Principal Full Stack Web Developer

draper; United States; Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Draper, located in Tampa Bay area with hybrid on-site and remote work, seeks a senior full‑stack engineer to drive architectural decisions and build mission‑critical web applications for government and commercial clients.

You will mentor engineers, define roadmaps, and deliver scalable, secure software across front-end and back-end stacks in a fast‑paced, mission‑driven environment. Candidates should have strong leadership and hands-on coding skills.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of full‑stack development experience, with 2+ years leading architecture decisions.
• Proven track record delivering production‑grade web applications at scale.
• Strong proficiency in modern front‑end (React, TypeScript, CSS‑in‑JS) and back‑end (Node.js/Express, Python, Java) technologies.
• Deep understanding of REST/GraphQL APIs, authentication/authorization (OAuth, OIDC), and cloud‑native patterns.
• Experience with issue‑tracking and CI/CD tools (Jira, GitLab, GitHub Actions).
• BA/BS in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience (Master's a plus).

Responsibilities

• Lead architecture decisions for new and existing web platforms (micro‑services, data pipelines, UI/UX).
• Write production‑ready, test‑driven code in modern stacks (React + TypeScript, Node.js, GraphQL, PostgreSQL).
• Mentor senior engineers and set engineering standards (code reviews, CI/CD, automated testing).
• Partner with program officers, product owners, and other technical leads to define roadmaps and delivery milestones.
• Represent the team in program reviews, stakeholder meetings, and client demos.
• Drive continuous improvement: performance tuning, security hardening, and operational excellence.

Skills

Architecture decisions

React

TypeScript

Node.js

GraphQL

REST APIs

OAuth/OIDC

CI/CD

Cloud-native

Education

Bachelor's in Computer Science

Master's degree

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

AWS

GCP

Azure

Terraform

GitHub Actions

Jira

GitLab

Job description

Overview

Overview:Draper is an independent, nonprofit research and development company headquartered in Cambridge, MA. The 2,000+ employees of Draper tackle important national challenges with a promise of delivering successful and usable solutions. From military defense and space exploration to biomedical engineering, lives often depend on the solutions we provide. Our multidisciplinary teams of engineers and scientists work in a collaborative environment that inspires the cross-fertilization of ideas necessary for true innovation. For more information about Draper, visit www.draper.com .

Job Description Summary

LocationSouth Tampa, FL - Hybrid (3 days on‑site, 2 days remote).

About Draper

Draper's Full‑Stack Group builds mission‑critical web applications for military, government, and commercial customers. We operate like an incubator, giving engineers space to experiment, iterate, and deliver software that protects lives and advances the national interest.

Why This Role Matters

You'll play a primary role in developing and executing the technical vision for complex, high‑impact web solutions that directly enable our customers' missions. Your work will shape products that are deployed, operational, and trusted by governments and agencies worldwide.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead architecture decisions for new and existing web platforms (micro‑services, data pipelines, UI/UX).
• Write production‑ready, test‑driven code in modern stacks (React + TypeScript, Node.js, GraphQL, PostgreSQL, etc.).
• Mentor senior engineers and set engineering standards (code reviews, CI/CD, automated testing).
• Partner with program officers, product owners, and other technical leads to define roadmaps and delivery milestones.
• Represent the team in program reviews, weekly/quarterly stakeholder meetings, and client demos.
• Drive continuous improvement: performance tuning, security hardening, and operational excellence.

Required Qualifications

• 7+ years of full‑stack development experience, with at least 2 years leading architecture decisions. 10+ years in the field is a bonus.
• Proven track record delivering production‑grade web applications at scale.
• Strong proficiency in modern front‑end (React, TypeScript, CSS‑in‑JS) and back‑end (Node.js/Express, Python, Java) technologies.
• Deep understanding of REST/GraphQL APIs, authentication/authorization (OAuth, OIDC), and cloud‑native patterns.
• Experience with issue‑tracking and CI/CD tools (Jira, GitLab, GitHub Actions).
• BA/BS in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience (Master's a plus).

Preferred Qualifications

• Hands‑on experience with Docker and Kubernetes (EKS, GKE, AKS).
• Deployments on AWS, GCP, or Azure; familiarity with IaC (Terraform, CloudFormation).
• Knowledge of serverless architectures and event‑driven designs.
• Experience with high‑availability, multi‑tenant SaaS platforms.

About You

• Insatiable appetite to learn new technologies and share knowledge.
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity and forging clear paths to success.
• Passionate about building products you'd proudly use yourself.
• Thrives in a team that pushes each other to excel daily.

Job Description

Duties/Responsibilities

• Independently execute task assignments.
• Designs algorithms using modern theory and proven techniques, adheres to software best practices.
• Analyzes designs to demonstrate performance and functionality.
• Develops and executes software tests to check compliance with requirements.
• Prepares technical data, procedures, reports, drawings, manuals, and other required documentation.
• Communicates with customers and stakeholders to establish requirements and describe the design and deliverables.
• Independently drive solutions to complex problems, develop requirements, propose ways forward when customer requirements are unclear or incomplete, and adapt appropriately to changes in requirements.
• Act as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in their discipline.
• Identify program/system-level technical risks and develop and execute mitigation strategies.
• Leads the design of system architecture, delegating tasks and collecting feedback on designs as needed.
• Lead a medium size team of engineers across multiple disciplines.

Skills/Abilities

• Curiosity-driven approach to solving complex, customer-driven problems as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
• Demonstrate an ability to learn new programming languages and technologies quickly.
• Collaborate and communicate effectively and openly with multi-disciplinary program team members, program leadership, and non-technical personnel.
• A team player able to work in a fast-paced environment with the ability to balance multiple competing tasks and demands.
• Demonstrate strong organization, planning, and time management skills to achieve program goals

Education

• Requires a bachelor's in Computer Science or