Senior Software Developer (NLP)

Parsons; Maryland; On-site; USD 104,000 - 181,000; Full time

Job summary

Parsons is seeking a Senior Software Developer to support Drone Armor C-UAS programs. You will design and implement software across languages, evaluate technologies, and ensure secure, maintainable solutions aligned with mission objectives.

You will collaborate with data scientists, ML/NLP engineers, and field personnel to deploy NLP features, manage latency and accuracy, and contribute to architectural decisions for resilient, scalable systems. A Secret clearance is required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electronics Engineering, or related field with 5+ years of experience OR 8 years of relevant experience may substitute for education.
• Experience creating software in multiple programming languages.
• Experience enabling NLP/text-analytics in production or mission-focused software systems.
• Experience with DoD/defense or C-UAS-related software systems is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Create and maintain software across languages to support Drone Armor capabilities.
• Lead design and implementation of software components and interfaces per requirements.
• Integrate NLP models and pipelines into production systems with attention to performance and security.
• Collaborate with data scientists and engineers to translate mission needs into NLP features.

Skills

Python

C++

Java

Go

NLP/ML

Debugging

Systems integration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related technical discipline

8+ years of software development experience (can substitute education)

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Git

CI/CD

Job description

In a world of possibilities, pursue one with endless opportunities. Imagine Next!At Parsons, you can imagine a career where you thrive, work with exceptional people, and be yourself. Guided by our leadership vision of valuing people, embracing agility, and fostering growth, we cultivate an innovative culture that empowers you to achieve your full potential. Unleash your talent and redefine what's possible.

Job Description:

Parsons is seeking a Senior Software Developer to support our cutting-edge Drone Armor counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) program. The Senior Developer will design and implement logical, functional software code across multiple programming languages, make informed technology choices for different environments, rapidly diagnose and correct complex software issues in mission-critical systems, and help design, integrate, and optimize natural language processing (NLP) capabilities in support of operational missions.

What You'll Be Doing

Advanced Software Design & Development

• Create logical and functional software code in a variety of programming languages to support Drone Armor capabilities
• Lead the design and implementation of software components, services, and interfaces based on system and mission requirements
• Ensure solutions are robust, secure, maintainable, and aligned with program architecture and coding standards
• Design and implement services and pipelines that incorporate NLP models and text processing components into C-UAS workflows (e.g., analysis of communications, reports, or operator inputs)

NLP Integration & Applied AI

• Collaborate with data scientists and ML/NLP engineers to integrate NLP models into production systems
• Implement and optimize NLP pipelines for tasks such as classification, entity extraction, summarization, translation, or intent detection, as required by mission needs
• Integrate large language models and other NLP components via APIs or model-serving infrastructure, ensuring performance, reliability, and security
• Work with stakeholders to translate mission and operational requirements into concrete NLP features and user-facing capabilities

Technology Evaluation & Trade-Offs

• Understand and articulate the benefits and risks associated with different coding languages and frameworks in various functional environments
• Recommend appropriate languages, tools, and design patterns based on performance, security, maintainability, and integration needs
• Evaluate and recommend NLP libraries, frameworks, and platforms (e.g., transformer-based toolkits, vector databases, or text analytics services)
• Provide technical guidance to developers on language and framework selection, coding practices, architectural decisions, and NLP integration strategies

Troubleshooting, Debugging & Quality

• React to software problems quickly and effectively, correcting code and related configurations as necessary
• Debug complex issues across multiple layers (application, service, interface, data) and environments (development, integration, field)
• Diagnose and resolve issues specific to NLP-enabled features, including latency, accuracy, unexpected outputs, and integration failures
• Support and refine unit, integration, and system-level tests, including tests for NLP components (e.g., input validation, model behavior checks, regression tests on text datasets) to validate functionality and prevent regressions

Leadership & Collaboration

• Serve as a senior technical resource within the development team, mentoring junior and mid-level developers
• Coach team members on best practices for integrating NLP capabilities into existing architectures and workflows
• Collaborate with systems engineers, test engineers, data scientists, NLP/ML engineers, and field personnel to resolve issues and improve system performance
• Contribute to technical reviews, design walkthroughs, and continuous improvement of development and AI/NLP integration practices

What Required Skills You'll Bring

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electronics Engineering, or other engineering or technical discipline is required with 5 years of experienceOR
• 8 years of relevant software development experience may be substituted for education

Experience

• Experience creating logical and functional software code in multiple programming languages
• Experience understanding and clearly articulating the benefits and risks of different coding languages in different functional environments
• Experience reacting to software problems and correcting programs as necessary in complex or mission-critical systems
• Experience integrating or supporting NLP or text-analytics capabilities in production or mission-focused software systems

Technical Competencies

• Proficiency in one or more modern programming languages (e.g., Python, C++, Java, C#, Go, or similar), with working knowledge of others
• Strong grasp of software engineering best practices, including design patterns, code reviews, version control, and CI/CD workflows
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot and resolve complex software defects efficiently
• Familiarity with NLP concepts and tools such as tokenization, embeddings, transformer models, and vector search, and with common NLP frameworks or libraries
• Strong analytical and communication skills, capable of explaining technical and NLP-related trade-offs to both technical and non-technical stakeholders

Security & Citizenship

• Must be a US Citizen
• SECRET security clearance

What Desired Skills You'll Bring

Advanced Education & Certifications

• Bachelor’s or higher degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related discipline
• Relevant certifications in software architecture, cloud platforms, AI/ML, or DevSecOps

Specialized Experience

• Experience supporting DoD, defense, or C-UAS-related software systems
• Experience with distributed, real-time, or high-availability systems
• Experience applying NLP in operational, defense, or intelligence contexts (e.g., processing reports, chat/voice transcripts, or multilingual text sources)

Additional Technical Skills

• Experience with containerization (Docker), orchestration (Kubernetes), and cloud-native development
• Experience with NLP/ML ecosystems and tools (e.g., transformer-based frameworks, vector databases, or LLM APIs) and related deployment patterns
• Familiarity with Agile/Scrum methodologies and modern issue tracking/ALM tools

Security Clearance Requirement:

An active Secret security clearance is required for this position.

The Federal Solutions segment delivers resources to our US government customers that ensure the success of missions around the globe. Our intelligent employees drive the state of the art as they provide services and solutions in the areas of defense, security, intelligence, infrastructure, and environmental. We promote a culture of excellence and close-knit teams that take pride in delivering, protecting, and sustaining our nation's most critical assets, from Earth to cyberspace. Throughout the company, our people are anticipating what's next to deliver the solutions our customers need now.

Salary Range: $103,500.00 - $181,100.00

We value our employees and want our employees to take care of their overall wellbeing, which is why we offer best-in-class benefits such as medical, dental, vision, paid time off, Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), 401(k), life insurance, flexible work schedules, and holidays to fit your busy lifestyle!

Parsons is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other protected status.