Software Developer

Senior Digital Workflow & Rapid Prototyping Developer

Location: Norfolk, Virginia

Work Arrangement: Full-time, on-site

Clearance: ACTIVE SECRET CLEARANCE FROM U.S. OR NATO MEMBER NATION REQUIRED

The Opportunity

Ironclad Defense Works is seeking a Senior Digital Workflow & Rapid Prototyping Developer to support NATO Allied Command Transformation in Norfolk, Virginia. This is a hands-on development role focused on rapidly digitizing capability-development workflows using approved non-Microsoft low-code, no-code, configurable-application, workflow, lightweight-development, and related tools.

The successful candidate will work directly with operational users to identify workflow problems, translate business needs into minimum viable solutions, personally build and test prototypes and pilots, and iteratively improve those solutions based on operational feedback. The role requires a developer who remains technically hands-on rather than someone primarily performing enterprise architecture, product management, program management, or development-team supervision.

Key Responsibilities

• Rapidly design and personally develop digital workflow proofs of concept, prototypes, and operational pilots using approved non-Microsoft platforms and tools.
• Work directly with process owners, operational users, analysts, managers, and information stakeholders to understand current workflows, pain points, handoffs, decisions, and data requirements.
• Document current and desired workflows, including user roles, workflow states, decision points, information exchanges, business rules, and minimum required functionality.
• Translate operational needs into minimum viable prototype and pilot requirements.
• Build applications and workflows that reduce manual, spreadsheet-intensive, email-driven, form-based, and document-centric processes.
• Configure structured data capture, workflow states, user roles, validation, business rules, routing, approvals, notifications, and role-based views.
• Integrate prototypes with approved enterprise data sources using APIs, databases, web services, webhooks, structured data exchanges, and other authorized mechanisms.
• Develop lightweight scripts, application logic, integrations, components, or extensions when platform configuration alone is insufficient.
• Use approved AI-assisted development capabilities, when available, to accelerate prototyping, coding, configuration, testing, documentation, and iterative development.
• Conduct operational pilots and user testing and modify solutions based on observed use, stakeholder feedback, defects, usability findings, and changing requirements.
• Assess prototype impact on cycle time, manual effort, data completeness, workflow visibility, traceability, usability, and user adoption.
• Identify security, architecture, integration, licensing, hosting, scalability, data-management, and sustainment constraints.
• Apply appropriate version control, configuration management, testing, documentation, and lifecycle practices.
• Prepare transition packages for successful prototypes and pilots, including requirements, user stories, workflow designs, data structures, integrations, test results, limitations, and technical dependencies.
• Coordinate with enterprise developers, DevSecOps teams, platform owners, system integrators, cybersecurity personnel, and other scaling organizations.
• Present prototype findings, user feedback, technical trade-offs, implementation risks, and scaling recommendations to CAPDEV leadership.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Software Engineering, Engineering, Human-Centered Design, Business Process Management, Business Information Technology, or a closely related field; or at least five years of directly relevant professional experience in lieu of the degree.
• Experience-in-lieu candidates must have worked in at least two relevant areas such as low-code/no-code development, configurable-application development, workflow automation, software/web application development, business-process digitization, or rapid prototyping/MVP development.
• At least 12 months within the past 24 months in which hands-on digital application, workflow, or prototype development constituted a substantial and recurring portion of assigned duties.
• At least one personally developed digital solution used by an identified user group in an active business process or operational pilot within the past 18 months.
• Recent experience must involve personally building solutions; experience limited to management, architecture, technical leadership, product ownership, advisory work, or supervision of development performed by others does not qualify.
• At least two years within the past five years personally developing applications or workflows using non-Microsoft low-code, no-code, configurable-application, workflow, or comparable rapid-development platforms.
• Hands-on development with at least two distinct non-Microsoft rapid-development platforms, frameworks, or application-development technologies.
• At least two personally developed applications or workflow solutions, including one used operationally or in a pilot within the past 24 months.
• Demonstrated ability to implement more advanced solution characteristics such as structured data models, custom business logic, integrations, automated routing, or reusable scripts/components.
• Demonstrated rapid-prototyping experience, including at least two examples where the candidate personally participated in requirements discovery and personally developed the resulting prototype or pilot.
• At least one qualifying solution must have progressed from initial discovery to a testable solution available to representative users within 90 days or less.
• At least two years of recent experience working directly with users or process owners to analyze existing workflows and design digitally enabled future-state processes.
• Demonstrated experience identifying process steps, handoffs, decisions, data requirements, pain points, and redesign opportunities before development.
• Hands-on experience extending or integrating applications using at least two technical areas such as APIs, relational databases/SQL, webhooks, web services, structured data exchange, or a general-purpose programming language such as Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Java, or C#.
• At least one qualifying example must integrate with an existing enterprise, authoritative, or system-of-record data source.
• Demonstrated experience conducting user testing or operational pilots for personally developed solutions and iteratively modifying those solutions based on real user feedback.
• Experience applying lifecycle, configuration, testing, security, or sustainment practices to rapidly developed applications or prototypes.
• Practical experience must include structured testing or defect tracking plus at least one of source/version control, environment separation, or controlled deployment.
• Experience preparing a personally developed solution for continued development, enterprise scaling, production implementation, or sustainment by another technical team.
• Demonstrated experience communicating prototype or pilot results, operational value, technical feasibility, limitations, risks, and recommended next steps to decision-makers.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting NATO, DoD, or another defense or multinational organization.
• Experience with non-Microsoft platforms such as Mendix, Appian, OutSystems, ServiceNow, Pega, Retool, Quickbase, Bubble, or comparable configurable-development technologies.
• Experience with JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Java, C#, or another general-purpose programming language.
• Experience integrating applications through REST APIs, SQL databases, webhooks, and web services.
• Experience with Git or comparable source-control practices.
• Experience developing workflow solutions in constrained, secure, or government technical environments.
• Experience working with DevSecOps teams or transitioning prototypes into enterprise development pipelines.
• Familiarity with human-centric design, business-process redesign, or agile discovery methods.
• Experience evaluating prototype effectiveness and making evidence-based recommendations for scaling, revision, sustainment, or retirement.

Clearance

This position requires an active National SECRET (or higher) security clearance from the U.S. or a NATO member nation. Applicants who do not possess the clearance specified above cannot be considered at this time.

Compensation

Compensation for this position ranges from $115,000 - $135,000 annually. Final salary will be based on factors such as experience, education, skills, qualifications, location, contract requirements, and overall affordability.

Eligible full-time employees may also receive a comprehensive benefits package, including medical and dental insurance, retirement benefits, paid leave, and professional development opportunities.

Ironclad Defense Works is an Equal Opportunity Employer.