Senior Software Engineer (Data Backend)

Vienna, VA

Live, first seen by us 60 days ago

Pay: USD 145,000–175,000/year — pay source
Salary 145,000 – 175,000 USD per year SteerBridge is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where all qualified applicants and employees are treated with respect and dignity—regardless of race, color, gender, age, religion, national origin, ancestry, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Read the full posting
Work setting: Hybrid — work setting source
Work setup in the employer’s posting: hybrid
From the employer’s posting
Employment: Full-time — employment source
Employment type Full-time
Employment type in the employer’s posting: Full-time
From the employer’s posting

Before you apply

Work authorization: US citizens onlyUS citizenship is required for this position under applicable federal contract requirements

What you’ll work on

Full posting

Design and maintain scalable backend services and data pipelines
Write clean, tested Python and SQL code and set engineering standards
Architect data storage, processing, and integration solutions
Lead cross-functional technical initiatives and manage timelines and dependencies
Troubleshoot production issues, performance bottlenecks, and data quality problems

From the employer’s posting

Design, develop, and maintain scalable backend services and data pipelines

Write clean, well-tested, and maintainable Python and SQL code

Architect data storage, processing, and integration solutions

Lead cross-functional technical initiatives, managing project timelines, deliverables, and dependencies across teams

Troubleshoot and resolve production issues, including performance bottlenecks and data quality problems

What you’ll bring

All qualifications

Core experience

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience, with 6+ years of professional software engineering experience focused on backend or data systems.
Strong understanding of relational databases, SQL, API design, microservices architecture, and system integration.
Experience with cloud infrastructure such as AWS, GCP, or Azure, infrastructure-as-code tools such as Terraform, and Git-based version control and CI/CD practices.
Familiarity with data processing frameworks such as Spark and Pandas and workflow orchestration tools such as Airflow.
Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional projects, manage timelines, risks, competing priorities, and stakeholder needs, and communicate technical concepts effectively to technical and non-technical audiences.
Ability to work independently and drive initiatives forward with minimal oversight in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred experience

Experience with cloud data warehouses such as Amazon Redshift.
Experience mentoring engineers and contributing to team technical direction.

Qualification wording

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience, with 6+ years of professional software engineering experience focused on backend or data systems.

Strong understanding of relational databases, SQL, API design, microservices architecture, and system integration.

Experience with cloud infrastructure such as AWS, GCP, or Azure, infrastructure-as-code tools such as Terraform, and Git-based version control and CI/CD practices.

Familiarity with data processing frameworks such as Spark and Pandas and workflow orchestration tools such as Airflow.

Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional projects, manage timelines, risks, competing priorities, and stakeholder needs, and communicate technical concepts effectively to technical and non-technical audiences.

Ability to work independently and drive initiatives forward with minimal oversight in a fast-paced environment.

Experience with cloud data warehouses such as Amazon Redshift.

Experience mentoring engineers and contributing to team technical direction.

Education & alternatives

- Eligibility requirements: U.S. citizenship is required for this position under applicable federal contract requirements. Candidates must also be able to obtain and maintain the security clearance required for the role. - Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience, with 6+ years of professional software engineering experience focused on backend or data systems. - Expert-level Python programming skills with a strong foundation in computer science fundamentals, including data structures, algorithms, distributed systems, and software design principles.

Benefits in the posting

Full benefits wording

Health insurance
Dental insurance
Vision insurance
Life Insurance
401(k) Retirement Plan with matching
Paid Time Off
Paid Federal Holidays
SteerBridge also offers benefits that may include health and life insurance, paid time off, paid holidays, disability coverage, retirement savings, and professional development opportunities. Benefits vary by position and eligibility.

From the employer’s posting.

Apply at Steerbridge

Posting record

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Status in our records: Live
First seen by us: Sep 5, 202660 days ago
Recorded sightings: 30
Last seen by us: Nov 4, 2026
Employer says posted: Sep 3, 2026

These dates show when we found the posting. Check the employer’s website to confirm it is still accepting applications.

How this job compares

Pay

In line with similar jobs

$145K–$175K against $127K–$190K, the middle half of what similar US postings state.

From 2,133 postings in the last year. Stated ranges, not salaries paid.

Time since we first saw it

Day 60

Up longer than most. Similar jobs usually come down between day 5 and day 54.

From 10,736 similar postings that came down. Coming down is not always a hire.

Steerbridge is hiring

17 open jobs

Open jobs by the week we first saw them, last 12 weeks.

Data Engineer hiring has slowed
Takes jobs down at a usual pace
6% of open jobs were reposted

Hiring record

See how this role fits your experience

Add your resume and we’ll mark which of these tools you already use, and point out anything in the posting that could rule you out.

Python
SQL
AWS
Azure
GCP
Redshift
Spark
Terraform
Airflow
pandas

Where the posting names them

- Design, develop, and maintain scalable backend services and data pipelines that support analytics, reporting, and downstream applications. - Write clean, well-tested, and maintainable Python and SQL code while contributing to engineering standards and best practices. - Architect data storage, processing, and integration solutions, making informed trade-offs between performance, cost, maintainability, scalability, and delivery speed.

- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience, with 6+ years of professional software engineering experience focused on backend or data systems. - Expert-level Python programming skills with a strong foundation in computer science fundamentals, including data structures, algorithms, distributed systems, and software design principles. - Strong understanding of relational databases, SQL, API design, microservices architecture, and system integration.

- Expert-level Python programming skills with a strong foundation in computer science fundamentals, including data structures, algorithms, distributed systems, and software design principles. - Strong understanding of relational databases, SQL, API design, microservices architecture, and system integration. - Experience with cloud infrastructure such as AWS, GCP, or Azure, infrastructure-as-code tools such as Terraform, and Git-based version control and CI/CD practices.

