Senior Applications Developer

Overview

SENIOR APPLICATION DEVELOPER (NAUT):

Bowhead seeks a Senior Application Developer to support our customer on the Nautical contract in the Arlington, VA area. This position serves as a technical leader in the modernization of legacy DoD systems, providing advanced expertise in cloud-native development, architecture design, and team leadership.

This position is located near a metro station and a travel stipend may be provided if necessary.

Responsibilities

Lead the architectural design and development of complex cloud-native applications and systems for DoD modernization initiatives

Drive technical decision-making for legacy application migration strategies and modernization approaches

Mentor and provide technical guidance to junior and mid-level developers on best practices and advanced techniques

Design and implement scalable, secure, and resilient cloud architectures using industry best practices

Lead code reviews and establish coding standards, development processes, and quality assurance procedures

Collaborate with system architects and technical leads to define overall system architecture and integration strategies

Implement advanced DevOps practices including infrastructure as code, automated deployment pipelines, and monitoring solutions

Design and develop complex microservices architectures with proper service mesh implementation

Lead performance optimization efforts for cloud applications including load testing and capacity planning

Coordinate with government stakeholders to understand requirements and ensure technical solutions meet mission needs

Evaluate and recommend new technologies, frameworks, and tools to improve development efficiency and system performance

Lead incident response efforts for production issues and implement preventive measures

Design and implement comprehensive security controls throughout the application development lifecycle

Participate in technical reviews, design sessions, and architectural decision meetings

Manage technical debt and legacy system dependencies during migration projects

Develop and maintain technical documentation including architecture diagrams, design documents, and operational procedures

Coordinate with cross-functional teams including security, operations, and quality assurance

Lead proof-of-concept development and technical feasibility studies

Ensure compliance with DOD Directive 8140 and applicable cybersecurity frameworks

Interface with the customer and external stakeholders in working groups, technical exchange meetings, and other forums

Chair/co-chair meetings and working groups on behalf of government representatives as directed

Resolve technical problems, allocate resources, and monitor development team performance to meet contract requirements

Provide daily technical leadership and guidance to development team members

Provide planned replacement information at least 15 calendar days prior to replacement

Provide information within 24 hours of an unplanned replacement

Perform other duties as assigned

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, Data Science, Information Systems, or related technical field from an ABET accredited or CAE designated institution; Master's degree preferred. Ten (10) years of progressive experience in software development with significant cloud application experience may be substituted in lieu of degree

Minimum of 8+ years of progressive experience in software development with significant cloud application experience

Expert-level proficiency in multiple programming languages and development frameworks (C++ / Java)

Extensive experience with cloud platforms and advanced cloud services (compute, storage, networking, security)

Deep understanding of distributed systems, microservices architecture, and cloud-native design patterns

Proven leadership experience mentoring technical teams and managing complex development projects

Advanced knowledge of containerization, orchestration, and service mesh technologies

Experience with infrastructure as code tools (Terraform, CloudFormation, ARM templates)

Strong understanding of DevOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, and automated testing strategies

Expertise in application security, secure coding practices, and compliance frameworks

Excellent communication skills with ability to present complex technical concepts to various audiences

CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

Required: IAT Level III certification (one of the following): CISSP, CASP+, CCNP Security, CISA, CISSP (or Associate), GCIH, GCFA, or CSSLPDesired: Multiple cloud platform certifications at professional level (AWS Solutions Architect Professional, Azure Solutions Architect Expert, or Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect), Kubernetes CKA/CKAD, Docker Certified Associate, specialized security certifications

Physical Demands:

Must be able to lift 25 pounds on occasion.

Must be able to stand and walk for prolonged period amounts of time.

Must be able to twist, bend, and squat periodically.

Target salary range is between $165,000 - $230,000 commensurate with experience.

Please note that the salary information is a general guideline only. Bowhead considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, as well as, market and business considerations when extending an offer.

SECURITY CLEARANCE REQUIREMENTS: Must be able to maintain a security clearance at the Top Secret level with SCI eligibility and maintain SAP eligibility. Due to work requirements, this position will not entertain work from home capabilities. US Citizenship is a requirement for this contract.

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