I do not hold a PSP. Should I still apply?

Yes, if you are a Swiss citizen and willing to undergo the Personensicherheitsprüfung. We sponsor the screening at the level the engagement requires. The process is gated by the federal government and takes months — start by applying.

Platform engineering is hybrid out of Zürich. Forward Deployed Engineering is on site with the customer; remote is not the model. Business Development is on site in Bern.

Do you hire non-citizens?

Not for engagements that touch classified work. For research and shared-platform engineering we are open to Swiss residents with the right to work; clearance-gated work remains Swiss-citizen only.

What is the interview process?

One conversation with the founder. One technical or operational deep-dive on a problem you have actually solved. One reference call. We do not ask trick questions.

Cash plus equity. Swiss-market for the role and clearance level. Discussed in the first conversation, not on a job board.

Careers · 06 Three roles open

We hire Swiss citizens with PSP clearance, or the willingness to obtain it.

Ithildin is small, deliberate, and demanding. Engineering here means significant time on site — at VBS, armasuisse, and critical-infrastructure customers. The work is consequential. The bar is high. We do not hire for breadth; we hire for the operations that protect Switzerland.

07 — Principles

Three commitments. We expect every member of the team to share them.

01 — Mission

The work matters.

We work on Switzerland's most consequential problems — defense, intelligence, critical infrastructure. The bar is set by what is at stake, not by what is convenient.

02 — Embed

We sit with the customer.

Our engineers are hired to embed on site — at VBS, armasuisse, or critical-infrastructure clients. The platform is built against real operations, not synthetic ones.

03 — Swiss by design

Founders, FDEs, operations — Swiss.

Swiss-citizen, Swiss-resident, Swiss-cleared. No subcontracting outside Switzerland. No foreign parent. No conflicts in a Swiss procurement review.

08 — Open roles

Three roles. Open until filled.

Applications are reviewed by the founder. Reply with a brief note, your CV, and one example of work you can describe in detail.

R-001 Forward Deployed Engineer Bern · On-site · Federal PSP required at engagement level Apply → R-002 Platform Engineer — Ontology Zürich · Hybrid PSP required at engagement level Apply → R-003 Business Development — Federal Bern · On-site VBS / armasuisse network required Apply →

09 — Hiring questions

What you need to know before applying.

I do not hold a PSP. Should I still apply?: Yes, if you are a Swiss citizen and willing to undergo the Personensicherheitsprüfung. We sponsor the screening at the level the engagement requires. The process is gated by the federal government and takes months — start by applying.
Can I work remotely?: Platform engineering is hybrid out of Zürich. Forward Deployed Engineering is on site with the customer; remote is not the model. Business Development is on site in Bern.
Do you hire non-citizens?: Not for engagements that touch classified work. For research and shared-platform engineering we are open to Swiss residents with the right to work; clearance-gated work remains Swiss-citizen only.
What is the interview process?: One conversation with the founder. One technical or operational deep-dive on a problem you have actually solved. One reference call. We do not ask trick questions.
Compensation?: Cash plus equity. Swiss-market for the role and clearance level. Discussed in the first conversation, not on a job board.

If the work matters to you, write to us directly.

careers@ithildin.ch · brief note, CV, one example of work.

Apply → About the company →