This is a U.S. based position. All of the programs we support require U.S. citizenship to be eligible for employment. All work must be conducted within the continental U.S.
Who we are:
Raft (https://TeamRaft.com) is a customer-obsessed non-traditional small business with a purposeful focus on Distributed Data Systems, Platforms at Scale, and Complex Application Development, with headquarters in McLean, VA. Our range of clients includes innovative federal and public agencies leveraging design thinking, cutting-edge tech stack, and cloud-native ecosystem. We build digital solutions that impact the lives of millions of Americans.
About the role:
As a Principal Software Developer, you will serve as a senior technical authority responsible for defining, guiding, and validating software solutions for large-scale, mission-critical systems. You will lead technical planning, architecture decisions, and system integration efforts across programs while influencing engineering best practices and long-term technical direction.This role demands deep technical expertise, strategic thinking, and the ability to lead teams
This role requires deep hands-on expertise and the ability to collaborate closely with systems engineers, testers, and stakeholders to deliver high-quality software in structured or regulated environments.
Key Responsibilities:
- Lead technical planning and execution for complex software systems and subsystems
- Define and validate high-level and detailed software requirements across programs
- Architect and guide software solutions aligned with mission, operational, and enterprise needs
- Oversee and direct test planning and execution, including:
- Use case development
- Test strategy, procedures, and test data
- System-level validation and verification
- Lead software systems integration across platforms and environments
- Provide senior-level technical oversight across the full software lifecycle, including:
- Concept design
- Development and integration
- Installation and deployment
- Operations, sustainment, and modernization
- Retirement and disposal
- Conduct and guide technical trade studies and architectural decision analysis
- Resolve the most complex software integration and performance challenges
- Mentor senior and mid-level developers and guide technical teams
- Ensure software solutions balance performance, security, schedule, and cost constraints
- Serve as a trusted technical advisor to program leadership and stakeholders
What we are looking for:
- Bachelor’s degree with 18+ years of related experience, or
Master’s degree with 16+ years, or PhD with 15+ years - Expert-level experience in software architecture, development, systems integration and AWS tools
- Proven ability to lead complex technical efforts and guide engineering teams
- Extensive experience in requirements definition, system design, and validation
- Strong background supporting large-scale or mission-critical software systems
- Ability to influence technical direction across programs or organizations
Highly preferred:
- Technical leadership experience on DoD, federal, or classified programs
- Deep familiarity with systems engineering methodologies and lifecycle processes
- Experience defining engineering standards, best practices, or reference architectures
- Formal mentorship or team leadership responsibilities
- Experience supporting highly regulated or high-assurance environments
Clearance Requirements:
- Active Top Secret with ability to obtain and maintain SCI
Work Type:
- Onsite in Colorado Springs, CO
- May require up to 15% travel
Salary Range:
- $165,000 - $210,000
- The determination of compensation is predicated upon a candidate's comprehensive experience, demonstrated skill, and proven abilities
What we will offer you:
- Highly competitive salary
- Fully covered healthcare, dental, and vision coverage
- 401(k) and company match
- Take as you need PTO + 11 paid holidays
- Education & training benefits
- Generous Referral Bonuses
- And More!
Our Vision Statement:
We bridge the gap between humans and data through radical transparency and our obsession with the mission.
Our Customer Obsession:
We will approach every deliverable like it's a product. We will adopt a customer-obsessed mentality. As we grow, and our footprint becomes larger, teams and employees will treat each other not only as teammates but customers. We must live the customer-obsessed mindset, always. This will help us scale and it will translate to the interactions that our Rafters have with their clients and other product teams that they integrate with. Our culture will enable our success and set us apart from other companies.
How do we get there?
Public-sector modernization is critical for us to live in a better world. We, at Raft, want to innovate and solve complex problems. And, if we are successful, our generation and the ones that follow us will live in a delightful, efficient, and accessible world where out-of-box thinking, and collaboration is a norm.
Raft’s core philosophy is Ubuntu: I Am, Because We are. We support our “nadi” by elevating the other Rafters. We work as a hyper collaborative team where each team member brings a unique perspective, adding value that did not exist before. People make Raft special. We celebrate each other and our cognitive and cultural diversity. We are devoted to our practice of innovation and collaboration.
We’re an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.
Top Skills
What We Do
Raft is a digital consulting firm with niche expertise in the rapid delivery of modern, user-first, scalable, and data-intensive digital solutions. We accelerate the missions of our federal partners through human-centered design (HCD) and agile development practices, bringing deep technical expertise in DevSecOps, Kubernetes management, cloud-native microservice architectures, and secure, open source delivery.
We put our people and our culture first. We work with some of the smartest, hardest working experts in their field. We owe it to them to make sure our team is free of meaningless restrictions and internal politics so they can focus on what they love, finding innovative solutions.
We build off the Open-Source and resist vendor lock in. That way you’re not paying us to reinvent the wheel, our solutions play nice with others and are always adaptable.
We know digital innovation doesn’t always operate during bank hours, so neither do we. (It's also why we don’t dress like bankers.) We aren’t afraid to go the extra mile or put in the extra time to find a solution. We get it right the first time; we won’t waste our time (and your money) trying to fix something that’s fundamentally broken. It’s kind of like making an exceptional cup of coffee, if the beans are roasted wrong, it doesn’t matter how much pumpkin spice you dump in your cup, it’s still not going to taste great.
And above all else we’re up for a challenge; it’s in our DNA. Ask us about something that’s never been done, or better yet something that can’t be done, and we’ll find a way to do it. It’s just who we are.
If you need a partner that’s looking toward the future and not the past, don’t go traditional, go Raft.
Why Work With Us
Raft partners with public agencies to solve hard complex problems that impact the lives of millions of Americans. We work hard to make it easy for humans to connect with data.
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