PKI Software Engineer
At a glance
Mid-level Software Engineering role at August Schell. Ft. Meade · full-time · $170,000 base.
techroles summary, based on the employer's posting.
What you'll do
- Build, test and maintain PKI components for Red Hat Certificate System and Dogtag PKI
- Take software fixes and new features from requirements through testing with product teams and the government lab
- Help integrate ML-DSA and plan transitions from older cryptography as the program moves toward post-quantum security
- Troubleshoot HSM connections for certificate authority operations and key escrow, and automate certificate issuance with ACME
- Improve defensive coding, test frameworks and CI/CD, while flagging risks and translating technical progress for stakeholders
What you bring
- At least five years of software engineering work, with flexibility for exceptional depth in PKI
- You have Java or Rust experience, strong Linux development skills, and hands-on knowledge of PKI, X.509 and security
- You hold an active Secret clearance and a DoD IAT Level II credential, such as Security+ or an equivalent
- You have worked with Red Hat Certificate System, Dogtag PKI or a comparable enterprise certificate authority platform
Who this fits
This role suits a mid-level software engineer with practical PKI and security experience who can work across government and commercial engineering teams. You must live in the DMV area and be able to work on site at Fort Meade when requested; the job is hybrid. Top Secret clearance is preferred and may be required.
From the employer
PKI SOFTWARE ENGINEER
Ft. Meade, MD - Full Time (Hybrid)
Salary: 140-170K
August Schell is looking for a PKI Software Engineer to join our team in support of DoD enterprise PKI modernization with our DISA customer. The engineer will work hand-in-hand with commercial product engineering and government teams on the next generation of Public Key Infrastructure capabilities — including post-quantum cryptography (PQC) migration — within Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Red Hat Certificate System, and the upstream Dogtag PKI open-source project.
Individuals in this role must be able to work hybrid and go on site at Fort Meade as requested.
Responsibilities Include:
Design, develop, test, and maintain high-quality PKI software components across Red Hat Certificate System (RHCS) and Dogtag PKI
Work software fixes and feature development directly with product engineering teams and the government development lab — owning issues end-to-end from requirements through testing and verification
Support the program’s post-quantum cryptography migration, including PQC algorithm integration (ML-DSA) and legacy version transition planning
Develop and troubleshoot HSM integrations supporting CA operations and key escrow
Support certificate lifecycle automation (ACME) as the program transitions to shorter-lived certificates at higher issuance volume
Practice defensive programming and contribute to testing frameworks, CI/CD pipelines, and release quality
Communicate clearly across government stakeholders, commercial vendor engineering, and program contractors — translating technical status into program-level clarity
Proactively identify, document, and escalate risks and blockers before they impact program schedule
Requirements:
Active Secret clearance minimum (Top Secret preferred and may be required)
Local to the DMV area with the ability to work on site at Fort Meade as requested
Five (5)+ years of professional software engineering experience (flexible for candidates with exceptional PKI depth)
Java and/or Rust programming experience
Strong knowledge of Linux and its development tools
Knowledge or experience with Linux containers and container orchestration (Podman / Docker) and VMs (KVM)
Hands-on experience with PKI, x.509, cryptography, and system/software security technologies
Direct experience with Red Hat Certificate System or Dogtag PKI (the upstream open-source project of the deployed DoD code base) — comparable enterprise CA platform experience considered (EJBCA, Microsoft AD CS, Entrust Authority, ISC CertAgent, or similar)
DoD 8570/8140 IAT Level II certification (Security+ or equivalent)
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Stand out with:
Post-quantum cryptography familiarity (ML-DSA/Dilithium, Kyber, CNSA 2.0 timelines)
HSM integration experience (Entrust nShield, Thales Luna)
ACME protocol and certificate automation at scale
Prior DISA or DoD PKI program experience (Purebred, derived credentials, RA/CRL/OCSP operations)
Directory Server / LDAP experience
Experience using AI agents to accelerate development efforts
Python, Bash, or similar scripting languages
Package maintenance on Fedora/RHEL
Agile development methodologies (Scrum, JIRA)
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