Senior - SME Software Developer Java - Python

Vets Hired; Chantilly (VA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Vets Hired is seeking a Senior/ SME Software Developer to provide technical leadership and hands-on software engineering for complex modernization initiatives. You will design and develop scalable backend applications, microservices, APIs, and data pipelines using Java and/or Python.

Candidate should have 7+ years (Senior) or 10+ years ( SME) of leadership experience, with strong Cloud (AWS/Azure), Docker/Kubernetes, and CI/CD expertise.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of professional software engineering experience for Senior-level positions.
• 10+ years of progressive software engineering and architectural leadership for SME-level positions.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field, or equivalent experience.
• Strong production experience with Java and/or Python.
• Experience with Spring Boot, FastAPI, Flask, or similar frameworks.
• Strong knowledge of microservices architecture and enterprise APIs.
• Advanced experience with SQL, relational and NoSQL databases.
• Experience with AWS or Azure cloud environments.
• Experience with Docker and Kubernetes.
• Strong understanding of CI/CD, automated testing, and secure coding practices.
• Experience working in Agile/Scrum environments.
• Active TS/SCI with CI Polygraph clearance.
• Experience with ETL/ELT, Spark, Kafka, AWS Glue, or EMR is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Architect, design, develop, test, and maintain scalable software applications and microservices.
• Provide technical leadership and subject matter expertise in software architecture and engineering practices.
• Design and implement RESTful APIs, event-driven architectures, and system integrations.
• Develop and optimize data storage, ingestion, transformation, and processing pipelines.
• Work with relational and NoSQL databases, including data modeling and query optimization.
• Design cloud-native solutions using AWS or Azure, Docker, and Kubernetes.
• Apply security, zero-trust, high-availability, and performance engineering practices.
• Establish software development and engineering best practices.
• Participate in code reviews and automated testing.
• Mentor developers and lead technical design sessions.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to translate technical and operational requirements into solutions.
• Support Agile/Scrum development and continuous improvement.

Skills

Java

Python

Spring Boot

FastAPI/Flask

Microservices

APIs

SQL

NoSQL

AWS/Azure

Docker/Kubernetes

CI/CD

Agile/Scrum

Security

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering or related field

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

AWS

Azure

CI/CD tools

Job description

Job Summary

The Senior / SME Software Developer will provide technical leadership, architectural guidance, and hands‑on software engineering for complex system modernization and data transformation initiatives. The role focuses on designing and developing scalable backend applications, microservices, APIs, and data processing pipelines using Java and/or Python.

Key Responsibilities

• Architect, design, develop, test, and maintain scalable software applications and microservices.
• Provide technical leadership and subject matter expertise in software architecture and engineering practices.
• Design and implement RESTful APIs, event-driven architectures, and system integrations.
• Develop and optimize data storage, ingestion, transformation, and processing pipelines.
• Work with relational and NoSQL databases, including data modeling and query optimization.
• Design cloud-native solutions using AWS or Azure, Docker, and Kubernetes.
• Apply security, zero-trust, high-availability, and performance engineering practices.
• Establish software development and engineering best practices.
• Participate in code reviews and automated testing.
• Mentor developers and lead technical design sessions.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to translate technical and operational requirements into solutions.
• Support Agile/Scrum development and continuous improvement.

Required Qualifications

• 7+ years of professional software engineering experience for Senior-level positions.
• 10+ years of progressive software engineering and architectural leadership experience for SME-level positions.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• Strong production experience with Java and/or Python.
• Experience with Spring Boot, FastAPI, Flask, or similar frameworks.
• Strong knowledge of microservices architecture and enterprise APIs.
• Advanced experience with SQL, relational databases, and NoSQL databases.
• Experience with AWS or Azure cloud environments.
• Experience with Docker and Kubernetes.
• Strong understanding of CI/CD, automated testing, and secure coding practices.
• Experience working in Agile/Scrum environments.
• Active TS/SCI with CI Polygraph clearance.
• Experience with ETL/ELT, distributed computing, Spark, Kafka, AWS Glue, or EMR is preferred.