Junior Software Engineer- AI

Exostar; Herndon (VA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) matching

Flexible time off

Sick leave

Job summary

Exostar is seeking a hands-on Software Engineer who ships production systems at a high pace. You’ll own end-to-end systems, from architecture to deployment, in a FedRAMP/CMMC governed environment with Azure Gov and cloud-native tooling.

You’ll work on migrations, prototypes, and tooling, leveraging AI-assisted development and IaC to accelerate delivery while maintaining security constraints. US citizenship may be required.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of recent, hands-on software engineering.
• Track record of shipping full systems, not just features.
• Proficiency in at least two: Angular/TypeScript, .NET/C#, Python, Java.
• 1+ year building cloud-native systems (Azure preferred; Azure Gov a plus).
• Comfortable across the stack—infra → backend →frontend.
• Daily user of Claude Code, Copilot, Cursor, Windsurf, or equivalent.
• Clear mental model of where AI excels and where it fails.
• Demonstrated examples of shipping faster and better with AI assistance.

Responsibilities

• Build (70%+) – Write production code daily across Angular/TypeScript, .NET/C#, Python, etc.
• Raise the Bar (20%) – Review quickly, teach through building, pair on complex problems.
• Inform Technical Direction (10%) – Provide ground-truth signal on platform gaps, tooling, and friction.

Skills

Angular/TypeScript

.NET/C#

Python

Java

Azure Gov

Claude Code

Copilot

Cursor

Windsurf

Education

Bachelor's degree in computer science, Engineering, Information Systems

Tools

Azure Gov

Terraform

Bicep

Claude Code

Copilot

Cursor

Windsurf

Job description

We’re looking for a builder—a high‑output Software Engineer who ships production systems at a pace that resets expectations. Not an advisor. Not a reviewer. A hands‑on engineer whose default mode is writing and deploying code.

You’ll take on the projects that are too ambiguous, too cross‑cutting, or too critical for anyone else: platform migrations, production‑ready prototypes, architectural rebuilds, zero‑downtime replacements, and integrations nobody wants to own. You pick it up, you build it, you ship it.

We operate in a FedRAMP Moderate / CMMC L2 environment serving major defense primes. Compliance is a constraint—not a blocker.

What You'll Build

Build (70%+)

• Write production code daily across Angular/TypeScript, .NET/C#, Python, or whatever the problem requires.
• Use AI coding tools—Claude Code, Copilot, agentic workflows—as your native development environment.
• Own systems end‑to‑end: architecture → implementation → testing → deployment → You understand the constraints of FedRAMP and CMMC and you design around them without slowing down.
• Build on Azure Gov and Commercial using microservices, event‑driven patterns, APIs, and data pipelines.
• Deliver projects stuck in backlog: migrations, prototypes, legacy replacements, cross‑system fixes.
• Drive IaC (Terraform, Bicep), CI/CD automation, and internal tooling that accelerates the whole team.

Raise the Bar (20%)

• Your code becomes the reference standard for engineering quality.
• Review quickly, teach through building, pair on complex problems.
• Share AI‑augmented development techniques—prompting, workflows, context strategies.
• Write practical documentation (READMEs, ADRs), not slide decks.

Inform Technical Direction (10%)

• Provide ground‑truth signal on platform gaps, tooling, and engineering friction.
• Evaluate new tech by building with it—real environments, real data.
• Identify and resolve the technical debt that actually slows teams down.

Qualifications:

You are a great fit for this role if you:

You are a Builder:

• 3+ years of recent, hands‑on software engineering.
• Track record of shipping full systems, not just features.
• Proficiency in at least two: Angular/TypeScript, .NET/C#, Python, Java.
• 1+ year building cloud‑native systems (Azure preferred; Azure Gov a plus).
• Comfortable across the stack—infra → backend →frontend.
• Daily user of Claude Code, Copilot, Cursor, Windsurf, or equivalent.
• Clear mental model of where AI excels and where it fails.
• Demonstrated examples of shipping faster and better with AI assistance.

Judgment & Engineering Maturity

• Thrives in ambiguity; makes reasonable assumptions and ships.
• Strong but flexible opinions on architecture and developer experience.
• Experience building in regulated environments (FedRAMP, CMMC, ITAR, SOC2, HIPAA).

Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Engineering, Information Systems, or a related technical field.

U.S. Citizens only- Due to customer requirements, U.S. Citizenship is required. Ability to gain and maintain Trusted Role is required

Preferred Qualifications:

You are exactly who we are looking for if you:

• Azure Government (IL2/IL4/IL5), Entra ID, PIM, managed identities, Zero Trust.
• IAM, credentialing, PKI, or federated identity background.
• Experience building dev tools, internal platforms, or shared infra.
• Aerospace & Defense, Life Sciences, or other regulated SaaS environments.

Why Exostar

• AI-native engineering: Claude & Copilot integrated across the org with leadership backing.
• Mission impact: Secure collaboration infrastructure for the Defense Industrial Base.
• Real technical constraints: FedRAMP Moderate, CMMC 110/110, Azure Gov multi‑tenant SaaS.

The pay range for this position is $85,000k - $105,000k/yr; however, the final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, skills, qualifications, and location. Exostar also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance, EAP, Flexible Spending Accounts, 401(k) matching, flexible time off and sick leave).

About Exostar

Exostar - The Company:

Exostar’s cloud‑based platforms create exclusive communities within the Aerospace and Defense, Life Sciences, and other highly regulated industries where members securely collaborate, share information, and operate compliantly. Within these communities we build trust. By analyzing community data, we provide insights and intelligence, enabling organizations to make better, timelier decisions, to mitigate risk, and operate more efficiently.

• We believe in employee development: we promote internally and provide training and educational assistance
• We provide a fun, engaged workplace, with social and community‑building events
• We offer comprehensive benefits and flexible time off plans

Exostar is an Equal Opportunity Employment Employer. The company provides equal employment opportunities to all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, disability status or genetic information. Exostar is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all persons in all facets of employment including recruiting, hiring, compensation, promotion, training, benefits, transfers and working conditions.

Equal Opportunity Employer
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