Sr Staff / Senior Python Software Engineer

SciTec, a wholly owned subsidiary of Firefly Aerospace, is a dynamic non-traditional defense contractor that delivers advanced technologies in support of U.S. National Security and Defense. For the past forty-five plus years, we have supported Department of Defense customers by developing innovative remote sensing algorithms, tools, and techniques to deliver world-class data exploitation capabilities supporting missile defense; intelligence, surveillance, & reconnaissance; space domain awareness; and aircraft survivability missions.

Important Notice: SciTec exclusively works on U.S. government contracts that require U.S. citizenship for all employees. SciTec cannot sponsor or assume sponsorship of employee work visas of any type. Further, U.S. citizenship is a requirement to obtain and keep a security clearance. Applicants that do not meet these requirement will not be considered.

SciTec is seeking a Sr Staff / Senior Python Software Engineer to design, develop, and sustain high‑quality software systems that power advanced analysis and real‑time data processing workflows. This role centers on building distributed systems, microservices, and streaming data pipelines that support mission‑critical operations for the Missile Defense Agency, including automation and orchestration of satellite mission management and missile‑tracking workflows.

The ideal candidate is a strong individual contributor with deep Python expertise, sound engineering judgment, and the ability to collaborate across scientific and technical disciplines. This engineer will influence technical direction through architectural leadership, mentorship, and ownership of a growing software product. 

Responsibilities

Engineering

• Design, implement, and maintain high‑quality Python software that supports mission‑critical program objectives 

• Deliver complex features end‑to‑end, from requirements gathering through deployment and validation 

• Build and maintain containerized, distributed microservices, including development, deployment, and automated testing 

• Design and operate real‑time or near‑real‑time data processing and streaming workflows 

• Ensure the reliability, scalability, and performance of messaging systems and data pipelines 

• Develop and maintain comprehensive automated test suites (unit, integration, and system tests) 

• Promote strong engineering practices, including documentation, code quality, maintainability, and alignment with modern Python standards

Collaboration 

• Work directly with advanced technical and scientific users and customers to translate analytical workflows into robust, production‑ready software 

• Participate in Agile development activities, including code reviews, design discussions, and sprint planning 

• Communicate technical decisions, tradeoffs, and risks clearly to both engineering and program stakeholders 

Leadership & Growth

• Identify technical risks and propose mitigation strategies to support program success 

• Mentor junior and mid‑level engineers through code review, design guidance, and collaborative problem solving 

• Contribute to long‑term architectural planning and help define the future direction of the software product 

• Drive knowledge sharing through documentation, design artifacts, and internal presentations 

Other duties as assigned 

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Physical Sciences, or a related technical field 

• 6+ years of professional software engineering experience, including delivering production‑quality Python software 

• Strong proficiency in Python, including modern language features, packaging, and best practices 

• Hands‑on experience building and maintaining microservice architectures and distributed systems 

• Experience designing and supporting real‑time or near‑real‑time data processing pipelines 

• Proficiency writing and maintaining automated tests (pytest or similar) across unit, integration, and system levels 

• Professional experience developing software in Linux environments 

• Proficiency with Git and collaborative version‑control workflows 

• Solid understanding of software engineering fundamentals, including modular design, maintainability, and performance considerations 

• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with cross‑disciplinary technical and scientific users 

• Strong attention to detail and commitment to high‑quality, well‑tested, well‑documented code 

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills 

• Ability to work in person at the Boulder, CO office location

• Ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Security clearance  

Candidates who have any of the following skills will be preferred:

• Advanced degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or Physical Sciences 

• Experience working with scientific, remotely sensed, or mission‑critical data processing workflows 

• Familiarity with messaging and communication technologies such as Protocol Buffers (protobuf), ZeroMQ, Kafka, gRPC, or REST APIs 

• Professional experience with DevOps and CI/CD tooling, such as Docker, Podman, Jenkins, or GitLab CI/CD 

• Experience contributing to or guiding Agile development processes and tools, such as Jira

• Experience mentoring engineers or contributing to technical leadership within a team 

• Active DoD security clearance 

* Resumes, Cover Letters, and Applications which are generated by AI will not be considered for employment.

Colorado Residents: In any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.

Benefits

SciTec offers a highly competitive salary and benefits package, including:

• 4% Safe Harbor 401(k) match
• 100% company paid HSA Medical insurance, with a choice of 2 buy-up options
• 80% company paid Dental insurance
• 100% company paid Vision insurance
• 100% company paid Life insurance
• 100% company paid Long-term Disability insurance
• Short-term Disability insurance
• Annual Profit-Sharing Plan
• Discretionary Performance Bonus
• Paid Parental Leave
• Generous Paid Time Off, including Holiday, Vacation, and Sick Pay
• Flexible Work Hours

The pay range for this position is $126,000-$175,000 / year. SciTec considers several factors when extending an offer of employment, including but not limited to the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate's work experience, education/training, and key skills. This is not a guarantee of compensation.

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SciTec is proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer. VET/Disabled.