Cleared Senior Software Engineer

General Atomics Intelligence; Charlottesville (VA); On-site; USD 106,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

GA-Intelligence, part of General Atomics Integrated Intelligence, seeks backend software engineers to build the next generation of global situational awareness and battle orchestration. You’ll collaborate with UI/UX, mission engineers, data scientists, and product owners to design scalable, high‑performing services.

Based in Charlottesville, VA, this full‑time role emphasizes reliability, security, and impact in DoD/IC programs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in computer science, information systems, or related field with progressive software development experience.
• Deep expertise in Java and/or other backend languages (e.g., Scala, Go).
• Demonstrated technical leadership in cross-functional engineering efforts.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills including experience with customers or stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, implementation, and delivery of high-impact backend software solutions.
• Guide long-term planning and influence roadmaps for backend services and architecture.
• Represent GA-I3 as a senior technical point of contact for customers, partners, and other teams.
• Coordinate software deployments across distributed environments, including DoD/IC networks.
• Evaluate and implement cross-platform deployment strategies with security standards.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders on high-visibility initiatives.
• Contribute to system-wide performance tuning and reliability improvements.
• Develop mentoring structures and onboarding for engineers.
• Mentor mid-level and junior engineers, fostering learning and ownership.
• Provide technical leadership across the full lifecycle including design reviews and testing.

Skills

Java

Backend languages

Cross-functional leadership

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher in CS/related

Tools

Kafka

NiFi

GeoMesa

AWS

Job description

Job Summary

General Atomics Integrated Intelligence Inc. (GA-Intelligence) develops cutting-edge software solutions that transform raw data into actionable intelligence. We specialize in real-time global situational awareness and battle management, processing petabytes of data from hundreds of sources across air, land, and sea. Our systems—including the widely used THRESHER and DRAGONSPELL platforms—support tens of thousands of users at all levels of the DoD and Intelligence Community and enable critical decision-making for national security missions. We process hundreds of observations per minute, operating at the scale of global sensor networks and battlefield telemetry. Our backend architecture leverages technologies like Kafka, AWS, NiFi, and GeoMesa—the latter of which we designed and open-sourced—to deliver high-throughput, mission-resilient systems that turn streaming data into real-time intelligence.

Why GA-Intelligence?

At GA-Intelligence, we’re not chasing hype or building throwaway demos—we’re solving complex, mission-critical problems that matter. Unlike younger firms chasing the next funding round, we’ve spent decades earning the trust of our users and delivering systems they rely on every day. And unlike traditional defense contractors, we’re nimble, privately held, and able to make long-term decisions in the best interest of our customers and our country—not quarterly earnings reports.
Our users love our software. Our customers come back because we deliver. And our engineers stay because they get to work on real problems, with real impact, alongside people who care.
If you’re looking for a place where engineering excellence meets enduring mission, GA-I3 is where you belong.

What You’ll Do

We are seeking Backend Software Engineers to help build the next generation of global situational awareness and battle orchestration capabilities. You’ll collaborate with cross-functional teams—including UI/UX engineers, mission engineers, data scientists, and product owners—to design and deliver software that is performant, scalable, and tailored to complex user needs.
Whether you’re integrating multi-source data, optimizing backend services, or shaping how insights reach the end user, your work will directly support operational missions that have real-world impact.

What We Believe

These values weren’t crafted in a branding session—they were observed and articulated after 35 years of building software that matters. They reflect how we work, what we value in each other, and the kind of impact we want to have. At GA-Intelligence, they aren’t aspirational—they’re how we operate.

• Solving Meaningful Challenges - Building mission-driven technology that makes a difference
• Collaborative Culture - Working as a team to push boundaries and innovate
• Technical Excellence - Encouraging continuous learning, curiosity, and efficiency
• Idea Meritocracy - Valuing ideas based on impact, not hierarchy

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Lead development activities
  • Lead the successful design, implementation, and delivery of high-impact backend software solutions
  • Guide long-term planning efforts and influence technical roadmaps for backend services and system architecture so they align with organizational goals, operational requirements, and product strategy
• Collaborate externally
  • Represent GA-I3 as a senior technical point of contact for customers, partners, and other engineering teams
  • Coordinate software deployments and upgrades across distributed environments, including DoD and IC networks
  • Evaluate and implement cross-platform deployment strategies, ensuring compliance with integration and security standards
  • Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders on high-visibility technical initiatives that span multiple teams and domains
• Engineer performant solutions
  • Contribute to system-wide performance tuning and reliability improvements, identifying architectural risks and proposing mitigation strategies
• Build the team
  • Develop mentoring structures and contribute to onboarding, skill development, and growth paths for less experienced engineers
  • Mentor mid-level and junior engineers, fostering a culture of continuous learning, ownership, and technical excellence
  • Provide technical leadership across the full development lifecycle, including design reviews, coding standards, and testing practices

We recognize and appreciate the value and contributions of individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences and welcome all qualified individuals to apply.

Job Qualifications

• Typically requires a bachelor's degree, master's degree or PhD in computer science, information systems or related discipline and progressive software development experience as follows; six or more years of experience with a bachelor's degree, four or more years of experience with a master's degree, or two or more years with a PhD. May substitute equivalent experience in lieu of education.
• Deep expertise in Java and/or other backend languages (e.g., Scala, Go)
• Demonstrated technical leadership in cross-functional engineering efforts
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience working directly with customers or stakeholders

PREFERRED SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS:

• Proven experience architecting and scaling distributed systems
• Deep expertise in backend architecture, distributed systems, and service design
• Experience with performance tuning and high-availability system design
• Familiarity with Kafka, NiFi, GeoMesa, AWS, or other cloud-native technologies
• Experience leading incident response, root cause analysis, and operational improvements
• Ability to interface directly with customers and senior stakeholders
• Experience working in the DoD or Intelligence Community

Job Type: Full-Time Salary

Salary range: 105,890 - 189,545