/C++ applications (including advanced network, multi‑threaded, and high‑performance client‑server architectures) across Windows and Linux platforms
  • Designing, implementing, and maintaining enterprise‑grade automation using Python, Unix Shell scripting, Batch files, and Windows script files
  • Architectural mastery of relational database design, advanced query optimization, and complex Structured Query Language (SQL) data manipulation
  • Architecting and driving innovative solutions to complex, ambiguous engineering problems while mentoring junior and mid‑level engineers

• Platform Expertise:
  Subject matter expertise in architecting and scaling Red Hat Open Shift and enterprise Kubernetes infrastructures
• Domain Leadership:
  Deep domain knowledge of FORGE MDPAF or satellite ground station processing systems (including advanced planning, ground control, and high‑throughput data processing)
• Enterprise Dev Sec Ops  Tools:
  Advanced proficiency driving automation via Python, optimizing CI/CD workflows within Git Lab/Azure Dev Ops, and managing life cycles using Jira/Confluence
• Comprehensive Testing Architecture:
  Proven track record designing and leading automated functional, integration, regression, and high‑load performance testing strategies
• Security & Compliance:
  Possession of an active Top Secret/SCI or Secret security clearance
• Industry
  
  Certifications:
  
  Advanced professional certifications such as Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA), Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA), or Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD)
• Modern Infrastructure:
  Extensive experience implementing advanced Infrastructure as Code (IaC) architectures (e.g., Terraform) and mature Git Ops workflows

Competitive salary based on experience and education.

Salary Range: $150,000 - $170,000.

This posting will close within 90 days from the posting date.