Role description
GallatinAbout Gallatin
At Gallatin, we are rebuilding logistics infrastructure for the national security missions of the United States and allied partners. We build AI systems that determine how logistics decisions are made, not just how they're executed. From factory to foxhole, we operate at the layer where data becomes decisions, and decisions make the advantage.
About the Role
We’re hiring a Sr. Director, Solutions Architecture to lead the design, deployment, and operation of agentic AI platforms in high-stakes, mission-critical government environments, and to build the team that delivers them. This forward-deployed, customer-facing leadership role sits where modern AI technology meets national security. It’s ideal for someone who has moved fluidly between the operational military world and the commercial defense tech industry.
You’ll be the primary technical authority for customers and program offices, translating complex mission requirements into secure, scalable architectures and then rolling up your sleeves to make sure they get built and delivered. You’re as comfortable in a briefing room with senior government stakeholders as you are in a terminal troubleshooting a production system.
You’ll also design and build Gallatin’s forward deployed engineering structure across pre-sales and post-sales. You’ll lead pre-sales engineers who shape solutions and help win work, as well as post-sales forward deployed engineers who deploy, operate, and scale those solutions at customer sites. You’ll define how the team is organized, how work moves from pursuit to delivery, and how the function scales as our customer base grows.
What You'll Do
Team Leadership & Org Building
Build and lead Gallatin’s forward deployed engineering organization, spanning pre-sales engineers and post-sales forward deployed engineers. Define the structure, roles, and operating model from the first customer conversation through production. Hire and develop engineers who earn trust in the field and deliver under pressure, and hold the team to a high bar.
Solution Architecture
Conceptualize and design end-to-end technical solutions for customer-facing agentic AI and data platforms tailored to government mission requirements, including classified and austere network environments.
Customer Engagement
Serve as the senior technical point of contact for program offices and mission partners, building credibility and trust through deep technical competence and operational understanding. Map the end-user experience to our software and hardware solutions and be the critical technical translator between customer and our engineering & product teams.
Forward Deployment
Work directly at or alongside customer sites, and lead the engineers who do the same, to deploy, operate, and continuously improve AI/ML-enabled software platforms, owning outcomes from initial design through production.
Cross-Functional Leadership
Partner with product, engineering, and business development teams to shape roadmaps, respond to RFPs, and ensure delivered solutions align with both mission needs and company strategy.
Compliance & Security
Navigate and drive security architecture requirements including FedRAMP, IL4/IL5/IL6, Zero Trust frameworks, and RMF/ATO processes.
Automate & Optimize
Find opportunities to reduce manual operations, automate workflows, and improve the reliability and scalability of deployed systems to deliver the best possible customer experience.
What We're Looking For
Active security clearance preferred; TS/SCI a plus.
10+ years of experience spanning software/systems engineering, infrastructure, or technical program leadership, ideally with a mix of military, government, and commercial defense tech.
Proven experience building and leading technical, customer-facing teams, ideally spanning both pre-sales (solutions or sales engineering) and post-sales (forward deployed, implementation, or field engineering).
Hands-on experience deploying and operating platforms in classified or government cloud environments (AWS GovCloud, Azure Government, IL4/IL5/IL6).
Familiarity with modern AI/ML technologies including LLMs and agentic AI systems, and a passion for applying them to real mission problems.
Proven ability to engage senior government stakeholders, translate technical concepts into mission value, and build long-term relationships.
Strong working knowledge of Kubernetes, cloud infrastructure, and modern DevSecOps practices.
Proficiency in Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, or similar languages.
Experience navigating compliance frameworks: FedRAMP, RMF/ATO, Zero Trust, NIST.
Comfort operating in ambiguous, fast-moving environments with high stakes and limited playbooks. This position is hands-on and embedded with customers.
Bonus Points
Military service with a technical or special programs background.
Experience at defense tech companies operating at the civil/military AI frontier.
Experience standing up a forward deployed or solutions engineering function from the ground up at an early-stage company.
Prior experience bridging product, engineering, and government customers.
Familiarity with JADC2, C2 systems, or other defense mission platforms.
Mission and Identity
We are building the system that enables faster, smarter logistics decisions in contested environments, and we're doing it with a team of seasoned entrepreneurs, operators, and technologists who have built and scaled solutions in this space before. We hold ourselves to an extremely high standard. We value clear thinking, direct communication, and the kind of ownership that doesn't stop until something actually works.
Our mission is to create decision advantage when the stakes are the highest. If we succeed, the system doesn't just run; it gets smarter. We're not building AI for its own sake. We're building it because faster, smarter decisions in the most demanding environments on earth can't wait. If you want to work somewhere the stakes are real and the mission is urgent, you'll fit in here.
Why Gallatin?
The logistics infrastructure that supports America's warfighters and humanitarian disaster responders is overdue for transformation, and we are building it. From defense operations to disaster response, we're solving the hardest problems that keep missions moving when it matters most. Join a team where the mission is the point.
Compensation: Gallatin offers competitive compensation commensurate with experience. Actual compensation may vary based on experience, skills, and location. In addition to base salary, we offer a generous equity grant, full healthcare coverage, 401k, unlimited PTO, and the perks of working in a high-caliber, mission-driven environment.
Gallatin is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.
This position may require the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance. The successful candidate must be able to work in a classified environment when necessary.
We comply with the United States Department of Labor's Pay Transparency provision.
Note: Due to the nature of certain government contracts held by this organization, U.S. citizenship is a requirement for all positions at Gallatin. Proof of citizenship will be required prior to employment if selected.