Description
Overview
Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc. (SPA) delivers high-impact, technical solutions to complex national security issues. With over 50 years of business expertise and consistent growth, we are known for continuous innovation for our government customers, in both the US and abroad. Our exceptionally talented team is highly collaborative in spirit and practice, producing Results that Matter. Come work with the best! We offer opportunity, unique challenges, and clear-sighted commitment to the mission. SPA: Objective. Responsive. Trusted.
The Space and Intelligence Division provides professional services to the US Space Force, Combatant Commands, Intelligence Community, and NASA. Our work includes enterprise architectural assessments, systems engineering and integration, test, planning and execution, cost estimating and analysis, acquisition support, and cybersecurity. We are trusted partners developing approaches and concepts to meet emerging high priority needs, assessing cutting-edge technologies, and supporting capabilities for our National Defense. Come join the fastest growing Division at Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc.!
The Space Systems Group (SSG), part of SPA's Space and Intelligence Division, provides timely and objective assessments and recommendations integrating technical, operational, programmatic, policy and business analysis. We focus on our key clients in the Space community including the US Space Force's Space Systems Command (USSF/SSC), one of the three designated Field Commands under USSF. We work tirelessly to provide integrated solutions based on information and communications throughout the chain of command. We provide clear and consistent analysis and recommendations which are aligned to strategic and leadership goals while balancing the ability to execute on time and on budget within the technical communities. Come join an organization responsible for being a key enabler of Spacepower!
SPA has an immediate need for a Full Stack Software Engineer.
Responsibilities
SPA is seeking a highly skilled Full Stack Software Engineer to join an elite Prototype, Test, and Training Team supporting a mission-critical Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) ecosystem. This is not a standard development role. This team operates as a technical strike force, a small group of expert engineers who solve the platform's hardest technical problems, rapidly prototype and deliver new capabilities, enable application teams through hands-on support and engineering acceleration, and build repeatable, production-grade solutions that scale beyond initial implementation.
The successful candidate will spend most of their time (~85%) designing and building full stack applications, tools, and platform capabilities while also contributing (~15%) to platform engineering activities across cloud, Kubernetes, DevSecOps, and reliability engineering. Success in this role requires deep hands-on expertise, the ability to operate in ambiguity, and a bias toward execution, ownership, and measurable outcomes.
Key responsibilities include:
- Full Stack Development: Design, build, and deliver high‑quality software solutions that expand platform capabilities and elevate the users' experience. Develop both frontend and backend applications using modern frameworks and languages, creating customer‑facing tools, internal utilities, and core platform features. Ensure systems are performant, scalable, secure, and reliable by applying strong engineering discipline, writing clean and well‑documented code, implementing TDD and automated testing, and optimizing production performance.
- Rapid Prototyping & Capability Development: Serve as a builder of new ideas and capabilities across the platform ecosystem by prototyping and productionizing new features, AI/ML‑enabled functions, automation workflows, developer tools, and customer onboarding accelerators. Translate ambiguous requirements into deployable solutions, rapidly validating concepts and maturing them into repeatable, scalable implementations that strengthen the overall platform. Drive continuous innovation through fast iteration and disciplined execution.
- Platform Enablement & Problem Solving: Serve as a hands‑on technical enabler for platform operations and application teams, working directly with users to troubleshoot complex issues, improve application performance and integration, and accelerate onboarding and adoption. Resolve high‑priority blockers across the stack by delivering practical, scalable solutions supported by runbooks, playbooks, reusable patterns, and clear documentation. Empower teams to operate independently through well structured guidance and collaborative problem solving.
- Cross-Functional Integration: Operate as a key bridge between Platform Engineering and Systems Engineering, ensuring seamless collaboration across Kubernetes-based deployments, CI/CD pipelines, DevSecOps workflows, and cloud‑native service integrations. Align technical execution with governance, compliance, and architecture standards to deliver solutions that are both innovative and fast‑moving while remaining compliant, sustainable, and operationally sound. Strengthen cross‑team cohesion by balancing agility with disciplined engineering practices.
- Platform Engineering Contribution: Provide supporting capability across platform infrastructure, contributing to cloud environments such as Azure, Kubernetes workloads and services, CI/CD and GitOps pipelines, and observability tooling. Support deployment, debugging, and operational stability of platform services while applying DevSecOps best practices throughout the software lifecycle. Strengthen overall platform resilience by ensuring reliable operations and consistent engineering discipline.
This is a fully remote/hybrid position.
