SME Software Developer

Location: US - DC, Washington

Time Type: Full time

Job Description

Job Family:

Software Development & Support

Travel Required:

Up to 10%

Clearance Required:

Active Top Secret (TS)

Overview

We’re seeking a highly seasoned SME Software Developer to architect, modernize, and sustain mission‑critical systems supporting the Department of Justice (DOJ). In this senior technical leadership role, you will guide engineering direction, mentor development teams, and influence enterprise‑level decisions across secure environments. You’ll work directly with product owners, mission stakeholders, and security leadership to deliver resilient, secure, and scalable software solutions that strengthen DOJ capabilities and national security.

What You Will Do

• Serve as the technical authority for software architecture, design strategy, and modernization initiatives across DOJ programs.
• Lead development of secure, scalable, enterprise‑grade applications and APIs supporting mission‑critical workflows.
• Architect and implement microservices, distributed systems, and high‑availability integrations for complex case management, analytics, and inter‑agency data exchange.
• Establish advanced CI/CD patterns, security automation, artifact governance, and deployment pipelines that meet DOJ/IC compliance requirements.
• Direct hardening efforts for applications and infrastructure to ensure compliance with RMF, STIG, FIPS 140‑2, and FedRAMP High control families.
• Oversee ATO‑related engineering activities—security documentation, POA&M remediation paths, testing evidence, and continuous monitoring artifacts.
• Provide expertise in performance engineering, distributed tracing, observability modeling, and system optimization at scale.
• Guide Agile teams through backlog refinement, sprint planning, and technical reviews while aligning work to mission and enterprise objectives.
• Mentor senior developers, review critical code paths, and drive adoption of best‑practice coding standards, patterns, and documentation.
• Support operational continuity, incident response, and complex troubleshooting in classified environments (including SCIF support).

What You Will Need

• U.S. Citizenship
• Active Top Secret (TS) Clearance with SCI or the ability to obtain SCI
• Twelve (12)+ years of professional software development experience, with clear evidence of SME‑level technical leadership in secure, regulated, or federal environments.
• Expert proficiency in one or more backend/ frontend ecosystems:
  • Backend: Java/Spring Boot, .NET/C#, Python (FastAPI/Flask/Django), Node.js (Express/Nest)
  • Frontend: React, Angular, or Vue with TypeScript
• Extensive experience designing and optimizing REST APIs, distributed systems, and relational data stores (PostgreSQL/Oracle).
• Mastery of CI/CD ecosystems (GitLab CI, Jenkins, GitHub Actions) and production‑grade container orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes, OpenShift).
• Deep understanding of secure software engineering—authN/Z, secrets mgmt, cryptographic controls, OWASP Top 10, and secure protocol design.
• Significant experience working within DOJ, DoD, or IC security frameworks, including RMF, STIGs, ATO processes, and compliance engineering.
• Strong cloud engineering background across AWS GovCloud or Azure Government, including Infrastructure‑as‑Code (Terraform/CloudFormation).
• Proven ability to communicate complex technical concepts to senior leadership and cross‑functional mission partners.
• Education: BS in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent experience; advanced degrees or recognized SME‑level certifications are a plus.

Nice to Have

• Prior experience supporting DOJ components (FBI, DEA, ATF, EOIR, BOP, USAO) or adjacent federal law enforcement agencies.
• Expertise with data streaming/search platforms: Kafka, Kinesis, Elasticsearch/OpenSearch, NiFi.
• Advanced observability and SecOps tooling: Splunk, CloudWatch, Prometheus/Grafana, SonarQube, ZAP, Trivy.
• Working knowledge of compliance standards such as CJIS, NIEM, FISMA, FedRAMP High, Section 508.
• Experience with modern messaging frameworks (gRPC, GraphQL, EventBridge, SQS/SNS, RabbitMQ).
• Advanced test automation and quality engineering: JUnit, pytest, Cypress/Playwright, PACT.
• Strong background in identity/security frameworks: OAuth2/OIDC, SAML, PKI, KMS/HSM, ABAC/RBAC.
• Platform engineering experience with Red Hat OpenShift, service mesh (Istio/Linkerd), OPA/Gatekeeper policies.
• Expertise in cloud cost optimization, performance tuning, and high‑availability patterns in federal cloud environments.
• Relevant certifications: AWS/Azure GovCloud, Security+, CASP+, CISSP, CKA/CKAD, DoD 8570/8140.

Desired Additional Skills

• Deep experience modeling sensitive/controlled data environments and lifecycle governance.
• SME‑level capability in secrets management and configuration security (AWS Secrets Manager, HashiCorp Vault).
• Strong documentation leadership—ADRs, architecture packages, operational playbooks, security evidence for ATO cycles.
• Ability to lead incident investigations, root‑cause analysis, and remediation in highly controlled operational environments.
• Prior experience mentoring senior engineers and shaping technical standards, reusable frameworks, and enterprise patterns.
• Comfortable operating within SCIF procedures and managing structured workflows via ITSM tools (ServiceNow/Jira).

The annual salary range for this position is $149,000.00-$248,000.00. Compensation decisions depend on a wide range of factors, including but not limited to skill sets, experience and training, security clearances, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs.

What We Offer:

Guidehouse offers a comprehensive, total rewards package that includes competitive compensation and a flexible benefits package that reflects our commitment to creating a diverse and supportive workplace.

Benefits include:

• Medical, Rx, Dental & Vision Insurance

• Personal and Family Sick Time & Company Paid Holidays

• Parental Leave

• 401(k) Retirement Plan

• Group Term Life and Travel Assistance

• Voluntary Life and AD&D Insurance

• Health Savings Account, Health Care & Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts

• Transit and Parking Commuter Benefits

• Short-Term & Long-Term Disability

• Tuition Reimbursement, Personal Development, Certifications & Learning Opportunities

• Employee Referral Program

• Corporate Sponsored Events & Community Outreach

• Care.com annual membership

• Employee Assistance Program

• Supplemental Benefits via Corestream (Critical Care, Hospital Indemnity, Accident Insurance, Legal Assistance and ID theft protection, etc.)

• Position may be eligible for a discretionary variable incentive bonus

About Guidehouse

Guidehouse is an Equal Opportunity Employer–Protected Veterans, Individuals with Disabilities or any other basis protected by law, ordinance, or regulation.

Guidehouse will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable law or ordinance including the Fair Chance Ordinance of Los Angeles and San Francisco.

If you have visited our website for information about employment opportunities, or to apply for a position, and you require an accommodation, please contact Guidehouse Recruiting at 1-571-633-1711 or via email at [email protected]. All information you provide will be kept confidential and will be used only to the extent required to provide needed reasonable accommodation.

All communication regarding recruitment for a Guidehouse position will be sent from Guidehouse email domains including @guidehouse.com or [email protected].  Correspondence received by an applicant from any other domain should be considered unauthorized and will not be honored by Guidehouse.  Note that Guidehouse will never charge a fee or require a money transfer at any stage of the recruitment process and does not collect fees from educational institutions for participation in a recruitment event. Never provide your banking information to a third party purporting to need that information to proceed in the hiring process.

If any person or organization demands money related to a job opportunity with Guidehouse, please report the matter to Guidehouse’s Ethics Hotline. If you want to check the validity of correspondence you have received, please contact [email protected]. Guidehouse is not responsible for losses incurred (monetary or otherwise) from an applicant’s dealings with unauthorized third parties.

Guidehouse does not accept unsolicited resumes through or from search firms or staffing agencies. All unsolicited resumes will be considered the property of Guidehouse and Guidehouse will not be obligated to pay a placement fee.