Senior Backend Developer, Data Platform

Job Summary

We are seeking an experienced Senior Backend Developer/Engineer to join our hybrid agile team to build and scale our data platform and pipelines to support Intelligence Community AI efforts.

Candidates must be U.S. Citizens with an active U.S. Government Security Clearance at the TS/SCI level with a CI polygraph. Export control compliance requires U.S. person status as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).

• Design, build, and own backend services and platform components for a modern data architecture and pipelines.
• Make high-impact technical decisions around architecture, data modeling, and system integration.
• Build integrations with internal and external data sources, APIs, and event streams.
• Partner with data engineering, analytics, and product managers to define scalable data models and platform capabilities.
• Improve reliability, observability, and performance of data workflows and backend services.
• Implement best practices for testing, monitoring, logging, and deployment.
• Contribute to architecture decisions around storage, orchestration, metadata management, and access patterns.
• Help establish engineering standards for code quality, documentation, CI/CD, and operational excellence.
• Troubleshoot and debug production systems.

This is a hybrid role that requires a mix of work-from-home and onsite work at the customer's office in Reston, VA.

• 10+ years of professional software engineering experience, with strong backend development skills.
• Strong proficiency in Python.
• Experience building backend systems, APIs, or distributed services in production environments.
• Postgre
  
  SQL and Elasticsearch proficiency.
• Familiarity with AWS, especially S3, RDS, and other data‑centric services.
• Current/active TS/SCI with a current CI polygraph or willingness and ability to obtain a CI polygraph.
• Bachelor's degree in a related field, e.g., Computer Science, Systems Engineering or equivalent experience.
• Understanding of software engineering fundamentals including testing, version control, CI/CD, and system design.
• Tenacious troubleshooting, problem‑solving, and error‑fixing mentality.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, ability to work and thrive on a small technical team.

• Experience working with data platforms, data pipelines, ETL/ELT workflows, or large‑scale data processing systems.
• Git Lab and Git Lab CI experience.
• Openshift and Helm experience.
• Docker and containerization experience.
• DoD 8570 IAT II and Privileged User Access requirements met (Security+, CySA+, CCNA Security, GICSP, GSEC, SSCP).

Vantor offers a competitive total rewards package that goes beyond the standard, including a robust 401(k) with company match, mental health resources, and unique perks such as student loan repayment assistance, adoption reimbursement, and pet insurance to support all aspects of your life.

The base pay for this position within the Washington, DC metropolitan area is: $ - $ - $ annually. For all other states, we use geographic cost of labor as an input to develop market‑driven ranges for our roles, and as such, each location where we hire may have a different range.

Vantor is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive workplace. We believe in fostering an environment where all team members feel respected, valued, and encouraged to share their ideas. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.