Lead Application Developer

Peraton; Suitland (MD); Hybrid; USD 135,000 - 216,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401(k)

Paid time off (PTO)

Parental leave

EAP

Job summary

Peraton is seeking a Lead Application Developer in Suitland, MD, offering a hybrid work model. You will lead design, development, modernization, and integration of enterprise applications supporting federal operations.

The role emphasizes cloud-native delivery, DevSecOps adoption, APIs, and scalable, secure architectures. The ideal candidate has extensive experience in cloud-native development, CI/CD, and federal security compliance, with leadership experience guiding cross-functional teams in

Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience in software development, application engineering, or enterprise modernization.
• Experience leading application development teams on federal IT modernization programs.
• Proven ability to design, develop, and modernize cloud-native applications.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and modernization of enterprise applications within a cloud-native ecosystem.
• Refactor legacy/COTS applications into modular, microservices-based architectures.
• Design, develop, and integrate APIs, event-driven services, and messaging systems.
• Develop secure, scalable applications for high-volume, near real-time processing.
• Contribute to AI/ML-enabled workflows and model integration.
• Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines with automated testing and security validation.
• Implement DevSecOps practices and secure SDLC in compliant environments.
• Support system-of-systems integration across multiple applications and teams.
• Ensure alignment with federal security standards (NIST, FedRAMP, FISMA, Zero Trust).

Skills

Software development

Team leadership

Cloud-native

DevSecOps

APIs

Docker

Kubernetes

CI/CD

IaC

Agile/SAFe

Education

Bachelor's degree

Associates degree

High School diploma

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Terraform

Apache Kafka

AWS

Azure

Google Cloud

Job description

Peraton Overview

Peraton is a next-generation national security company that drives missions of consequence spanning the globe and extending to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. As the world’s leading mission capability integrator and transformative enterprise IT provider, we deliver trusted, highly differentiated solutions and technologies to protect our nation and allies. Peraton operates at the critical nexus between traditional and nontraditional threats across all domains: land, sea, space, air, and cyberspace. The company serves as a valued partner to essential government agencies and supports every branch of the U.S. armed forces. Each day, our employees do the can’t be done by solving the most daunting challenges facing our customers. Visit peraton.com to learn how we’re keeping people around the world safe and secure.

Responsibilities

Peraton is looking for a Lead Application Developer to join our team of qualified and diverse individuals. This personwill lead the design, development, modernization, and integration of enterprise applications supporting mission-critical federal operations.

This role requires a technically hands‑on leader who can drive delivery across modern cloud‑native environments while working closely with architects, engineers, product teams, and external partners. You will contribute directly to application development, modernization strategy, DevSecOps adoption, and system integration efforts.

You are expected to move beyond feature delivery—ensuring applications are scalable, secure, resilient, and aligned to evolving mission and compliance requirements.

Location: Suitland, MD (Hybrid)

Day to Day Roles and Responsibilities:

• Lead development and modernization of enterprise applications within a cloud-native ecosystem

• Refactor legacy and COTS applications into modular, microservices-based architectures using open-source technologies

• Design, develop, and integrate APIs, event-driven services, and messaging-based systems

• Develop secure, scalable, and highly available applications supporting high-volume and near real-time processing

• Contribute to AI/ML-enabled application workflows, including model integration and deployment support

• Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines supporting automated testing, deployment, and security validation

• Implement DevSecOps best practices, including secure SDLC, automated scanning, and compliance validation

• Support system-of-systems integration across multiple applications, contractors, and technical teams

• Ensure applications align with federal security and compliance requirements, including NIST, FedRAMP, FISMA, Zero Trust, MFA, and ATO support processes

• Design and support data ingestion, ETL pipelines, transformation, analytics, and dissemination capabilities

• Troubleshoot and resolve complex issues across application, infrastructure, integration, and data layers

• Lead code reviews, mentor developers, and enforce engineering standards and best practices

• Collaborate within Agile/Scrum and SAFe delivery environments to ensure consistent execution and delivery quality

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelors degree and 12 years of experience or an Associates degree and 14 years of experience or a High School diploma/equivalent and 16 years of experience.
• Must be a U.S. Citizen with the ability to obtain a Public Trust
• 12+ years of experience in software development, application engineering, or enterprise application modernization.

• Demonstrated experience leading application development teams supporting large-scale federal IT modernization or transformation initiatives.

• Proven experience designing, developing, and modernizing enterprise-grade, cloud‑native applications.

• Experience modernizing legacy or COTS applications into open‑source, microservices‑based architectures.

• Experience with APIs, distributed integrations, event‑driven architectures, and messaging systems.

• Experience implementing DevSecOps practices and CI/CD pipelines within secure environments.

• Experience with containerization and orchestration technologies, including Docker and Kubernetes.

• Experience with data integration, ingestion, ETL pipelines, data transformation, and dissemination workflows.

• Experience with infrastructure automation and Infrastructure as Code (IaC), including Terraform.

• Working knowledge of federal security and compliance requirements, including NIST, FedRAMP, FISMA, Zero Trust, MFA, and Authority to Operate (ATO) processes.

• Experience supporting highly available, scalable, and resilient applications, including performance optimization.
• Experience working in Agile/Scrum and SAFe development environments.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience supporting large-scale federal statistical, Census, or other mission‑critical modernization programs.

• Cloud certifications in AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud.

• Experience integrating Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning capabilities into enterprise applications.

• Experience with Apache Kafka or other large-scale event‑streaming technologies.

• Experience supporting complex system‑of‑systems integration initiatives.

Target Salary Range

$135,000 - $216,000. This represents the typical salary range for this position. Salary is determined by various factors, including but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the individual’s experience, education, knowledge, skills, and competencies, as well as geographic location and business and contract considerations. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay.

Benefits Statement

Peraton offers eligible employees a variety of benefits including medical, dental, vision, life, health savings account, short/long term disability, EAP, parental leave, 401(k), paid time off (PTO) for vacation, and company paid holidays. A full listing of available benefits can be viewed athttps://www.careers.peraton.com/benefits.

EEO

EEO: Equal opportunity employer, including disability and protected veterans, or other characteristics protected by law.