Senior Software Systems Engineer; Level 3 Security Clearance

Position: Senior Software Systems Engineer (Level 3) with Security Clearance
Location: Annapolis Junction

Position Title:

Senior Software Systems Engineer (Level
3)

Location:

Annapolis Junction, MD

Clearance Required:

Active TS/SCI with Polygraph Position Type:
Full-Time, Fully Funded Salary: $240,000 - $280,000 About Our Client Our client is a mission-driven technology startup built by a team of high-performance professionals with decades of combined experience in the Intelligence Community, cybersecurity, and commercial sectors. They bring a rare balance of humility and leadership—knowing when to listen and when to lead. At their core, they're results-driven innovators who thrive in collaborative environments.

If you're looking to contribute to national security while working on cutting-edge solutions, we want to hear from you.

Position Overview We are seeking a hands-on Senior Software Systems Engineer to support mission-critical programs in Annapolis Junction, MD. This role focuses on driving software-heavy systems from concept to delivery in highly secure environments. You'll work directly with technical teams and stakeholders to shape complex system architectures, integrate scalable software solutions, and ensure end-to-end technical alignment using modern engineering frameworks. If you’re a systems engineer with deep experience in software engineering environments, strong SOA expertise, and a passion for mission-first innovation—we want to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities:

* Lead or contribute to Integrated Product Teams (IPTs) focused on designing and developing complex software-centric capabilities.
* Implement Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) solutions and develop system/service views
* Perform Data Engineering of both structured and unstructured datasets.
* Participate in software design reviews, CCB meetings, and technical milestone events; coordinate cross-discipline resolutions.
* Develop and maintain interface definitions, control documents, and configuration baselines.
* Lead or support verification, validation, and test planning to ensure system deliverables meet functional and security requirements.
* Apply knowledge of Information Assurance (IA) technologies (e.g., authentication, access control, cryptography) to systems designs.
* Contribute to technical assessments, alternative analysis, and software risk management throughout the development lifecycle.
* Use modeling, simulation, and prototyping tools to reduce risk, validate system behavior, and improve engineering outcomes.
* Ensure documentation, systems artifacts, and change control processes are complete, traceable, and aligned with stakeholder needs.
* Design, develop, and maintain scalable, secure Java-based applications within distributed cloud architectures (AWS, Azure, or GCP).
* Serve as a bridge between software implementation and systems-level integration, ensuring functional alignment across services, APIs, and infrastructure.
* Lead the implementation of AI/ML capabilities in operational pipelines, coordinating with data science and platform teams.
* Conduct performance analysis and optimization across application tiers and system boundaries.
* Contribute to CI/CD pipeline design and infrastructure-as-code practices to support automated deployments and monitoring.
* Collaborate with systems engineers, Dev Ops, and solution architects to translate system requirements into working software components.
* Support full SDLC including requirements analysis, system-level documentation, and verification/testing.
* Provide mentoring and technical guidance to junior developers and systems engineers. Primary Focus:
* 60% Hands-on Java development (Spring Boot, microservices)
* 40% Systems design, integration, and architecture alignment
* Operates at the intersection of software build-out and platform-wide reliability. Qualifications
* Clearance:
Active TS/SCI with Polygraph

* Experience:

Minimum 20 years of relevant Systems Engineering experience (with a strong emphasis in software-driven environments).

* Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field. (An additional 5 years of experience may substitute for a degree.)
* Proven experience leading…