Software Engineer

Footbridge Federal; Sterling (VA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Retirement plan

PTO & holidays

Professional development

Job summary

Footbridge Federal delivers engineering, cyber, mission IT, analytics, and cleared program support for defense, intelligence, federal civilian, homeland security, and research missions.

Candidates should expect work tied to defense, intelligence and federal missions rather than generic commercial delivery, with small-team accountability and hands-on technical growth. The role emphasizes building robust Python services, streaming data with Kafka, and secure distributed systems.

Qualifications

• Experience with Python and asynchronous programming.
• Proven experience using Apache Kafka for event-driven systems.
• Solid understanding of distributed platform design and fault-tolerant architectures.
• Hands-on experience creating dashboards and log visualization tools with Grafana and the ELK Stack.
• Familiarity with JSON data structures and data ingestion pipelines.

Responsibilities

• Develop robust backend software using Python and async/concurrent models.
• Manage message queuing and event streams with Kafka across distributed environments.
• Build extensible data ingestion frameworks for diverse formats and sources.
• Deploy observability tools with Grafana and the ELK Stack for monitoring and logs.
• Implement access control and auditing capabilities for secure data handling.

Skills

Python development

Asynchronous programming

Kafka

Distributed systems

Grafana/ELK

Tools

Grafana

ELK Stack

JSON data structures

Job description

• Develop robust, scalable backend software using Python, leveraging asynchronous and concurrent programming methods.
• Manage message queuing and event streaming workflows across distributed environments using Apache Kafka.
• Construct extensible software frameworks to easily ingest and integrate diverse data formats and sources.
• Deploy and manage system observability tools using Grafana and the ELK Stack for performance tracking and log analytics.
• Integrate access control policies and audit capabilities to ensure secure data handling and platform integrity.

Minimum Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI security clearance with a Full Scope Polygraph.
• Proven experience in Python software development, including asynchronous programming techniques.
• Demonstrated expertise using Apache Kafka for event-driven and distributed messaging systems.
• Solid understanding of distributed platform design, JSON data structures, and fault‑tolerant architecture principles.
• Hands‑on experience creating dashboards and log visualization tools with Grafana and the ELK Stack.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience configuring granular user access controls within distributed software architectures.
• Background in developing automated monitoring, digital record‑keeping, and security auditing solutions.
• Proven track record of scaling data pipelines to accommodate new domains and processing requirements.

Required Skills

• Active TS/SCI security clearance with a Full Scope Polygraph.
• Proven experience in Python software development, including asynchronous programming techniques.
• Demonstrated expertise using Apache Kafka for event-driven and distributed messaging systems.
• Solid understanding of distributed platform design, JSON data structures, and fault‑tolerant architecture principles.
• Hands‑on experience creating dashboards and log visualization tools with Grafana and the ELK Stack.

Preferred Skills

• Experience configuring granular user access controls within distributed software architectures.
• Background in developing automated monitoring, digital record‑keeping, and security auditing solutions.
• Proven track record of scaling data pipelines to accommodate new domains and processing requirements.

Security Clearance

• Level: TS/SCI

Contract On-site

• Health and Financial Foundation — Medical, dental, vision, retirement, life insurance, disability coverage, and flexible spending accounts are described in the benefits page.
• Time Away and Flexibility Where Mission Permits — PTO, holidays, sick time, military leave, and flexible arrangements are supported where program and security requirements allow.
• Professional Development — The site references certification support, training, conferences, mentorship, internal mobility, and individual development planning.

Mission

Footbridge Federal delivers engineering, cyber, mission IT, analytics, and cleared program support for defense, intelligence, federal civilian, homeland security, and research missions.

Culture

Mission Context Matters

Candidates should expect work tied to defense, intelligence, federal civilian, homeland, and research missions rather than generic commercial delivery.

Small-Team Accountability

The culture copy emphasizes ownership, communication, and practical execution across teams that work close to customers and program outcomes.

Growth With Technical Credibility

Career content supports hands‑on technical growth, certifications, internal mobility, and program leadership without forcing one career track.

Benefits & why work here

• Health and Financial Foundation: Medical, dental, vision, retirement, life insurance, disability coverage, and flexible spending accounts are described in the benefits page.
• Time Away and Flexibility Where Mission Permits: PTO, holidays, sick time, military leave, and flexible arrangements are supported where program and security requirements allow.
• Professional Development: The site references certification support, training, conferences, mentorship, internal mobility, and individual development planning.