Senior Software Engineer

Socket.dev; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 155,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible PTO

Learning & Development stipend

Headspace access

401K contribution and stock options

Job summary

Virtru is seeking a Senior Backend Software Engineer to contribute to our Go-based backend and the OpenTDF project. You will help build foundational services powering our data protection platform for enterprise and federal customers.

This hands-on role spans on-premise, air-gapped, and cloud-native deployments, with Terraform and GitOps tooling guiding the delivery. You will collaborate across Virtru's engineering organization, design scalable systems, and mentor peers while advancing

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional backend software engineering experience.
• Strong proficiency in Go and building production-grade services.
• Experience with microservices, APIs, and distributed systems.
• Hands-on experience with Docker and Kubernetes in production with CI/CD and GitOps.
• Infrastructure as Code with Terraform across multi-cloud environments.
• Ability to own complex projects from design to deployment.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain core backend services using Go.
• Contribute to the OpenTDF project and related tooling.
• Tackle security, scalability, and distributed-systems challenges.
• Deploy solutions for on-prem, air-gapped, and cloud-native environments using Terraform and GitOps.
• Collaborate on multi-language SDKs (Go, Java, JavaScript).
• Mentor engineers through code reviews and design discussions.
• Create written design docs and uphold engineering standards.
• Leverage AI coding agents to accelerate development.

Skills

Go (Golang)

Microservices

APIs (gRPC/REST)

Docker & Kubernetes

CI/CD & GitOps

Terraform

IaC

SDK development

Open-source contributions

Distributed systems

Tools

Helm

ArgoCD

Git

Job description

About Virtru

While the rest of the security industry obsesses over locking data down to prevent it from being lost or stolen, we're doing something fundamentally different at Virtru. We're setting data free so that you can intentionally share it with others, but without sacrificing security, privacy, or control.

We've created both a suite of powerful data protection applications and an open platform that's sparking an ecosystem of innovation. Through the Trusted Data Format (TDF) open standard, we're not just protecting data; we're creating a new paradigm where security enables sharing rather than preventing it.

Think of us as the Android of data protection: a robust platform with an open core that developers and partners can build upon, coupled with our own best-in-class applications that showcase what's possible when you reimagine security from the ground up.

Backed by Iconiq Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Foundry Capital, and Tiger Global, we're helping Fortune 500 companies and government agencies discover that true data security means having the freedom to share, collaborate, and innovate — without compromise.

Compensation: $155,000-200,000/year

Team & Position Details

As a Senior Backend Software Engineer, you will be a core contributor to our Go-based backend and the open-source OpenTDF project, building the foundational services that power our entire data security platform. This is a hands‑on role where you will tackle complex engineering challenges, architecting and implementing solutions that serve a diverse range of enterprise and federal customers. You will join a small, focused team with opportunities to collaborate with teams across Virtru's broader engineering organization.

You will thrive in this role if you are a resilient problem‑solver who is comfortable navigating the unique challenges of on‑premise, air‑gapped, and cloud‑native environments. If you are passionate about building robust, secure, and scalable systems and want to make a significant impact on a growing platform, we encourage you to apply.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain our core backend platform and services using Go.
• Contribute directly to the open‑source OpenTDF project, shaping its future and ensuring its success.
• Tackle complex engineering challenges related to data security, scalability, and distributed systems in a multi‑language environment.
• Engineer and deploy solutions for complex enterprise and federal customer environments, including on‑premise, air‑gapped, and cloud‑native deployments, using Terraform and GitOps tooling.
• Collaborate on the architecture and implementation of our multi‑language SDKs (Go, Java, JavaScript) to ensure they integrate seamlessly with the backend.
• Mentor fellow engineers through constructive code reviews, pair programming, design discussions, and knowledge sharing.
• Develop well‑defined written design documents and contribute to a culture of technical excellence.
• Leverage AI coding agents to accelerate development, maintain engineering standards, and scale your impact across the codebase.

Skills

• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience, with a significant focus on backend development.
• Strong proficiency in Go (Golang) and experience building production‑grade, scalable services with it.
• Experience with both microservice and monolithic architectures, APIs (gRPC, REST), and distributed systems.
• Proven hands‑on experience designing, deploying, and managing containerized applications using Docker and Kubernetes in production environments, with practical implementation of CI/CD and GitOps pipelines (e.g., Helm, ArgoCD).
• Demonstrated experience designing and implementing Infrastructure as Code (IaC) solutions using Terraform across multi‑cloud environments.
• A demonstrated ability to independently own complex technical projects from design to deployment.

Nice to have

• Deep experience in cryptography, including knowledge of cryptographic primitives, protocols, and secure key management.
• Deep understanding of identity federation principles beyond just protocol usage (OIDC, SAML), including experience designing or contributing to federated trust systems.
• Experience architecting for and deploying into complex customer environments, including on‑premise, air‑gapped, sovereign clouds, or bare‑metal deployments.
• Experience with modern API protocols like ConnectRPC.
• Familiarity with container standards and runtimes like the Open Container Initiative (OCI).
• Experience building and maintaining multi‑language SDKs.
• Contributions to open‑source projects, especially in the security or data space.
• Experience with other programming languages like Java, JavaScript, Python, or Rust.
• Demonstrable experience as an active contributor or maintainer of an established open‑source project.
• Comfort working with AI coding agents as part of your development workflow.

Qualities that set you up for success

Thinking outside of the box to respectfully challenge your teammates and managers in the pursuit of excellence

Strong sense of urgency with an action‑oriented mindset

Able to collaborate and adapt to shifting priorities as business needs evolve

Comfortable with asynchronous communication including Slack, email, Zoom, etc.

Perks & Benefits

At Virtru, we believe people do their best work when their wellbeing is put first. This is why we make your wellbeing our priority with a thoughtful and holistic program that encompasses Occupational, Mental, Social, Physical, and Environmental Wellness by offering benefits such as…

Flexible PTO policy — we strongly encourage you to take time off (in addition to 14 holidays) to ensure that you are getting the proper time needed to unplug and recharge.

A $1,500 annual Learning & Development Stipend focused on providing you the resources to continually learn and professionally grow.

Frequent company-sponsored team celebrations that provide ample opportunities to connect with teammates and be social!

Access to an Employee Assistance Program

Access to Headspace, a mental health app tailored to your specific needs.

A flat 3% contribution to your retirement account

High degree of flexibility — Have an appointment, errand, or family emergency to take care of? Hop to it! We give you the time and space to take care of you and your own first.

In addition to wellbeing, Virtru places a strong emphasis on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Our DB&I Council is dedicated to fostering an inclusive workplace and making the psychological safety of each and every one of our teammates a top priority.

Additional perks include

Competitive compensation

• Generous parental, medical, and bereavement policies
• Uncapped commissions for Sales roles
• 401K contribution and stock options
• Full medical, dental, and vision benefits
• New Hire Swag and IT Welcome boxes
• Structured semi-annual 360° performance reviews

Virtru is committed to building an inclusive environment for people of all backgrounds and everyone is encouraged to apply. Virtru is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, disability, national origin, protected veteran status, age, or any other status protected by applicable national, federal, state, or local law.