Senior Backend Engineer

Senior Backend Engineer

Software Guidance & Assistance, Inc., (SGA), is searching for a Senior Backend Engineer for a contract assignment with one of our premier regulatory clients. This position is hybrid (3 days/week) in Rockville, MD, Tysons, VA, or NJ/NY areas.

You'll build backend systems for a platform that helps financial analysts monitor U.S. market integrity. The role involves creating user-friendly tools powered by one of the largest financial regulatory datasets in the cloud, processing billions of daily market events. This is a greenfield architecture opportunity with strong work-life balance. As a Senior Backend Engineer, you'll lead through excellent code, solve complex problems, set high standards, and drive innovation. The role requires technical excellence with effective communication, stakeholder influence, and genuine passion for the mission.

Responsibilities:

• Design, develop, test, implement, and support technical solutions within an Agile development environment, utilizing distributed microservices architecture, big-data technologies (HIVE, Presto, Spark, Hadoop), and full-stack systems
• Partner with cross-functional teams to understand application requirements and testing scenarios, delivering scalable technical solutions that meet business objectives
• Build and maintain high-performance API platforms on AWS infrastructure, enabling interactive-speed access to big data while adhering to AWS Well-Architected Framework principles
• Leverage AI tools and technologies to enhance development efficiency, code quality, and solution innovation throughout the software development lifecycle
• Drive technical innovation by staying current with emerging technology trends, including AI/ML advancements, evaluating new tools and frameworks, and actively contributing to internal and external technology communities
• Demonstrate a growth mindset, take ownership of deliverables, maintain customer-centric focus, and exercise sound technical judgment in decision-making

Required Skills:

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Information Technology, Engineering, or related technical field
• 8+ years of professional software engineering experience with demonstrated leadership capabilities
• 3+ years of hands-on development experience in Java, JavaScript/TypeScript, or SQL
• 2+ years developing REST/web services and writing complex SQL queries for relational databases
• 3+ years working with big data technologies such as Hadoop, Spark, or Presto
• Proven experience with AWS services including EMR (Hive/Presto), ECS, Lambda, and S3
• Proficiency with DevOps practices and CI/CD pipelines using tools like Jenkins and CloudFormation
• Working knowledge of scripting languages including Unix Shell or Python
• Experience using LLM-based coding tools with a disciplined approach to validating output — you don't merge what you can't explain

SGA is a technology and resource solutions provider driven to stand out. We are a women-owned business. Our mission: to solve big IT problems with a more personal, boutique approach. Each year, we match consultants like you to more than 1,000 engagements. When we say let's work better together, we mean it. You'll join a diverse team built on these core values: customer service, employee development, and quality and integrity in everything we do. Be yourself, love what you do and find your passion at work.