- Strong understanding of relational databases, SQL, API design, microservices architecture, and system integration. - Experience with cloud infrastructure such as AWS, GCP, or Azure, infrastructure-as-code tools such as Terraform, and Git-based version control and CI/CD practices. - Familiarity with data processing frameworks such as Spark and Pandas and workflow orchestration tools such as Airflow.

Preferred Qualifications - Experience with cloud data warehouses such as Amazon Redshift. - Experience mentoring engineers and contributing to team technical direction.

- Experience with cloud infrastructure such as AWS, GCP, or Azure, infrastructure-as-code tools such as Terraform, and Git-based version control and CI/CD practices. - Familiarity with data processing frameworks such as Spark and Pandas and workflow orchestration tools such as Airflow. - Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional projects, manage timelines, risks, competing priorities, and stakeholder needs, and communicate technical concepts effectively to technical and non-technical audiences.

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About the role

We file this job under Data Engineer, by the work the posting describes.

Data engineers build and run the pipelines that copy data out of apps and outside services into a warehouse or lake, and fix them when a source changes or a load fails.

Expect SQL, Python, a cloud platform, a scheduler such as Airflow, and often tools for large data such as Spark or Kafka.

An analytics engineer works one step later, turning the raw data a data engineer lands into clean tables people can query.

US government figures for database architects

Median yearly pay, May 2025: $139,500
Expected change, 2025 to 2035: 9.4% more jobsagainst 3.5% for all jobs

The government has no code for data engineers, so these figures are for the closest group, database architects, which includes data integration and data warehousing specialists.

Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025) and Employment Projections (2025 to 2035). Occupation code 15-1243.

Job description

View original posting ↗

SteerBridge is a modern technology company delivering innovative, mission‑focused solutions to the U.S. Government and private sector. Leveraging deep expertise in federal acquisition, digital transformation, and emerging technologies, we deliver agile, commercial‑grade capabilities that accelerate operational effectiveness and drive measurable mission success.

At the core of SteerBridge is our people—especially the veterans whose leadership, problem‑solving mindset, and commitment to excellence elevate every project we support. We don’t simply hire exceptional talent; we cultivate it, creating meaningful career pathways for veterans, military spouses, and professionals who share our passion for advancing technology and strengthening the missions we serve.

Position Overview

We're looking for a Senior Software Engineer to design, build, and maintain the backend systems powering our data platform. This role combines deep technical craftsmanship with the ability to lead cross-functional initiatives — you'll write production-grade code, make architectural decisions, and coordinate with stakeholders across engineering, data science, and product to deliver reliable, scalable data infrastructure.

  Key Responsibilities 

Design, develop, and maintain scalable backend services and data pipelines that support analytics, reporting, and downstream applications.
Write clean, well-tested, and maintainable Python and SQL code while contributing to engineering standards and best practices.
Architect data storage, processing, and integration solutions, making informed trade-offs between performance, cost, maintainability, scalability, and delivery speed.
Partner with data scientists, analysts, product managers, and engineering teams to translate business requirements into effective technical solutions.
Lead cross-functional technical initiatives, managing project timelines, deliverables, and dependencies across teams.
Conduct code reviews, mentor junior and mid-level engineers, and contribute to technical documentation and knowledge-sharing.
Troubleshoot and resolve production issues, including performance bottlenecks and data quality problems.
Evaluate and recommend tools, frameworks, and approaches to improve data infrastructure and engineering processes.

Required Qualifications 

Eligibility requirements: U.S. citizenship is required for this position under applicable federal contract requirements. Candidates must also be able to obtain and maintain the security clearance required for the role.
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience, with 6+ years of professional software engineering experience focused on backend or data systems.
Expert-level Python programming skills with a strong foundation in computer science fundamentals, including data structures, algorithms, distributed systems, and software design principles.
Strong understanding of relational databases, SQL, API design, microservices architecture, and system integration.
Experience with cloud infrastructure such as AWS, GCP, or Azure, infrastructure-as-code tools such as Terraform, and Git-based version control and CI/CD practices.
Familiarity with data processing frameworks such as Spark and Pandas and workflow orchestration tools such as Airflow.
Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional projects, manage timelines, risks, competing priorities, and stakeholder needs, and communicate technical concepts effectively to technical and non-technical audiences.
Ability to work independently and drive initiatives forward with minimal oversight in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with cloud data warehouses such as Amazon Redshift.
Experience mentoring engineers and contributing to team technical direction.

Benefits

Health insurance
Dental insurance
Vision insurance
Life Insurance
401(k) Retirement Plan with matching
Paid Time Off
Paid Federal Holidays

The posted compensation range reflects the scope and requirements of this position. A final offer will be determined based on the candidate’s relevant experience, skills, education, certifications, and work location, along with the responsibilities of the position. Where applicable, contract requirements, wage determinations, and federal contract labor categories may also inform the offer.

SteerBridge also offers benefits that may include health and life insurance, paid time off, paid holidays, disability coverage, retirement savings, and professional development opportunities. Benefits vary by position and eligibility.

Salary

145,000 – 175,000 USD per year

SteerBridge is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where all qualified applicants and employees are treated with respect and dignity—regardless of race, color, gender, age, religion, national origin, ancestry, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by law.

We also provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities in accordance with applicable laws. If you require assistance during the application process, we encourage you to reach out so we can support your needs.

Employment type

Full-time

Source details

View original posting ↗

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Pay

Salary 145,000 – 175,000 USD per year SteerBridge is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where all qualified applicants and employees are treated with respect and dignity—regardless of race, color, gender, age, religion, national origin, ancestry, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Location & working pattern