We are looking for an experienced and detail-oriented
Principal Software Engineer to design, build, and support intelligent, modern applications for a federal government partner at Coforma.
Note: This opening is contingent upon Coforma receiving the award for the underlying contract associated with this project. We will keep you updated on the award status throughout the interview process and will inform you immediately if there are any changes regarding the availability of this position.Our Software Engineers enjoy tackling complex problems while working with other members of our cross-disciplinary teams to deliver elegant products across a modern technology stack. They are skilled across the stack, building accessible applications that put people first with code that is clean, maintainable, well-documented, and well-tested.
This role combines full-stack web application engineering with hands-on AI and machine learning development, enabling you to deliver both the user-facing systems that serve federal employees and retirees and the AI-powered capabilities that make those systems smarter and more efficient over time.
Join us to build software that makes an impact and implement human-centered solutions that we can be proud to say we worked on together.
If you’re passionate about improving lives through digital products and services, Coforma is a great company for you.
$174,399 to $187,006 Annual Salary + Benefits + Growth PotentialPlacement within this range will be based on the competency level of the candidate. An offer will be made at one of the following tiers:- Tier 1 — $174,399.60: Meets stated qualification and experience requirements. May need guidance and training beyond onboarding to perform the more complex functions of the role.
- Tier 2 — $181,543.68: Experienced and fully competent. Will be able to independently perform key responsibilities of the role once onboarding is completed.
- Tier 3 — $187,006.80: Highly experienced and can perform all responsibilities of the role at a higher level than expected once onboarding is completed.
To honor our company-wide equitable pay system, the posted salary range and corresponding tier salaries are non-negotiable.This is a US-based remote position open to applicants in the states listed below. Some travel may be required.
To ensure we remain compliant with all state, county, and local employment and tax regulations, applicants must currently reside in one of the following states to be considered for employment with Coforma. This list will be updated periodically as our PeopleOps team works to open up hiring in additional states.
- Arizona
- California
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Montana
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New York
- North Carolina
- Oregon
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Virginia
- Washington
- Wisconsin
What You’ll Do (Key Responsibilities)
You will be working on building a retirement benefits management system for federal government employees. Key areas this role will be responsible for include:
- Application Engineering:
- Build modular, responsive web applications using React and/or Vue.js in alignment with accessibility and UX best practices.
- Design and implement secure, scalable APIs using TypeScript, ASP.NET Core, or Java (Spring Framework).
- Integrate with enterprise systems via SOAP/RESTful APIs with robust error handling.
- Implement authentication, authorization, and secure configuration in accordance with client agency security policies.
- Optimize database access and performance using SQL Server and Entity Framework Core.
- Add observability through structured logging, metrics, and tracing and support incident response with clear runbooks.
- AI and Machine Learning:
- Design and implement AI agents and large language model (LLM)-powered applications that automate and enhance retirement data workflows.
- Build, evaluate, and maintain machine learning models for classification, prediction, and anomaly detection.
- Integrate LLMs into production systems using prompt engineering, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and agentic frameworks.
- Develop and maintain data pipelines that ingest, validate, and transform large-scale structured and unstructured data.
- Apply explainable AI practices appropriate for a regulated, auditable government environment.
- Track model performance and manage the machine learning (ML) lifecycle using tools such as MLflow.
- Collaboration and Delivery:
- Participate in Agile ceremonies, conduct code reviews, and contribute to release planning and documentation.
- Work across technical and policy teams to translate business requirements into reliable, AI-driven solutions.
- Uphold software engineering best practices such as version control, CI/CD, testing, and peer review across both application and AI workstreams.
What We're Looking For
The strongest candidates bridge two worlds well: they can reason about a React component and a retrieval pipeline in the same conversation. The ideal engineer will read systems before rewriting them, evaluate models critically, and understand that in a mission-critical retirement system, reliability, security, and explainability matter as much as capability.
Who You Are and What You Know (Knowledge and Experience Requirements):- Full-time resident of the contiguous United States (must be legally authorized to work in the US now and in the future without sponsorship)
- Ability to pass a Public Trust background check and any applicable background and/or security checks related to project requirements
- Proficiency in React, Vue.js, JavaScript, TypeScript, ASP.NET Core, and Java (Spring Framework)
- Strong SQL skills and experience with SQL Server as well as familiarity with EF Core
- Experience with enterprise integrations including message queues, database RPC, REST, and SOAP APIs
- Deep knowledge and strong understanding of authentication, authorization, and security best practices
- Hands-on experience building or deploying LLM-based solutions (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic, Azure OpenAI, or open-source models)
- Familiarity with agentic AI patterns (tool use, planning, memory, and multi-step reasoning)
- Experience with RAG pipelines, vector databases, and embedding-based retrieval
- Professional experience using coding agents such as CoPilot or Claude Code
- Effective prompt engineering and experience evaluating LLM outputs for reliability and correctness
Preferred Qualifications and Experience:- 8+ years of experience building applications with open-source programming languages
- 8+ years of experience working with modern frameworks, libraries, or runtimes
- 8+ years of experience working with APIs and databases of various types
- 8+ years of experience working with infrastructure tools and Infrastructure as Code
- Experience developing software in a remote environment
- Experience working in the digital services, federal government, or federal government contracting industries
Other
- Internet: Will prioritize and maintain access to strong, reliable internet for the remote nature of our work, except when on vacation or holiday.
- Security: Will keep the highest security practices to ensure privacy and security of Coforma and client information, given the nature of our work, even when on vacation.
- Travel Flexibility: On request and with advanced notice, will attend in-person events such as meetings, workshops, and trainings as assigned for projects that require it.
- Brand Representation: Will represent Coforma professionally and sincerely, modeling our Company Values in all interactions.
Salary: 174399.60 - 187006.80 USD per year
