Senior Software Full Stack Engineer

Location:

McLean, VA (On-site)

Employment Type:

Contract (W2 through Zip Staff — No C2C or 1099)

Zip Staff is seeking an experienced Senior Software Development Engineer to join the chief technology office engineering team at a global technology consulting and professional services firm.

You will focus on building the Software-Defined Everything (SDE) platform to enable Physical AI, Edge, Trusted Environments, and other applications across mission domains. This role involves designing, developing, deploying, and operating high-availability software products with robust monitoring, alerting, and fault-tolerant capabilities, integrating agentic AI at their core. You will work as a self-starter with genuine autonomy and ownership on internal platform development.

• Design and develop software products that meet user needs and market demands.
• Apply engineering principles to construct and maintain efficient, bug‑free software systems.
• Collaborate with designers, product managers, and other engineers to bring products from concept to launch.
• Architect secure, scalable, and high‑performance backend applications.
• Work on both front‑end and back‑end development using languages such as Go, Node.js, Java, or C#.
• Integrate backend services with relational and No
  
  SQL databases such as PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, and DynamoDB.
• Write clean, efficient, testable code following best practices for performance, maintainability, and security.
• Integrate generative AI tools to accelerate development and enhance product design.
• Communicate design decisions and technical trade‑offs clearly to both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
• Contribute to a culture of innovation and technical excellence by keeping abreast of industry trends.
• Embed security checks and compliance requirements into the development process to meet relevant standards.
• Implement best practices for CI/CD deployments, telemetry, canaries, and automated testing.

• 5+ years of experience building and operating production‑grade full‑stack applications in cloud environments such as AWS.
• 5+ years of experience with Go, Java, Node.js, or C# development.
• 3+ years of experience in distributed architectures using microservices or serverless in AWS, Google, or Azure Cloud.
• 3+ years of experience with SQL and No
  
  SQL databases.
• Experience designing and implementing RESTful APIs and microservices.
• Experience in CI/CD pipeline setup and maintenance.
• Knowledge of authentication, authorization, and security best practices.
• Experience using generative AI tools to accelerate development, automate coding tasks, and review AI‑generated code.
• Ability to obtain a TS/SCI clearance.
• Bachelor’s degree and 3+ years of experience in software engineering, or 5+ years of experience in software engineering in lieu of a degree.
• Ability to work on‑site in McLean, VA.

• Experience writing source code for new applications or generating and enhancing code samples for existing applications.
• Experience acquiring client requirements and resolving workflow problems through automation optimization.
• Ability to work with automated testing tools to perform testing and maintenance.
• Active or prior TS/SCI clearance.
• Master’s degree.
• AWS Certifications, such as Cloud Practitioner, Developer Associate, or Solutions Architect Associate.
• Prior experience supporting platform or mission‑oriented software development in a consulting or professional services environment.

• Health Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
  401(k) + 401(k) matching
• Paid time off
• Referral Program

Zip Staff partners with leading organizations to connect skilled technology professionals with high‑impact contract opportunities. We focus on quality matches, clear communication, and long‑term success for candidates and clients.