Principal Full Stack Web Developer

Overview:
Draper is an independent, nonprofit research and development company headquartered in Cambridge, MA. The 2,000+ employees of Draper tackle important national challenges with a promise of delivering successful and usable solutions. From military defense and space exploration to biomedical engineering, lives often depend on the solutions we provide. Our multidisciplinary teams of engineers and scientists work in a collaborative environment that inspires the cross-fertilization of ideas necessary for true innovation.

For more information about Draper, visit

Job Description

Summary:

Location South Tampa, FL – Hybrid (3 days on‑site, 2 days remote).

About Draper:
Draper’s Full‑Stack Group builds mission‑critical web applications for military, government, and commercial customers. We operate like an incubator, giving engineers space to experiment, iterate, and deliver software that protects lives and advances the national interest.

You’ll play a primary role in developing and executing the technical vision for complex, high‑impact web solutions that directly enable our customers’ missions. Your work will shape products that are deployed, operational, and trusted by governments and agencies worldwide.

• Lead architecture decisions for new and existing web platforms (micro‑services, data pipelines, UI/UX).
• Write production‑ready, test‑driven code in modern stacks (React+Type Script, Node.js, GraphQL, PostgreSQL, etc.).
• Mentor senior engineers and set engineering standards (code reviews, CI/CD, automated testing).
• Partner with program officers, product owners, and other technical leads to define roadmaps and delivery milestones.
• Represent the team in program reviews, weekly/quarterly stakeholder meetings, and client demos.
• Drive continuous improvement: performance tuning, security hardening, and operational excellence.

• 7+ years of full‑stack development experience, with at least 2 years leading architecture decisions. 10+ years in the field is a bonus.
• Proven track record delivering production‑grade web applications at scale.
• Strong proficiency in modern front‑end (React, Type Script, CSS‑in‑JS) and back‑end (Node.js/Express, Python, Java) technologies.
• Deep understanding of REST/GraphQL APIs, authentication/authorization (OAuth, OIDC), and cloud‑native patterns.
• Experience with issue‑tracking and CI/CD tools (Jira, Git Lab, Git Hub Actions).
• BA/BS in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience (Master’s a plus).

• Hands‑on experience with Docker and Kubernetes (EKS, GKE, AKS).
• Deployments on AWS, GCP, or Azure; familiarity with IaC (Terraform, Cloud Formation).
• Knowledge of serverless architectures and event‑driven designs.
• Experience with high‑availability, multi‑tenant SaaS platforms.

• Insatiable appetite to learn new technologies and share knowledge.
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity and forging clear paths to success.
• Passionate about building products you’d proudly use yourself.
• Thrives in a team that pushes each other to excel daily.

The description below provides further information on Draper’s view of its principal staff members.

• Independently execute task assignments.
• Designs algorithms using modern theory and proven techniques, adheres to software best practices.
• Analyzes designs to demonstrate performance and functionality.
• Develops and executes software tests to check compliance with requirements.
• Prepares technical data, procedures, reports, drawings, manuals, and other required documentation.
• Communicates with customers and stakeholders to establish requirements and describe the design and deliverables.
• Independently drive solutions to complex…