Senior Software Engineer

We're looking for a senior builder - a high-output engineer who ships production systems at a pace that resets expectations and raises the bar for everyone around them. Not an architect who whiteboard-only. Not a reviewer who lives in PRs. A hands-on engineer whose default mode is writing, deploying, and owning code - and whose experience means fewer wrong turns and faster recovery when things get hard.

You'll take on the work that demands senior judgment: platform migrations with no clean path, production-ready prototypes that become the foundation others build on, architectural rebuilds that have to stay live through the transition, and cross-system integrations that touch everything and are owned by no one. You scope it, you build it, you ship it - and you leave it better documented and more maintainable than you found it.

We operate in a FedRAMP Moderate / CMMC L2 environment serving major defense primes. Compliance is a constraint you've internalized - not a blocker you escalate.

Responsibilities: Your day if you join us:

What You'll Build:

Build (70%+)

• Write production code daily across Java, Spring boot, Angular/TypeScript, Python, or whatever the problem requires.
• Use AI coding tools-Claude Code, Copilot, agentic workflows-as your native development environment and actively raise the bar for how the team uses them.
• Own systems end-to-end: architecture → implementation → testing → deployment → You deeply understand the constraints of FedRAMP and CMMC and you design around them without slowing down.
• Build on Azure Gov and Commercial using microservices, event-driven patterns, APIs, and data pipelines - and make deliberate architectural decisions that others can build on.
• Drive delivery of complex, high-impact projects: migrations, prototypes, legacy replacements, and cross-system integrations that require senior judgment to scope and execute.
• Lead IaC (Terraform, Bicep), CI/CD automation, and internal tooling that accelerates the whole engineering organization.

Raise the Bar (20%)

• Your code and architecture decisions become the reference standard for engineering quality across the team.
• Lead code reviews with depth and speed; mentor through pairing, not lectures.
• Champion AI-augmented development across the team - prompting strategies, workflow patterns, context management, and tool selection.
• Author practical, durable documentation (READMEs, ADRs, runbooks) that outlasts any single sprint.
• Identify and close skill gaps on the team through example, not just feedback.
• Provide authoritative signal on platform gaps, tooling choices, and systemic engineering friction - and propose solutions, not just observations.
• Evaluate new technology by building with it in real environments with real data, then synthesize findings for the broader team.
• Own the identification and prioritization of technical debt that materially slows delivery or increases risk.
• Partner with product and engineering leadership to influence roadmap tradeoffs from a grounded technical perspective

Qualifications: You are a great fit for this role if you:

Must-Haves

You are a Builder

• 8-10 years of recent, hands-on software engineering with a track record of shipping full systems, not just features.
• A Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or a related technical field.
• Deep proficiency in at least two: Java, Spring boot, Angular/TypeScript, Python, - with the ability to move across stacks as needed.
• Extensive experience designing and building cloud-native systems (Azure preferred; Azure Gov a plus).
• Comfortable owning the full stack - infra → backend → frontend - and making the right tradeoffs at each layer.

AI-Native Workflow

• Daily user of Claude Code, Copilot, Cursor, Windsurf, or equivalent - this is how you work, not a novelty.
• Strong, earned mental model of where AI accelerates development and where human judgment is irreplaceable.
• Demonstrated examples of shipping faster and better with AI assistance and sharing those techniques with others.

Judgment & Engineering Maturity

• Thrives in ambiguity; makes reasonable assumptions, communicates them clearly, and ships.
• Strong but flexible architectural opinions - you can defend your reasoning and update it when presented with better information.
• Clear, precise written communication; you write to inform decisions, not to document effort.

Due to customer requirements, U.S. Citizenship is required. Ability to gain and maintain Trusted Role is required.

Preferred Qualifications:

You are exactly who we are looking for if you:

• Have hands-on experience with Azure Government (IL2/IL4/IL5), Entra ID, PIM, managed identities, and Zero Trust architecture.
• Proven experience building in regulated environments (FedRAMP, CMMC, ITAR, SOC2, HIPAA).
• Bring a background in IAM, credentialing, PKI, or federated identity.
• Have built dev tools, internal platforms, or shared infrastructure used by other engineering teams.
• Have worked in Aerospace & Defense, Life Sciences, or other regulated SaaS environments.
• Have meaningful agentic AI development experience (MCP, multi-tool workflows, AI-driven testing) and can speak to what worked and what didn't.
• Have a prototype or side project that demonstrates what senior-level AI-augmented development looks like in practice.

Location: Hybrid(3x/week)- Herndon, VA,

The pay range for this position is $130,000k - 165,000k/yr; however, the final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, skills, qualifications, and location. Exostar also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance, EAP, Flexible Spending Accounts, 401(k) matching, flexible time off and sick leave).

Why Exostar

• AI-native engineering: Claude & Copilot integrated across the org with leadership backing.
• Builder autonomy: Minimal process, maximum ownership.
• Mission impact: Secure collaboration infrastructure for the Defense Industrial Base.
• Real technical constraints: FedRAMP Moderate, CMMC 110/110, Azure Gov multi-tenant SaaS.

About Exostar

Exostar - The Company:

Exostar’s cloud-based platforms create exclusive communities within the Aerospace and Defense, Life Sciences, and other highly regulated industries where members securely collaborate, share information, and operate compliantly. Within these communities we build trust. By analyzing community data, we provide insights and intelligence, enabling organizations to make better, timelier decisions, to mitigate risk, and operate more efficiently.

• We believe in employee development: we promote internally and provide training and educational assistance
• We provide a fun, engaged workplace, with social and community-building events
• We offer comprehensive benefits and flexible time off plans

Exostar is an Equal Opportunity Employment Employer. The company provides equal employment opportunities to all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, disability status or genetic information. Exostar is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all persons in all facets of employment including recruiting, hiring, compensation, promotion, training, benefits, transfers and working conditions.