Software Engineer

Skyward IT Solutions, LLC•Rockville, MD

8d•$118,000 - $150,000•Remote

About The Position

We are Skyward, a people-centered business focused on human advancement through information technology. We are diverse, creative, and collaborative, driven by a civic tech mission. Our values of Integrity, Compassion, Inquisitiveness, Unconventionality, and Authenticity guide our actions. We are seeking a Software Engineer who is passionate about modernizing public services and possesses a comprehensive understanding of the software development lifecycle, from writing code to ensuring its quality and deployment. This role involves building impactful solutions, automating development processes, implementing robust testing strategies, containerizing applications, debugging issues, integrating security measures, designing user-centric solutions, and optimizing performance. We are looking for an engineer who believes 'done' means tested, deployed, and monitored, and who is motivated to learn and grow within a future-looking team.

Requirements

3-5 years of hands-on software engineering experience.
Strong coding chops in Python (and friends).
Real DevOps/DevSecOps/DevTestOps experience.
Experience automating build, test, and deployment workflows.
Test automation skill: built automated tests and integrated them into pipelines with code-quality checks and security gates.
Experience with scalable, maintainable pipelines integrated with testing frameworks.
Containerization experience (Docker or Kubernetes).
Comfort with REST APIs.
Fluency in an agile flavor (Scrum, Lean, or SAFe).
Strong communication and interpersonal skills to work effectively across a busy mix of stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

AI chops, experience with NLP, LLMs, or ML-driven applications.
Previous support for CMS or another federal agency.
Experience working inside a FISMA boundary or supporting an ATO/cATO effort.

Responsibilities

Build effective, scalable code supporting CMS as it merges systems into one AI-driven platform.
Automate CI/CD pipelines end to end, including build, test, and deployment workflows.
Utilize Infrastructure as Code tools like Terraform and Ansible for automated deployments.
Build and maintain automated test suites (unit, integration, regression) as quality gates.
Provide real test-coverage analysis.
Package and deploy workloads with Docker for repeatable, scalable environments.
Investigate and debug test failures throughout the lifecycle.
Integrate code-quality checks and security gates into the pipeline.
Work closely with human-centered design experts to build intuitive, responsive, and personalized solutions.
Develop and tune back-end components to improve responsiveness and overall performance.

Benefits

Medical, dental, vision insurance (fully paid for employees)
15 days of paid leave
7 days of sick leave
2 days bereavement leave
11 paid Federal holidays
Up to 40 hours for jury duty
401K with 4% employer contribution (no vesting period)
Up to 4 weeks of paid paternity and maternity leave
Company provided laptop
$5,000 per year for professional development
$600 per year for technical supplies and equipment
$2,000 referral bonus
Life and disability insurance
HSA and FSA
Legal Shield and ID Shield Voluntary Benefits
Opportunity to work in a collaborative, motivated team focused on modernizing government services with cutting-edge technology and innovative solutions.