Principal Engineer

This is a U.S. based position. All of the programs we support require U.S. citizenship to be eligible for employment. All work must be conducted within the continental U.S.

Who we are:

Raft ( is a customer-obsessed non-traditional defense tech company dedicated to empowering U.S. military and government agencies with cutting-edge AI/ML and data solutions. We are a leader in autonomous data fusion and Agentic AI, with a purposeful focus on Distributed Data Systems, Platforms at Scale, and Complex Application Development. With headquarters in McLean, VA, our range of clients includes innovative federal and public agencies leveraging design thinking, cutting-edge tech stack, and cloud-native ecosystem. We build digital solutions that impact the lives of millions of Americans.


About the role:

You will be part of the team building a data focused product that is built on best of breed open source solutions like Kafka, Trino, DuckDB, and Superset. You will work both on backend and frontend to build end-to-end features that make interacting with data easier enabling users to be able to tell a data story through our product.

What we are looking for:

• 8+ Years of experience building RESTFul APIs to take concept to implementation in one of the following languages: Go (preferred), Java, Python, Rust (nice to have), and Scala
• 5+ Years of experience in frontend frameworks like React with a focus on Typescript or Javascript
• Deep design of software design and architecture
• Experience with large-scale relational and non-relational databases such as PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, and Elasticsearch to handle low-latency requirements
• Experience with building and releasing software in cloud-native environments
• Experience using a variety of package managers/dependency managers including Maven, Gradle, and NPM
• Experience with Docker and Kubernetes, including containerizing solutions and working with distributed clusters
• Experience working with AI coding assistants
• Demonstrated ability to take on large responsibilities and own complex work or project lifecycles
• STEM Background or relevant industry experience
• Able to obtain Security+ certification within 90 days of employment with Raft

Highly preferred:

• Experience with Kafka or RabbitMQ
  Experience with Delta Lake
  Experience with AWS or Azure

Clearance Requirements:

• Ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/SCI security clearance

Work Type:

• Onsite in Tacoma, WA
• May require up to 30% travel to both CONUS and OCONUS locations (Must possess a valid, active US passport with at least six months validity beyond intended period of employment to facilitate international travel and meet security requirements for government contracts.)

Salary Range: $160,000 - $220,000

• The determination of compensation is predicated upon a candidate's comprehensive experience, demonstrated skill, and proven abilities

What we will offer you:

• Highly competitive salary
• Fully covered healthcare, dental, and vision coverage
• 401(k) and company match
• Take as you need PTO + 11 paid holidays
• Education & training benefits
• Generous Referral Bonuses
• And More!

Our Vision Statement:

We bridge the gap between humans and data through radical transparency and our obsession with the mission.


Our Customer Obsession:


We will approach every deliverable like it's a product. We will adopt a customer-obsessed mentality. As we grow, and our footprint becomes larger, teams and employees will treat each other not only as teammates but customers. We must live the customer-obsessed mindset, always. This will help us scale and it will translate to the interactions that our Rafters have with their clients and other product teams that they integrate with. Our culture will enable our success and set us apart from other companies.

How do we get there?


Public-sector modernization is critical for us to live in a better world. We, at Raft, want to innovate and solve complex problems. And, if we are successful, our generation and the ones that follow us will live in a delightful, efficient, and accessible world where out-of-box thinking, and collaboration is a norm.


Raft's core philosophy is Ubuntu: I Am, Because We are . We support our "nadi" by elevating the other Rafters. We work as a hyper collaborative team where each team member brings a unique perspective, adding value that did not exist before. People make Raft special. We celebrate each other and our cognitive and cultural diversity. We are devoted to our practice of innovation and collaboration.


We're an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.