Software Engineer 2

Position Title: Software Engineer 2 (SWE2)
Position Type: Full-time Onsite
Location: Annapolis Junction, MD
Clearance: Active TS/SCI with Full Scope Polygraph

Description:
Waypoint's client is seeking a Software Engineer 2 (SWE2) to support modernization, research, and innovation initiatives across mission-critical systems. This role focuses on evaluating existing production environments, identifying modernization opportunities, and delivering rapid, validated solutions through structured trade studies and short-duration experiments.

The Software Engineer will collaborate with mission stakeholders to assess system gaps, design fail-fast experiments, and lead proof-of-concept development efforts that inform long-term architectural decisions. This role directly contributes to modernization strategies, cloud adoption initiatives, and enterprise system re-architecture efforts.

Responsibilities:

• Engage with mission stakeholders to identify operational challenges and modernization opportunities.
• Conduct trade studies and produce technical research reports with actionable recommendations.
• Design and execute short-duration fail-fast experiments to validate technical feasibility.
• Lead development of proof-of-concept solutions within defined timelines, delivering demonstrable progress milestones.
• Provide accurate estimates for time, scope, and resource requirements to support mission schedules.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate successful prototypes into operational environments.
• Support replatforming, rearchitecting, and refactoring of legacy monolithic applications into modern cloud-native architectures.
• Apply secure authentication, authorization, and PKI principles within modernized solutions.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and propose innovative solutions aligned with mission needs.
• Support development and maintenance of systems operating across both low-side and high-side environments.

Required:

• U.S. Citizenship.
• Active TS/SCI clearance with Full Scope Polygraph.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
• Minimum 14 years of experience in software engineering, modernization efforts, or solution architecture.
• Strong proficiency in Java, Python, and JavaScript (ReactJS).
• Experience with AWS services, including EC2 and S3.
• Experience developing REST-based services and modern APIs.
• Experience with the Atlassian tool suite including Jira and Confluence.
  Familiarity with SAFe Agile methodologies and development practices.
• Experience administering systems related to metrics and monitoring tools such as Splunk.
• Experience configuring and maintaining VMware ESXi and virtualization environments.
• Experience applying Infrastructure as Code (IaC) principles and tools such as Ansible.
• Experience with containerization and orchestration technologies, including Docker and Kubernetes.
• Strong understanding of authentication and authorization frameworks, including OAuth2 and OpenID Connect.
• Experience working with PKI and certificate management.
• Experience working in Agile software development environments.
• Must meet applicable LCAT capability requirements.

Desired:

• Experience conducting modernization trade studies and architecture assessments.
• Experience with graph databases such as Amazon Neptune or Neo4j.
• Familiarity with AI/ML tools such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, or Hugging Face.
• Experience with Golang development.
• Experience using Grafana for monitoring and visualization.
• Experience with identity and access management platforms such as Keycloak.
• Experience with CI/CD tools including Jenkins, GitLab CI, or GitHub Actions.
• Familiarity with build tools such as Maven.
• Experience designing scalable cloud-native architectures for mission systems.
• Ability to translate ambiguous mission needs into technical solutions.
• Experience mentoring junior developers and organizing work within collaborative engineering teams.
• Experience working within fast-paced, evolving mission environments.