SME Software Developer

Guidehouse•Washington, DC

1d•$149,000 - $248,000

About The Position

We’re seeking a highly seasoned SME Software Developer to architect, modernize, and sustain mission‑critical systems supporting the Department of Justice (DOJ). In this senior technical leadership role, you will guide engineering direction, mentor development teams, and influence enterprise‑level decisions across secure environments. You’ll work directly with product owners, mission stakeholders, and security leadership to deliver resilient, secure, and scalable software solutions that strengthen DOJ capabilities and national security.

Requirements

U.S. Citizenship
Active Top Secret (TS) Clearance with SCI or the ability to obtain SCI
Twelve (12)+ years of professional software development experience, with clear evidence of SME‑level technical leadership in secure, regulated, or federal environments.
Expert proficiency in one or more backend/ frontend ecosystems: Backend: Java/Spring Boot, .NET/C#, Python (FastAPI/Flask/Django), Node.js (Express/Nest) Frontend: React, Angular, or Vue with TypeScript
Extensive experience designing and optimizing REST APIs, distributed systems, and relational data stores (PostgreSQL/Oracle).
Mastery of CI/CD ecosystems (GitLab CI, Jenkins, GitHub Actions) and production‑grade container orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes, OpenShift).
Deep understanding of secure software engineering—authN/Z, secrets mgmt, cryptographic controls, OWASP Top 10, and secure protocol design.
Significant experience working within DOJ, DoD, or IC security frameworks, including RMF, STIGs, ATO processes, and compliance engineering.
Strong cloud engineering background across AWS GovCloud or Azure Government, including Infrastructure‑as‑Code (Terraform/CloudFormation).
Proven ability to communicate complex technical concepts to senior leadership and cross‑functional mission partners.
BS in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent experience; advanced degrees or recognized SME‑level certifications are a plus.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience supporting DOJ components (FBI, DEA, ATF, EOIR, BOP, USAO) or adjacent federal law enforcement agencies.
Expertise with data streaming/search platforms: Kafka, Kinesis, Elasticsearch/OpenSearch, NiFi.
Advanced observability and SecOps tooling: Splunk, CloudWatch, Prometheus/Grafana, SonarQube, ZAP, Trivy.
Working knowledge of compliance standards such as CJIS, NIEM, FISMA, FedRAMP High, Section 508.
Experience with modern messaging frameworks (gRPC, GraphQL, EventBridge, SQS/SNS, RabbitMQ).
Advanced test automation and quality engineering: JUnit, pytest, Cypress/Playwright, PACT.
Strong background in identity/security frameworks: OAuth2/OIDC, SAML, PKI, KMS/HSM, ABAC/RBAC.
Platform engineering experience with Red Hat OpenShift, service mesh (Istio/Linkerd), OPA/Gatekeeper policies.
Expertise in cloud cost optimization, performance tuning, and high‑availability patterns in federal cloud environments.
Relevant certifications: AWS/Azure GovCloud, Security+, CASP+, CISSP, CKA/CKAD, DoD 8570/8140.
Deep experience modeling sensitive/controlled data environments and lifecycle governance.
SME‑level capability in secrets management and configuration security (AWS Secrets Manager, HashiCorp Vault).
Strong documentation leadership—ADRs, architecture packages, operational playbooks, security evidence for ATO cycles.
Ability to lead incident investigations, root‑cause analysis, and remediation in highly controlled operational environments.
Prior experience mentoring senior engineers and shaping technical standards, reusable frameworks, and enterprise patterns.
Comfortable operating within SCIF procedures and managing structured workflows via ITSM tools (ServiceNow/Jira).

Responsibilities

Serve as the technical authority for software architecture, design strategy, and modernization initiatives across DOJ programs.
Lead development of secure, scalable, enterprise‑grade applications and APIs supporting mission-critical workflows.
Architect and implement microservices, distributed systems, and high‑availability integrations for complex case management, analytics, and inter‑agency data exchange.
Establish advanced CI/CD patterns, security automation, artifact governance, and deployment pipelines that meet DOJ/IC compliance requirements.
Direct hardening efforts for applications and infrastructure to ensure compliance with RMF, STIG, FIPS 140‑2, and FedRAMP High control families.
Oversee ATO‑related engineering activities—security documentation, POA&M remediation paths, testing evidence, and continuous monitoring artifacts.
Provide expertise in performance engineering, distributed tracing, observability modeling, and system optimization at scale.
Guide Agile teams through backlog refinement, sprint planning, and technical reviews while aligning work to mission and enterprise objectives.
Mentor senior developers, review critical code paths, and drive adoption of best‑practice coding standards, patterns, and documentation.
Support operational continuity, incident response, and complex troubleshooting in classified environments (including SCIF support).

Benefits

Medical, Rx, Dental & Vision Insurance
Personal and Family Sick Time & Company Paid Holidays
Parental Leave
401(k) Retirement Plan
Group Term Life and Travel Assistance
Voluntary Life and AD&D Insurance
Health Savings Account, Health Care & Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
Transit and Parking Commuter Benefits
Short-Term & Long-Term Disability
Tuition Reimbursement, Personal Development, Certifications & Learning Opportunities
Employee Referral Program
Corporate Sponsored Events & Community Outreach
Care.com annual membership
Employee Assistance Program
Supplemental Benefits via Corestream (Critical Care, Hospital Indemnity, Accident Insurance, Legal Assistance and ID theft protection, etc.)
Position may be eligible for a discretionary variable incentive bonus