Senior Software Development Engineer - US Federal

Workday; United States; On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Workday is seeking a Senior Observability Engineer to design and operate critical monitoring, logging, and tracing services within a large-scale data platform. You will work across diverse environments, including Kubernetes and OpenStack, to ensure real-time data processing and high availability.

The role supports U.S. Federal Government contracts, requiring US citizenship and potential TS/SCI w/CI Poly clearance.

Qualifications

• BS/MS in Computer Science or a related technical field.
• Strong software engineering background with a track record of delivering at scale.
• Excellent coding skills (Java, Python; Go a plus) and system design capability.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and enhance Observability services (Monitoring, Logging, Alerting, Tracing).
• Develop data capture and collection services across Kubernetes, OpenStack, Bare Metal, and more.
• Design core software modules for real-time and batch data processing.
• Create metrics ingestion pipelines and dashboard automation.
• Deploy and manage production infrastructure components.
• Ensure data quality, integrity, and availability across platforms.
• Evaluate new open-source and cloud-native tools as needed.
• Participate in on-call rotation to support the observability stack.
• Collaborate with security teams to maintain strong posture on federal contracts.

Skills

Java

Python

Go

Kubernetes

Linux

Time-Series Databases

Prometheus

Terraform

Ansible

Education

BS/MS in Computer Science or related technical field

Tools

Prometheus Ecosystem

Kubernetes

OpenStack

Cloud-native tools

Job description

Your work days are brighter here. We're obsessed with making hard work pay off, for our people, our customers, and the world around us. As a Fortune 500 company and a leading AI platform for managing people, money, and agents, we're shaping the future of work so teams can reach their potential and focus on what matters most. The minute you join, you'll feel it. Not just in the products we build, but in how we show up for each other. Our culture is rooted in integrity, empathy, and shared enthusiasm. We're in this together, tackling big challenges with bold ideas and genuine care. We look for curious minds and courageous collaborators who bring sun-drenched optimism and drive. Whether you're building smarter solutions, supporting customers, or creating a space where everyone belongs, you'll do meaningful work with Workmates who've got your back. In return, we'll give you the trust to take risks, the tools to grow, the skills to develop and the support of a company invested in you for the long haul. So, if you want to inspire a brighter work day for everyone, including yourself, you've found a match in Workday, and we hope to be a match for you too.

About the Team

The Data Platform and Observability team, located in Pleasanton, CA; Boston, MA; Boulder, CO, Atlanta, GA, and Dublin, Ireland, empowers real-time insights across Workday's platforms, infrastructure, and applications. Our mission is to develop and operate a large-scale distributed data platform that fuels critically important Workday applications.

We provide software solutions for the collection, ingestion, storage, and visualization of critical data assets. We manage hundreds of terabytes of data, encompassing billions of messages generated daily by Workday applications and underlying services. If you're passionate about crafting efficient software or optimizing and scaling large distributed systems, you'll find a fulfilling home with us.

About the Role

This role will support one or more direct or indirect contracts with the U.S. Federal Government which, due to federal government security requirements, mandates that all Workday personnel working on the contracts be United States citizens (naturalized or native).

Are you eager to use Workday's vast computing resources and extensive datasets? Do you want to collaborate with extraordinary engineers to build and evolve our Observability data platform? If so, we'd love to hear from you!

Role & Responsibilities

• Design, build, and enhance critical Observability services, including Monitoring, Logging, Alerting, and Tracing.
• Develop data capture and collection services using pioneering technologies across diverse infrastructure environments (Kubernetes, OpenStack, Bare Metal, etc.).
• Design and develop core software modules for real-time and batch data processing.
• Construct Metrics ingestion pipelines, Alert definitions, and automation for Dashboard lifecycle management.
• Build and deploy infrastructure components in production environments.
• Champion all aspects of observability with a focus on data quality, integrity, and availability.
• Evaluate and implement new open-source and cloud-native tools and technologies as needed.
• Participate in the on-call rotation to support the observability platform.
• Manage and optimize Workday within the air-gapped U.S. AWS cloud regions, forming the core of the team responsible for this mission. Collaborate closely with our commercial software engineering teams responsible for the overall Workday platform.
• Partner with the Workday Federal Cyber Defense team to ensure security operations, cybersecurity posture, governance, risk, compliance, and platform security health.

About You

This role may require a security clearance at the TS/SCI w/CI Poly level. Applicants must have the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government issued security clearance. An active TS/SCI w/CI Poly is preferred. Employees may be required to be on site at client locations in the DC, MD, and VA (DMV) area.

Basic Qualifications

• BS/MS in Computer Science or a related technical field.
• Strong software engineering background with a consistent track record of delivering high-quality products at scale.
• Exceptional coding skills (Java, Python; Go is a plus) and the ability to design systems that meet business needs.
• Solid understanding of high-performance data capture and collection systems, API design, and reliable data delivery.
• Good understanding of Time-Series Databases and Log collection and management.
• Good knowledge and understanding of Kubernetes.
• 10+ years of experience building high-performance data ingestion software, addressing concurrency, latency, and efficiency challenges.
• Excellent interpersonal, technical, and communication skills.
• Ability to prioritize multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment.
• Fluency in Linux.
• Experience with Infrastructure Automation (Ansible, Chef, Terraform).

Other Qualifications

• Demonstrable experience with the Prometheus Ecosystem,