Qualifications
About the Must Haves
- US Citizen and current active DoD Secret clearance
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related Engineering discipline
- Minimum 8 years of hands-on full stack software engineering experience
- Demonstrated expertise in modern frontend and backend development, including JavaScript/TypeScript, React, HTML/CSS, and server‑side languages such as Java, Kotlin, Go, or Python with REST/gRPC API design
- Hands‑on experience working with SQL and NoSQL databases and operating in Linux-based environments to support full‑stack application development
- Proven ability to build, deploy, and operate production‑grade software systems with a focus on performance optimization, scalability, security, and reliability
- Practical experience in Agile and DevSecOps environments, including test‑driven development, automated testing, code‑quality practices, CI/CD pipelines, and Git‑based workflows
- Experience with modern platform and cloud ecosystems including Kubernetes deployments, containerization (Docker), cloud platforms such as Azure, event‑driven or real‑time systems, and service‑to‑service communication patterns like REST, gRPC, or WebSockets
- Demonstrated capability in operational excellence and iterative solution building, including observability practices, reliability engineering, full‑stack debugging, rapid prototyping, and developing reusable tools, frameworks, or accelerators
Qualifications
About the Must Haves
- US Citizen and current active DoD Secret clearance
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related Engineering discipline
- Minimum 8 years of hands-on full stack software engineering experience
- Demonstrated expertise in modern frontend and backend development, including JavaScript/TypeScript, React, HTML/CSS, and server‑side languages such as Java, Kotlin, Go, or Python with REST/gRPC API design
- Hands‑on experience working with SQL and NoSQL databases and operating in Linux-based environments to support full‑stack application development
- Proven ability to build, deploy, and operate production‑grade software systems with a focus on performance optimization, scalability, security, and reliability
- Practical experience in Agile and DevSecOps environments, including test‑driven development, automated testing, code‑quality practices, CI/CD pipelines, and Git‑based workflows
- Experience with modern platform and cloud ecosystems including Kubernetes deployments, containerization (Docker), cloud platforms such as Azure, event‑driven or real‑time systems, and service‑to‑service communication patterns like REST, gRPC, or WebSockets
- Demonstrated capability in operational excellence and iterative solution building, including observability practices, reliability engineering, full‑stack debugging, rapid prototyping, and developing reusable tools, frameworks, or accelerators
Responsibilities
SPA is seeking a highly skilled Full Stack Software Engineer to join an elite Prototype, Test, and Training Team supporting a mission-critical Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) ecosystem. This is not a standard development role. This team operates as a technical strike force, a small group of expert engineers who solve the platform's hardest technical problems, rapidly prototype and deliver new capabilities, enable application teams through hands-on support and engineering acceleration, and build repeatable, production-grade solutions that scale beyond initial implementation.
The successful candidate will spend most of their time (~85%) designing and building full stack applications, tools, and platform capabilities while also contributing (~15%) to platform engineering activities across cloud, Kubernetes, DevSecOps, and reliability engineering. Success in this role requires deep hands-on expertise, the ability to operate in ambiguity, and a bias toward execution, ownership, and measurable outcomes.
Key responsibilities include:
- Full Stack Development: Design, build, and deliver high‑quality software solutions that expand platform capabilities and elevate the users' experience. Develop both frontend and backend applications using modern frameworks and languages, creating customer‑facing tools, internal utilities, and core platform features. Ensure systems are performant, scalable, secure, and reliable by applying strong engineering discipline, writing clean and well‑documented code, implementing TDD and automated testing, and optimizing production performance.
- Rapid Prototyping & Capability Development: Serve as a builder of new ideas and capabilities across the platform ecosystem by prototyping and productionizing new features, AI/ML‑enabled functions, automation workflows, developer tools, and customer onboarding accelerators. Translate ambiguous requirements into deployable solutions, rapidly validating concepts and maturing them into repeatable, scalable implementations that strengthen the overall platform. Drive continuous innovation through fast iteration and disciplined execution.
- Platform Enablement & Problem Solving: Serve as a hands‑on technical enabler for platform operations and application teams, working directly with users to troubleshoot complex issues, improve application performance and integration, and accelerate onboarding and adoption. Resolve high‑priority blockers across the stack by delivering practical, scalable solutions supported by runbooks, playbooks, reusable patterns, and clear documentation. Empower teams to operate independently through well structured guidance and collaborative problem solving.
- Cross-Functional Integration: Operate as a key bridge between Platform Engineering and Systems Engineering, ensuring seamless collaboration across Kubernetes-based deployments, CI/CD pipelines, DevSecOps workflows, and cloud‑native service integrations. Align technical execution with governance, compliance, and architecture standards to deliver solutions that are both innovative and fast‑moving while remaining compliant, sustainable, and operationally sound. Strengthen cross‑team cohesion by balancing agility with disciplined engineering practices.
- Platform Engineering Contribution: Provide supporting capability across platform infrastructure, contributing to cloud environments such as Azure, Kubernetes workloads and services, CI/CD and GitOps pipelines, and observability tooling. Support deployment, debugging, and operational stability of platform services while applying DevSecOps best practices throughout the software lifecycle. Strengthen overall platform resilience by ensuring reliable operations and consistent engineering discipline.
This is a fully remote/hybrid position.
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