Senior Software Engineer, Streaming

Orbis; McLean (VA); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Orbis is seeking a Senior Software Engineer within Catalyst Data Platform to own high-performance data pipelines and end-to-end streaming features. You’ll work across components to optimize real-time data flow from distributed sources into our core platform, with a focus on reliability and scalability.

You’ll collaborate with product and engineering teams, refine requirements, and drive architectural decisions.

Qualifications

• 5-7 years of experience in real-time data streaming and ownership of product surfaces.
• Deep knowledge of media session negotiation and transport layer mechanics (jitter, sequencing, multiplexing).
• Hands-on streaming transport with frame-level audio/video data handling and timestamp reconciliation.
• Strong Go engineering skills with protocol-level behavior.
• Excellent communication with customers, product leaders, and engineering teams.

Responsibilities

• Architect features across the full streaming lifecycle from ingestion to packaging and distribution.
• Collaborate with product and engineering to refine requirements and trade-offs.
• Evaluate technical trade-offs for Catalyst production systems with clear architectural rationale.
• Design high-performance modules for media ingress, relay, and packetization (RTSP, RTP, WebRTC).
• Mentor junior engineers and lead design reviews and planning sessions.
• Participate in on-call rotations and incident reviews to improve reliability.
• Contribute to automated deployment pipelines using GitHub Actions, Docker, and Kubernetes.
• Travel up to 25% for customer engagement and architecture reviews (Middle East).

Skills

Go programming

Real-time streaming

Distributed systems

Protocol knowledge

Debugging/Observability

Communication

Tools

Datadog

Prometheus

Kubernetes

Docker

Job description

Orbis is a technology company that delivers sovereign intelligence and decision capabilities to the United States Government and its allies. We convert complex information and operational systems into decisive outcomes, giving public institutions and critical enterprises the tools to move faster, see clearer, and act first in an increasingly contested world.

We are not a consulting firm and not a systems integrator. Every Orbis team is built around practitioners who have operated at the mission edge, and every engagement is judged on one thing: whether it produces working capability, not slide decks. Solutions forged from experience; that is how we build, and it is how we hire.

Job Summary

Orbis is seeking a Senior Software Engineer within Catalyst Data Platform that will own the implementation of key features within our data pipelines—ensuring high-performance movement of data from distributed edge environments into our core platform. You'll work across different system components to deliver reliable, end-to-end functionality and contribute to the technical evolution. You will work on critical end-to-end features that orchestrate the flow of real-time data from distributed sources into our platform. At this level, you can seamlessly move across our stack to identify systemic bottlenecks and optimize high-throughput pipelines that maintain stability under extreme scale.

TRAVEL: International travel to Middle East and geopolitical hot zones,up to 25% per calendar year is required. Please apply only if you can meet this requirement. Key Responsibilities

• Architect and implement features across the full streaming lifecycle, from ingestion and buffering/jitter handling through to distribution and final packaging/multiplexing workflows
• Partner with product and engineering stakeholders to refine requirements, identify technical constraints, and deliver solutions that balance product vision with system integrity
• Evaluate and document critical technical trade-offs for Catalyst production systems, providing clear architectural rationale for high-impact design decisions
• Design and implement high-performance modules for media ingress, relay, and packetization logic (e.g., handling RTSP, RTP, or WebRTC protocols), including support for KLV-encoded telemetry metadata extraction and synchronization
• Act as the subject matter expert for a core protocol subsystem, managing complex edge cases and ensuring interoperability between diverse hardware sources and software consumers
• Establish and uphold quality standards by implementing rigorous testing (e.g., chaos engineering and property-based testing) and monitoring critical streaming metrics (e.g., end-to-end latency, jitter, and throughput) via observability platforms like Datadog or Prometheus
• Participate in on-call rotations and incident response, conducting post-incident reviews to implement preventative mitigations and improve system reliability
• Contribute to the evolution of automated deployment pipelines (e.g., using GitHub Actions, Docker containerization, and Kubernetes deployments) to ensure reliable, high-integrity delivery of streaming modules across the platform
• Formally mentor junior engineers on protocol fundamentals and lead team rituals such as design reviews and planning sessions
• Travel up to 25% for customer engagement, architecture reviews, or team collaboration (Middle East)

Required Qualifications

• 5-7 years of experience in real-time data streaming with demonstrated ownership of meaningful product surfaces
• Deep working knowledge of media session negotiation and transport layer mechanics and challenges like jitter, sequencing, multiplexing, and reconnection and backoff handling
• Hands-on experience with streaming transport, including frame-level audio, video, and data handling and timestamp reconciliation
• Strong Go engineering skills with a strong grasp of protocol-level behavior
• Exceptional communication skills across technical and non-technical audiences; you routinely interface with customers, product leaders, and engineering teams to gather requirements, articulate trade-offs, and drive alignment from initial design to delivery
• Travel up to 25% for customer engagement, architecture reviews, or team collaboration (Middle East)

Desired Qualifications

• Experience with interoperability across varied data protocols
• Experience designing gRPC-based plugin architectures for sources, operators, or sinks
• Experience in mission-critical or national security environments where operational reliability is a foundational requirement
• Active security clearance (Secret or above); Top Secret preferred

Physical Requirements

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer
• Participation in virtual and in-person meetings
• Ability to attend planned meetings and/or work in classified spaces for extended periods within the specified work regions
• TRAVEL:International travel to Middle East and geopolitical hot zones,up to 25% is required per calendar year. Please apply only if you can meet this requirement

Beyond the opportunity to work alongside practitioners who have operated at the mission edge, joining Orbis means real ownership over outcomes that matter; the chance to build technology that gives the United States Government and its allies a genuine decision advantage, not just another dashboard. From competitive retirement matching to a PTO policy that encourages real time off, we're committed to creating an environment where our team can do their best work and still have a life outside of it.

Our comprehensive benefits package is designed to meet the diverse needs of our employees and their families. A full list of benefits is shared with candidates following an initial conversation with our HR team, so you'll have a clear picture of the support and resources available to you as part of the Orbis team.

Orbis Locations

Orbis works in whatever arrangement the mission requires. Depending on the role, that might mean five days a week on a customer site, full-time in one of our offices, a hybrid schedule, or fully remote work; our team is spread across 25 states and four countries to match. We make sure every team member has the tools and access needed to do the work, wherever that work happens.

Travel is common across many Orbis roles, particularly those supporting customer missions in the field.

Orbis is headquartered in McLean, VA, with additional office locations in Taipei, Taiwan, and Canberra, Australia.

Orbis is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We are committed to providing a work environment free of discrimination and harassment, and we make employment decisions based on merit, qualifications, and business need. Orbis does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable law.

Orbis complies with all applicable equal opportunity and non-discrimination laws in every jurisdiction in which we operate. Reasonable accommodation is available to applicants and employees with disabilities upon request.