Staff Engineer

Tacoma, WA; Rome, NY; NCR Area, Hanscom AFBThis 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.We're looking for an experienced Staff Engineer to support our customers and join our passionate team of high-impact problem solvers.About the role:As aStaff Engineer, you are a beacon of knowledge and a go-to person for complex challenges. Your role is pivotal in decision-making processes, high-level architecture designs, and setting the course for technical excellence within teams. You're expected to think critically, solve intricate problems, and mentor Senior and below Engineers.Raft is building a real-time data platform for the Department of Defense (DoD), aimed at enhancing operators' awareness of critical events, including instances like the Chinese balloon and Cessna over the White House incidents. Central to this data platform is the aggregation of real-time data from over 750 sensors. This data is subsequently enriched, rendered queryable, and ultimately presented as a common operational picture to empower operators in making time critical and pertinent decisions. Our system efficiently handles the processing of over a billion events daily, all achieved with millisecond-level latency. Key technologies include Kafka, Kafka Streams, Pinot, Java, Scala, and Kubernetes. Your involvement in this role will encompass hands-on collaboration with a team of accomplished individuals, collectively striving towards excellence.Build data infrastructure and platforms using streaming frameworks such as Apache Kafka, Flink, and Kafka StreamsBuild Extract, Transform, Load (ETL) pipelines to enable comprehensive data operationsLeverage software engineering principles to architect, develop, and implement large scale streaming applicationsWhat we are looking for:Five plus years of relevant hands-on industry experienceIn-depth experience with building and managing fault-tolerant, data-intensive platforms using popular streaming technologies such as Kafka, Pinot, or FlinkExperience with large-scale relational and non-relational databases such as PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, and Elasticsearch to handle low-latency requirementsWorking experience in data management including ETL processing, data governance, and data storageExperience with building and releasing software in cloud-native environmentsExperience using a variety of package managers/dependency managers including Maven, Gradle, and NPMDeep knowledge of software design and architecture patternsObtain Security+ certification within the first 90 days of employment with RaftHighly preferred:Experience with KubernetesExperience with monitoring (i.e. Prometheus, Grafana) and logging (i.e. Fluentbit, Kibana, Loki) solutions in cloud-native environmentsSolid understanding of Helm ChartsExperience or knowledge of service mesh technologies, such as IstioExperience with supporting enterprise Cloud applications or infrastructureExperience in automation languages like Python or GoLangTech Lead ExperienceClearance Requirements:Minimum Secret Clearance requiredWork Type:Remote with occasional onsite presence as required.May require up to 25% travelSalary Range$160,000 - $210,000The determination of compensation is predicated upon a candidate's comprehensive experience, demonstrated skill, and proven abilitiesWhat we will offer you:Highly competitive salaryFully covered healthcare, dental, and vision coverage401(k) and company matchTake as you need PTO + 11 paid holidaysAnd More!Our Vision Statement:We bridge the gap between humans and data through radical transparency and our obsession withthemission.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 isUbuntu: IAm, BecauseWe 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.J-18808-Ljbffr