VP, Platform Engineering

Space is a warfighting domain. True Anomaly seeks those with the talent and ambition to build the technology that secures it. OUR MISSION True Anomaly delivers decisive capabilities for space superiority. We build autonomous spacecraft, advanced payloads, mission software, and space-based interceptors — enabling the U.S. and its Allies to secure the space environment and counter threats from the ultimate high ground. OUR VALUES Be the offset. We create asymmetric advantages with creativity and ingenuity. What would it take? We challenge assumptions to deliver ambitious results. It’s the people. Our team is our competitive advantage and we are better together. YOUR MISSION True Anomaly is building a new Platform Engineering organization to own the compute infrastructure that powers everything we do, from autonomous spacecraft to classified command-and-control software. As VP of Platform Engineering, you will build this organization from day one. You will hire and lead teams across AI engineering, data engineering, infrastructure engineering, and IT. You will set the technical vision for how the company builds, deploys, and operates across commercial, CUI, and classified environments. The platforms your team creates will serve every program in the company and position True Anomaly to offer accredited compute as a strategic capability in the defense market. This role has direct impact on the company’s ability to scale. RESPONSIBILITIES Build and lead the Platform Engineering organization from the ground up: hiring managers, setting technical direction, and scaling a team to 24+ in 2026 with significant continued growth as the company expands its program portfolio and prime capabilities Own the company’s compute infrastructure platform strategy across commercial, CUI, and classified environments, including cloud, containers, networking, and CI/CD Define and deliver the technical architecture for DoD Impact Level 5 and IL-6 accredited compute environments, replacing subcontractor dependency with a reusable, internally owned platform Drive AI enablement infrastructure as the company’s top strategic priority, including the AI platform, data infrastructure, and enterprise AI tooling that the rest of the company depends on Lead the Systems Working Group: technology evaluation, approval, and standardization across the company, backed by the engineering capacity to drive outcomes Partner with engineering leadership, program teams, and government customers to ensure infrastructure scales with the contract pipeline and positions True Anomaly to offer accredited compute as a prime capability QUALIFICATIONS 12+ years of experience in infrastructure, platform, or systems engineering, with 5+ years leading engineering organizations of 15+ people across multiple technical disciplines Hands-on expertise in cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure, or GovCloud variants), Kubernetes, container orchestration, networking, and CI/CD at scale Direct experience building and operating DoD Impact Level 5 or higher accredited environments, with working knowledge of NIST 800-53, STIGs, RMF, and the ATO process Track record of building engineering organizations from scratch in high-growth environments: recruiting teams, establishing culture, and delivering platforms that other teams depend on Experience managing teams that operate across classification levels with mixed clearance requirements Strong executive communication skills and the ability to represent infrastructure strategy to government customers, program leadership, and C-suite stakeholders PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE Experience in aerospace, defense, or national security technology companies Background spanning multiple infrastructure disciplines: AI/ML platforms, data engineering, networking, and SRE/DevOps Experience with multi-cloud and hybrid architectures including on-premises, GovCloud, and customer-deployed or disconnected environments Prior experience at a high-growth startup (Series B throu…