Cloud / Infrastructure Architect

We're building a U.S.-based engineering team in Washington, DC. As an early member of this team, you'll architect and build the infrastructure foundation that enables our mission in the U.S. market. This is a rare greenfield opportunity to establish secure, compliant cloud infrastructure from the ground up while working at the intersection of cutting-edge AI technology and national security.

You will own the end-to-end infrastructure stack — from designing and implementing compliant AWS environments to developing and deploying the developer tooling that multiplies your team's effectiveness. As we scale, you'll build the platforms and automation that allow teams to focus on rapidly delivering capabilities to our customers, safely and securely.

The day-to-day
Architect and implement AWS GovCloud infrastructure that meets CMMC Level 2 requirements and prepares us for certification.
Create, manage, and execute on a roadmap for adopting, modifying, and deploying Helsing's infrastructure patterns and developer tooling. Work with the Core Infra and DevX teams to adopt or create what makes sense for our specific needs.
Maintain Terraform and IaC tooling, manage Kubernetes workload infrastructure for builds and AI training, and co-develop Python and Rust based developer tools.
Improve developer productivity by leveraging existing tools and creating new ones. Support DevOps and MLOps workflows, complete with CI/CD automation and CLI tooling.
Work with vendors, partners, and service providers to integrate third-party tooling while maintaining our security and compliance requirements.
As a senior member, you will help interview, onboard, and mentor new engineers. Over time, you will contribute to the growth and culture of the infrastructure teams.

You should apply if you
Have deep experience with AWS, including designing and operating production infrastructure at scale. Experience with AWS GovCloud, or creating compliant AWS infrastructure, is a significant plus
Are proficient with Kubernetes and have familiarity with Cloud-Native Technologies, like Helm, ArgoCD, or Flux
Have strong Infrastructure as Code skills, ideally with Terraform, and can design modular, maintainable infrastructure that evolves with compliance requirements
Can write clean, maintainable code in Python, Rust, or similar languages to build internal tooling and automation
Communicate effectively in both technical and compliance contexts and can explain architectural decisions to engineers and security posture to auditors
Thrive in ambiguity and take ownership of outcomes. You don't wait for perfect requirements; you actively seek context, make pragmatic decisions, and iterate based on feedback
Value operational excellence and understand that infrastructure reliability directly impacts mission success
Feel that building technology in service of democratic values is meaningful work worth doing
Can obtain a security clearance (Secret or Top Secret preferred)
Are able to work in a hybrid environment in Washington, DC, with occasional travel to customer sites or European offices

Nice to Have
Experience with defense compliance frameworks such as CMMC Level 2, FedRAMP Moderate/High, NIST 800-171, or similar security standards
Experience with MLOps platforms and infrastructure for training and serving machine learning models
Familiarity with container security, supply chain security, and vulnerability management in production environments

Understanding of ITAR restrictions and experience building infrastructure that respects export control requirements
Experience working in air-gapped or disconnected environments
Background in distributed systems, networking protocols, or embedded computing
Prior experience in defense, aerospace, or other highly regulated industries