Backend Software Engineer - Defense

Palantir Technologies; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; Confidential; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401k plan

Paid leave for new parents

Flexible paid time off

Relocation assistance

Job summary

A leading technology company in Washington, D.C. is seeking a Backend Software Engineer to develop scalable backend services that underpin operational data and AI systems. The role involves collaborating within a dynamic team to create efficient APIs and manage data structures. Candidates should have strong coding skills, particularly in Java, Python, or C++. The estimated salary range for this position is $135,000 to $200,000 annually, alongside various benefits including health insurance and generous paid time off.

Qualifications

• Experience in designing and developing features and improvements, as well as supporting and maintaining live backend systems.
• In-depth understanding of data structures, system architecture, and API development for microservices.
• Strong coding skills with demonstrated proficiency in programming languages such as Java, C++, Python, or Rust.

Responsibilities

• Architecting, developing, and maintaining high-performance, scalable backend services.
• Maintaining high coding standards through guidelines and active participation in code reviews.
• Building robust APIs and collaborating with front-end developers to integrate user-facing elements.

Skills

Java

Python

C++

Rust

Education

Engineering background in Computer Science, Mathematics, Software Engineering, Physics or similar field

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Kafka

Cassandra

Elasticsearch

Spark

Job description

Palantir builds the world's leading software for data‑driven decisions and operations. By bringing the right data to the people who need it, our platforms empower our partners to develop lifesaving drugs, forecast supply chain disruptions, locate missing children, and more.

The Role

Palantir's defense product vertical builds mission‑critical products for the modern warfighter. We provide a complete ecosystem where customers can securely integrate and visualize their data, and build sophisticated, full‑fledged programs such as common operating pictures, alert‑triaging inboxes, and resource allocation planning tools driven by rich‑ML models. Our customers use our defense offering to perform rich analyses that drive core operations within their organizations – these programs are relied upon for daily operations in the command centers and battlefronts of militaries across the world.

Backend Software Engineers at Palantir build software at scale to transform how organizations use data. Our Software Engineers are involved throughout the product lifecycle, from idea generation, design, prototyping, and production delivery. You will collaborate closely with technical and non‑technical teammates to understand our customers' problems and build products that solve them. We encourage movement across teams to share context, skills, and experience, so you'll learn about many different technologies and aspects of each product. Engineers work autonomously and make decisions independently, within a community that will support and challenge you as you grow and develop, becoming a strong technical contributor and engineering leader.

Your day‑to‑day workflow will vary, adapting to the requirements of our users and the technical challenges that arise. One day, you may find yourself collaborating with other engineers to architect a new system that enables a novel workflow; the next you could be fine‑tuning performance to enable low‑latency operational outcomes.

The Product Development organization is made up of small teams of Software Engineers. Each team focuses on a specific aspect of a product and works collaboratively to build cross‑functional capabilities, streamline user workflows, and continuously improve our software's efficiency and reliability.

We're hiring engineers who are passionate about solving real‑world problems and empowering developers and end‑users to do their work optimally. If you're motivated to develop reliable, performant, scalable systems and design robust APIs and primitives, please join us.

Some examples of product work you could work on

• Build for high‑scale, collaborative, geospatial workflows (Gaia)
• Design sophisticated frameworks to enable complex workflows across applications in a single workspace
• Develop the next generation of real‑time collaborative tooling and data‑analysis solutions (Secure Collaboration)

Core Responsibilities

• Architecting, developing, and maintaining high‑performance, scalable backend services that underpin our operational data and AI systems
• Maintaining high coding standards through the development of guidelines, active participation in code reviews, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement and knowledge sharing among your team
• Building robust APIs for use by front‑end developers and interfacing external systems, and collaborating with front‑end developers to integrate user‑facing elements with server‑side logic
• Designing efficient data structures and algorithms to manage large‑scale and high‑throughput data
• Optimizing applications for speed and scalability through performance analysis
• Actively improving user workflows by collaborating with cross‑functional teams, ensuring seamless experiences across product boundaries and a cohesive user experience

Technologies We Use

• Different backend languages, including Java, Rust, Python, and Go
• Distributed systems technologies such as Kafka, Cassandra, Elasticsearch, and Spark
• Docker and Kubernetes for containerization and orchestration
• Industry‑standard build tooling, including Gradle and GitHub

What We Value

• A deep understanding of server‑side logic, efficient data handling, and distributed systems
• Strong focus on creating user‑oriented workflows and solutions, crossing product boundaries to deliver cohesive and solid user workflows that ensure a seamless and intuitive user experience
• Experience building high‑quality software in a fast‑paced CI/CD development environment
• Ability to work collaboratively in teams of technical and non‑technical individuals and understand how technical decisions impact the people who will use what you're building
• Skill and comfort working in a constantly evolving environment with dynamic objectives and iteration with users

What We Require

• Experience in designing and developing features and improvements, as well as supporting and maintaining live backend systems
• In‑depth understanding of data structures, system architecture, API development for microservices frameworks, distributed systems, and other backend‑related concepts and best practices
• Engineering background in Computer Science, Mathematics, Software Engineering, Physics or similar field
• Strong coding skills with demonstrated proficiency in programming languages, such as Java, C++, Python, Rust, or similar languages
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and ability to iterate quickly with teammates, incorporating feedback and holding a high bar for quality
• Eligibility and willingness to obtain a US Security clearance

Salary

The estimated salary range for this position is $135,000 – $200,000/year. Total compensation for this position may also include Restricted Stock units, sign‑on bonus, and other potential future incentives. This estimate excludes the value of any potential sign‑on bonus; the value of any benefits offered; and the potential future value of any long‑term incentives.

Benefits

• Employees (and their eligible dependents) can enroll in medical, dental, and vision insurance as well as voluntary life insurance
• Employees are automatically covered by Palantir's basic life, AD&D, and disability insurance
• Commuter benefits
• Relocation assistance
• Take what you need paid time off, not accrual based
• 2 weeks paid time off built into the end of each year (subject to team and business needs)
• 10 paid holidays throughout the calendar year
• Supportive leave of absence program including time off for military service and medical events
• Paid leave for new parents and subsidized back‑up care for all parents
• Fertility and family building benefits including but not limited to adoption, surrogacy, and preservation
• Stipend to help with expenses that come with a new child
• Employees can enroll in Palantir's 401k plan

Location

Many teams do offer hybrid options (WFH a day or two a week). Based on business need, there are a few roles that allow for "Remote" work on an exceptional basis. If you are applying for one of these roles, you must work from the state in which you are employed. If the posting is specified as Onsite, you are required to work from an office.

Equal Opportunity

Palantir is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer for all, including but not limited to Veterans and those with disabilities. Palantir is committed to making the application and hiring process accessible to everyone and will provide a reasonable accommodation for those living with a disability. If you need an accommodation for the application or hiring process, please reach out and let us know how we can help.

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