Principal Software Engineer (Remote) - 27014

Enlighten, honored as a Top Workplace by USA Today, is a leader in big data solution development and deployment, specializing in cloud-based services, software and systems engineering, cyber capabilities, and data science. We provide continued innovation and proactivity in meeting our customers’ greatest challenges through a hybrid work approach that balances collaboration and flexibility.

About the role

Enlighten is seeking exceptional Senior Backend Developers to join our high-impact engineering team. We build and operate critical backend systems that manage trillions of records, ingest billions of new records daily, and service hundreds of thousands of queries per day across the Department of Defense (DoD). In this role, you'll be a key contributor to designing, building, and scaling core infrastructure, tackling challenges such as developing robust API endpoints, modifying complex open-source systems like Trino, architecting identity federation solutions, managing large-scale data ingest, and streamlining deployment automation.

This is a fully remote role unless you are near one of our office locations: Columbia, MD; San Antonio, TX; Boise, ID; Greenville, SC; or Augusta, GA. If local, you may be asked to come into the office occasionally to interact with the team.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, test, deploy, and maintain complex, scalable, and critical backend systems and services capable of handling massive data volumes and high query loads.
• Take full ownership of challenging technical projects, driving them from initial concept through to production and ongoing iteration.
• Engage with a variety of technical domains, including:
  • Building and evolving RESTful APIs and backend services.
  • Modifying, extending, and optimizing complex open-source software (e.g., Trino).
  • Implementing and managing sophisticated identity federation solutions (e.g., Keycloak).
  • Developing and operating large-scale data ingestion pipelines (e.g., using Airflow).
  • Enhancing and automating deployment processes (CI/CD) using technologies like Kubernetes.
• Collaborate effectively within a team of experienced engineers, contributing to a culture of shared knowledge and mutual respect.
• Apply strong problem-solving skills to diagnose, debug, and resolve complex technical issues, ensuring system reliability and performance.
• Champion pragmatic and robust solutions, adapting quickly to new technologies and evolving business needs.
• Operate with a high degree of independence in a low-process environment, taking initiative and driving results.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship required; a current U.S. Government Security Clearance is desired but not required. Candidates with a current Secret or TS level clearance are also considered.
• 15+ years of experience as a software engineer, designing, developing, and deploying complex backend systems, or a Bachelor’s degree in a related field with 13+ years of experience, or a High School Diploma with 19+ years of experience.
• Proficiency in one or more of our primary backend languages: Java, Python, or Go.
• Experience working with or modifying Trino (or similar distributed SQL query engines).
• Experience with containerization and orchestration, particularly Kubernetes.
• Familiarity with PostgreSQL or similar relational databases.
• Drive for pragmatic solutions with a strong bias for action and a "get stuff done" mentality.
• Low-ego and collaborative approach to teamwork and technical discussions.
• Self-motivated and thrive in a low-process, high-autonomy environment, working effectively with minimal supervision.
• Highly adaptable and a quick learner, comfortable context-switching and rapidly mastering new technologies and diverse technical domains.
• Significant experience building and maintaining API endpoints and backend services.
• Comfortable and experienced in modifying and extending complex open-source projects.
• Solid understanding and practical experience with identity federation protocols.
• Proficient in deployment automation and CI/CD practices and tools.
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to systematically debug and resolve intricate issues.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to articulate technical concepts clearly.

Preferred Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with Keycloak for identity and access management.
• Experience with workflow management tools like Airflow.
• Knowledge of monitoring and observability tools such as Prometheus.
• Experience with AWS cloud services (e.g., S3, EC2, KMS, Bedrock).
• Exposure to or interest in learning other cloud platforms like GCP or Azure.

Benefits

• 100% paid employee premium for healthcare, vision, and dental plans.
• 10% 401k benefit.
• Generous PTO + 10 paid holidays.
• Education and training allowances.

Pay

Anticipated salary range: $143,507 – $245,000. The salary range for this role is intended as a good faith estimate based on the role's location, expectations, and responsibilities. When extending an offer, Enlighten takes a variety of factors into consideration, including but not limited to the role's function, internal equity, and a candidate's education, training, work experience, certifications, and key skills. Occasionally, positions/roles may include additional non-recurrent compensation, which will be addressed by the recruiter during the interview process.