Senior Staff Backend Software Engineer (TS)

The Darkstar Group - Herndon, VA

Full-time - Senior

Onsite - Herndon, VA

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

About the position

The DarkStar Group is seeking a Senior Staff Backend Software Engineer with a Top Secret clearance to join a project focused on solving unique intelligence problems for Special Operations. This role involves developing and integrating intelligence capabilities into operational environments, maintaining automated deployment pipelines, and collaborating across teams to optimize performance and reliability. The position is based in Herndon, VA, and requires a strong technical background in software development and systems administration.

Responsibilities

• Create, maintain and improve the high-side automated deployment pipeline.
• Ensure Jenkins jobs for backend services and front-end applications are successful and up to date.
• Create and manage Jenkins jobs for UI applications to ensure successful code builds.
• Enhance the pipeline to prevent the deployment of broken configurations in YAML or JavaScript.
• Optimize database and Rancher resources and conduct testing and tuning for improved performance.
• Troubleshoot and resolve Jenkins performance issues, ensuring build times are accurate and efficient.
• Explore options for system scalability and performance through automated load balancing.
• Develop an automated health monitoring system to detect deployment and resource issues.
• Script and automate deployments to different environments to mitigate configuration management issues.
• Troubleshoot issues across the application stack when issues arise.
• Work closely with devops and developers team to bridge any gap in process and communication.

Requirements

• Must have a current/active TS/SCI clearance and willing to work 5 days a week in the office.
• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Engineering, or a related discipline; equivalent experience may be substituted for a degree.
• 15+ years of relevant experience in software development, ranging from work in a DevOps environment as well as full stack engineering.
• Proficiency in Java, Apache NiFi, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Python, and machine learning.
• Experience with Docker, Kubernetes, and cloud-like infrastructure.
• Experience with Jenkins for pipeline integration and deployment.
• Familiarity with Agile development methodologies.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience with load balancing and performance tuning.
• Knowledge of health monitoring tools and best practices.
• Strong troubleshooting skills with a focus on optimizing deployment processes.
• Excellent collaboration and communication skills.

Benefits

• 401(k) 8% Match
• Dental insurance
• Disability insurance
• Flextime
• Health insurance
• Health savings account