Software Engineer, Cleared (TS/SCI)

About the role

Government technology has failed citizens, veterans, public servants, and service members for decades.

Kaizen powers America’s application layer. We replace the legacy systems federal agencies run on with modern software, built with craft. The ticketing platform a resident uses to visit a presidential library. The marketplace DoW uses to procure counter-drone systems to protect lives and critical infrastructure. The system a Veteran uses to access benefits. We build systems of record, of national consequence. Our AI-native modules and harness allow us to do so in weeks, not years.

This year, our revenue has grown 35x. Next year, our software will serve over 100 million Americans across dozens of federal agencies.

Founded in 2022 and based in New York City and DC, Kaizen has raised $35 million from NEA, a16z, Accel, 776, and Carpenter Capital.

CLEARANCE AND ELIGIBILITY

This role requires an active Top Secret or TS/SCI clearance. United States citizenship is required, because it is a condition of eligibility for the clearance the role depends on.

THE ROLE

Most government software was built for compliance, not for the people who use it. Kaizen is changing that, and the engineers who work here are the reason it's possible. At the senior level, this role carries more than code: you're shaping how AI-native features get designed, scoped, and shipped across a platform that millions of Americans touch when they need something from their government. You'll be one of a small number of engineers with direct influence over what gets built and how: setting technical direction, mentoring teammates, and driving decisions that stick.

LOCATION

This is a hybrid role based out of our New York or DC. Candidates must reside or be able to commute to New York City or DC to work out of our office at least four times a week (Monday - Thursday).

WHAT YOU'LL DO

- Architect and ship full-stack features end-to-end, from scoping and technical design through build, iteration, and production

- Build and integrate against the Palantir stack: Foundry ontologies and pipelines, AIP agents, and Maven Smart System workflows

- Build inside classification and data-handling constraints rather than around them

- Lead the development of AI-powered product surfaces: intelligent intake flows, real-time constituent assistants, automated case routing, agency operator dashboards

- Set technical direction and raise the bar on code quality. Your decisions become the patterns the rest of the team builds on

- Engage directly with federal agency stakeholders to translate messy real-world requirements into clean, shippable product

- Own platform reliability and performance at government scale: real SLAs, real users, no abstraction layer between you and accountability

- Mentor earlier-career engineers through code review, pairing, and direct technical feedback