Software Developer, Cyber Mission Systems

This is a pipeline position with an anticipated award in early Fall 2026.

Location:

Columbia, MD

Telework: TBD, subject to manager approval and tasking

Clearance Required:

TS/SCI with Polygraph

Salary Range: $165,000 to $185,000

At Shadow Strategies, you will join a culture defined by innovation, purpose, and meaningful impact. We seek senior software developers who build resilient systems, translate complex operational intent into reliable capability, and deliver software that supports real mission outcomes. If you are inspired by complexity, motivated by clarity, and committed to excellence, we invite you to become part of something exceptional.

This role supports the creation of a declarative, mission-adaptable workflow interface for cyber operations. The capability will enable operators to express mission intent, define parameters and boundaries, understand system behavior, and guide automation through a unified operational experience. You will develop the services, integrations, and operator-facing software that move the platform from static infrastructure management toward offensive mission automation.

• Design, develop, and sustain software capabilities that translate declared mission intent into executable workflows
• Build operator-facing interfaces and supporting services that make system state, available actions, dependencies, and constraints visible
• Integrate automation, mission services, data sources, and operational tools into cohesive end-to-end workflows
• Develop software that behaves predictably within defined authorities, rules, and operational boundaries
• Modernize established infrastructure-management capabilities into mission-focused operational workflows
• Support CI/CD pipelines and Dev Ops practices aligned with classified mission architectures
• Test, troubleshoot, and refine software across development, integration, and operational environments
• Collaborate with cyber operators, UX practitioners, systems engineers, and mission stakeholders to turn operational needs into deployable capabilities
• Document technical decisions, interfaces, system behavior, and operational considerations

• You have delivered secure software within complex, integrated systems
• You are comfortable owning technical outcomes as a senior individual contributor
• You understand how application code, automation, infrastructure, and operator experience intersect
• You can translate ambiguous mission needs into clear technical decisions and durable implementation
• You prefer clarity over cleverness and durable solutions over quick fixes
• You communicate technical decisions clearly to engineering, mission, and operational audiences

• Full-stack software design and development
• Secure software development in classified or operationally constrained environments
• Software integration across services, platforms, and data sources
• CI/CD and Dev Ops practices
• Software testing, troubleshooting, and technical documentation

• Offensive cyber operations or related national security mission environments
• Declarative workflow systems or mission automation
• Legacy system modernization and platform evolution
• Operator-facing mission applications
• Human-centered software development with UX teams
• Real-time operational systems

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field and 10 years of experience

OR an associate degree and 14 years of experience

OR 16 years of experience without a degree

Degrees must be obtained from an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Based in Columbia, MD

TBD telework, subject to manager approval and tasking

Multidisciplinary teams supporting cyber mission systems in classified environments

Senior individual contributors are trusted to own technical outcomes and make sound implementation decisions

You will have what you need to do your best work:

• Fully covered health insurance for medical, dental, and vision
• Paid parental leave: 16 weeks if you give birth, 4 weeks if your partner does
• Flexible leave: 36 days total each year, including 25 days of PTO and…