Lead Software Engineer

GRVTY; Sterling (IL); On-site; USD 178,000 - 212,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health plan

401k with company match

Paid time off

Parental leave

Training and development opportunities

Job summary

GRVTY is seeking a Lead Software Engineer to guide a high‑performing development team on a mission‑enabling program with broad impact on National Security. You will act as the developer point of contact for design discussions, customer engagements, and Chief Engineer reviews while continuing to contribute to architecture, development, and delivery.

This role suits a senior engineer ready to take broader ownership, mentor teammates, and shape technical direction as the product line evolves

Qualifications

• 7+ years in professional software engineering with full‑stack experience.
• Proficient in modern web frameworks and common backend languages listed above.
• Ability to lead technical discussions, drive consensus and make architecture decisions.
• Growth mindset and mentoring experience to grow team capability.
• Familiarity with automated testing, CI/CD pipelines, and DevSecOps practices.
• Excellent communication for diverse audiences and customer-facing work.

Responsibilities

• Lead and guide the development team, acting as POC for engineering, design, and architecture.
• Design, implement, test, and deploy full‑stack features with modern patterns.
• Produce Con ops, user guides, release notes, and technical artifacts.
• Mentor junior engineers through reviews and pair programming.
• Collaborate with test teams to ensure quality, performance, and reliability.
• Align feature development with goals and delivery schedules with stakeholders.
• Assist staffing and team structuring while maintaining healthy culture.
• Deliver monthly progress summaries and host stakeholder demos.
• Identify and improve development workflows and CI/CD pipelines.
• Contribute to long‑term architecture and product evolution strategies.

Skills

Full‑stack engineering

React/Angular/Vue

Node.js/Python/Java/Django

RESTful API design

Technical leadership

Mentoring engineers

CI/CD/DevSecOps

Effective communication

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Terraform

CloudFormation

Job description

What Impact You’ll Have

We are seeking a Lead Software Engineer to guide a high-performing development team on a mission-enabling program with high impact on National Security. This role blends hands-on engineering, technical leadership, and cross-functional coordination. You will serve as the developer point of contact for design discussions, customer engagements, and Chief Engineer reviews while continuing to contribute directly to architecture, development, and delivery.

This position is ideal for a senior engineer/developer ready to step into broader ownership — leading by example, mentoring teammates, and shaping the technical direction of a rapidly evolving product line.

What You’ll be Owning

• Serve as the development team’s POC for engineering, design, and architecture meetings; represent the team in cross functional technical discussions.
• Design, implement, test, and deploy full stack features using modern frameworks and cloud-native patterns.
• Develop CONOPs, user guides, release notes, and technical artifacts supporting software delivery and stakeholder adoption
• Guide junior and mid-level engineers through code reviews, pair programming, and structured skill development.
• Partner with test engineering teams to ensure functionality, usability, performance, and reliability meet product expectations.
• Collaborate with Chief Engineers, Product Owners, and customer stakeholders to align feature development with organizational goals and delivery schedules.
• Assist with staffing, onboarding, and team structure decisions; help maintain a healthy engineering culture.
• Produce monthly summaries highlighting progress, risks, mitigations, and upcoming milestones.
• Host stakeholder demos, present product designs, and communicate technical concepts clearly to non-technical audiences.
• Identify opportunities to improve development workflows, CI/CD pipelines, documentation, and team efficiency.
• Contribute to long-term architecture planning, technology selection, and product evolution strategies.

What You Must Have

• Active TS/SCI w/polygraph
• 7+ years of professional software engineering experience, including full-stack development
• Strong proficiency in modern web frameworks (e.g., React, Angular, Vue), backend languages (e.g., Node.js, Python, Java, Django), and RESTful API design
• Demonstrated ability to lead technical discussions, drive consensus, and make architectural decisions
• Growth mindset – ability to tackle complex technical issues with patience, positivity, and a forward-looking perspective that keeps the team focused and productive
• Proven experience mentoring engineers and improving team capability
• Familiarity with automated testing, CI/CD pipelines, and DevSecOps practices
• Excellent communication skills — able to translate complex technical concepts for diverse audiences
• Ability to work in fast-paced, customer-facing environments with evolving requirements

What Would be Nice to Have

• Experience with containerized environments (Docker, Kubernetes)
• Experience working with government or defense customers
• Background in distributed systems, microservices, or event-driven architectures
• Experience with infrastructure-as-code (Terraform, CloudFormation)
• Prior involvement in staffing, interviewing, or team-building activities
• Experience hosting demos, conducting design reviews, or presenting to executive stakeholders
• Knowledge of telecommunications protocols, packet capture tools and methodologies

#LI-CW1

Pay Range:

At GRVTY, we understand that compensation is influenced by many factors—such as geographic location, federal contract labor categories, wage rates, prior experience, skillsets, education, and certifications.

We’re proud to offer a work environment that empowers our team to achieve a strong work-life balance. GRVTY provides competitive pay, comprehensive benefits, and meaningful opportunities for professional growth.

Our benefits package is designed to support the well-being of our employees and their families, and includes coverage in areas such as healthcare, financial wellness, retirement planning, family assistance, continued education, and paid time off.

Virginia Pay Range

$177,680—$212,254 USD

Why Choose GRVTY

The toughest national security challenges demand vision and ingenuity, not just resources. We deliver mission and technical expertise to outpace our adversaries. We’re purpose-built to tackle the most entrenched, systemic national security issues around the world.

We partner with our customers to help them overcome challenges in every corner of technology and defense—including the ones still being explored. Our growing capabilities create complementary advantages, giving on-the-ground operations the edge they need to succeed. We muster everything we have to answer every challenge presented, every day of our lives.

At GRVTY, we believe that when our employees thrive, our company thrives. That’s why we offer a comprehensive and competitive benefits package designed to support your well-being, growth, and work-life balance.

• Robust health plan including medical, dental, and vision
• Health Savings Account with company contribution
• Annual Paid Time Off and Paid Holidays
• Paid Parental Leave
• 401k with generous company match
• Training and Development Opportunities
• Award Programs
• Variety of Company Sponsored Events

EEO Statement

GRVTY, is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

Anyone requiring reasonable accommodations should email [e-mail] or call 703-544-7930 with requested details. A member of the HR team will respond to your request within 2 business days.

Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal (eeoc.gov)

Please review our current job openings and apply for the positions you believe may be a fit. If you are not an immediate fit, we will also keep your resume in our database for future opportunities.