Lead Software Engineer (Washington)

Capitol Careers is currently in search of a Lead Software Engineer (Manager) for a large Federal Advisory Firm.

This is a Contract-to-Hire position. Candidates must be open to going onsite occasionally in Arlington, VA for deployment periods.

Candidates MUST HAVE an Active Secret Security Clearance (Top-Secret preferred).

Position Overview:

This is a hands-on engineering role focused on developing custom Python applications, deploying containerized workloads, and automating cloud infrastructure and software delivery. The successful candidate will combine strong software development skills with practical experience in AWS, Kubernetes, and DevOps, helping move solutions from requirements and design through testing, deployment, and ongoing operations.

Candidates should be comfortable providing technical direction, collaborating with business stakeholders, and independently delivering complex solutions. Extensive people-management experience is not required; hands-on development depth is the priority.

Work Arrangement:

Candidates must reside in the Washington, DC/Maryland/Virginia metropolitan area and be available to work onsite during deployment activities.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design, develop, test, and maintain Python applications and services supporting enterprise business requirements.
• Collaborate with technical and non-technical stakeholders to gather requirements, define solutions, and estimate scope, effort, and delivery schedules.
• Build solutions using microservices, serverless technologies, containerized applications, and cloud infrastructure, with a primary emphasis on AWS.
• Build, deploy, and manage Docker containers and Kubernetes workloads, including EKS and, where applicable, AKS or self-managed environments.
• Develop and maintain Helm charts, deployment manifests, and container registries.
• Automate infrastructure provisioning and application delivery using Infrastructure as Code, configuration management, and CI/CD pipelines.
• Integrate applications with third-party systems, Databricks, databases, messaging services, and other enterprise data sources.
• Implement monitoring, observability, logging, and reporting to support application reliability and operational visibility.
• Support load testing, performance tuning, troubleshooting, and resolution of application and infrastructure issues.
• Participate in security and compliance reviews and implement required remediation.
• Provide technical guidance, contribute to code reviews, and promote consistent development and architecture standards.
• Support onsite deployments, release validation, and transition to ongoing operations.
• Work within an Agile team using Git, Jira, Confluence, and related delivery tools.

Required Qualifications:

• 8–10 years of relevant experience in software development, cloud engineering, DevOps, or systems engineering, with substantial responsibility for application development.
• Approximately eight years of hands-on Python development experience, including building and maintaining complex applications or services.
• Strong hands-on experience deploying, managing, and troubleshooting Kubernetes and Docker workloads.
• Strong AWS experience, including cloud application deployment, infrastructure automation, networking, and security.
• Demonstrated experience building and maintaining CI/CD pipelines and applying DevOps practices throughout the software development lifecycle.
• Experience with Infrastructure as Code tools such as Terraform or CloudFormation, or comparable technologies.
• Experience integrating applications with databases, APIs, and third-party systems.
• Strong understanding of microservices, serverless architectures, enterprise design patterns, and object-oriented development.
• Proficiency with Git and experience working in an Agile delivery environment.
• Ability to write clean, maintainable code, troubleshoot complex issues, and independently deliver assigned work.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to explain technical decisions to both engineering and business stakeholders.
• Ability to reside in the DMV area and support extended onsite deployment periods as needed.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with Databricks and enterprise database integrations.
• Experience with Azure services, including AKS, Azure Functions, and Azure Container Registry.
• Experience with Azure DevOps Pipelines, GitHub Actions, or AWS CodePipeline, CodeBuild, and CodeDeploy.
• Familiarity with ARM templates, Bicep, and configuration management tools such as Ansible, SaltStack, Chef, or Puppet.
• Experience with Helm, Amazon ECR, queues and messaging, and hybrid cloud/on-premises architectures.
• Experience supporting Linux and Windows environments and working with network and firewall requirements.
• Experience delivering technology solutions within federal government or client-facing consulting environments.
• Technical leadership experience guiding development decisions and supporting other engineers.

To Apply:

Please send your resume to for additional details.