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Founding Software Engineer Jobs in Virginia (NOW HIRING)

GRVTY

Software Developer

Mclean, VA · On-site

... founding in 2013. We've grown on this effort by providing the customer with Engineers who have done ... The Software Developer will be working in a fast-paced, dynamic, agile software development ...

Integral

Software Developer

Mclean, VA

The Software Developer supports the United States (U.S.) Army C5ISR Center to develop advances ... Since our founding in 1998, we have helped clients leverage existing and emerging technologies to ...

Integral

Software Developer

Mclean, VA · On-site

Overview The Software Developer supports the United States (U.S.) Army C5ISR Center to develop ... Since our founding in 1998, we have helped clients leverage existing and emerging technologies to ...

GRVTY

Software Developer

Mclean, VA · On-site

$150K - $250K/yr

... founding in 2013. We've grown on this effort by providing the customer with Engineers who have done ... The Software Developer will be working in a fast-paced, dynamic, agile software development ...

GRVTY

Software Developer

Mclean, VA

$150K - $250K/yr

... founding in 2013. We've grown on this effort by providing the customer with Engineers who have done ... The Software Developer will be working in a fast-paced, dynamic, agile software development ...

Neuroscale AI

Forward Deployed Engineer

Reston, VA · On-site

... software. This is not a maintenance role. This is a hands-on, high-ownership opportunity for someone who has operated at a full-stack engineer, architect, or founding/lead engineer level and knows ...

KOJU Tech Solutions

Senior C# Developer

Reston, VA · On-site

$56.75 - $75/hr

Since our founding in 2009, we provide results that adhere to industry standards as well as ... O.L.I.D. principles of software development * Familiarity and working experience in Agile ...

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All JobsFounding Software Engineer JobsFounding Software Engineer Jobs in Virginia

Founding Software Engineer information

See Virginia salary details

$63K

$146.3K

$203.7K

How much do founding software engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 7, 2026, the average yearly pay for founding software engineer in Virginia is $146,258.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $119,000.00 and $171,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are Founding Software Engineers?

Founding Software Engineers are among the first technical hires at a startup or newly formed company. They play a critical role in building the initial product, setting up the technical foundation, and often shaping the company's engineering culture and processes. In addition to coding, they may also be involved in architecture decisions, hiring, and even strategic business discussions. This role typically requires broad technical expertise, entrepreneurial spirit, and the ability to work in fast-paced, ambiguous environments.

What are some unique challenges faced by Founding Software Engineers in an early-stage startup environment?

Founding Software Engineers in early-stage startups often navigate rapidly shifting priorities and must wear multiple hats, from architecting core systems to handling on-call troubleshooting. The role typically requires balancing the need for quick feature delivery with building scalable, maintainable code. Close collaboration with co-founders and other early team members is essential, as decisions made at this stage have a lasting impact on the product and company culture. Adaptability, strong communication, and ownership are key, as resource constraints and ambiguity are common.

What is the difference between Founding Software Engineer vs Software Engineer?

AspectFounding Software EngineerSoftware Engineer
Required CredentialsBachelor's or higher in CS or related field; startup experience often preferredBachelor's degree in CS or related field; entry to mid-level experience
Work EnvironmentEarly-stage startup, high responsibility, flexible rolesEstablished companies or startups, structured teams, defined roles
Employer & Industry UsageFounding teams of startups, tech companiesTech firms, corporations, startups
Search & Comparison IntentUnderstanding startup roles, early-stage responsibilitiesStandard software development roles, career progression

The main difference is that a Founding Software Engineer is an early team member in a startup, often taking on broader responsibilities and helping shape the company's technical foundation. A Software Engineer typically works within established teams on specific projects, with more defined roles and responsibilities.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Founding Software Engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Founding Software Engineer, you need deep expertise in software architecture, full-stack development, and problem-solving, often demonstrated by a strong technical background and relevant degrees. Familiarity with cloud platforms, version control systems (like Git), and modern programming languages or frameworks is essential, along with startup exposure or experience. Initiative, adaptability, and outstanding communication are crucial soft skills for shaping the product vision and collaborating in a small, fast-moving team. These capabilities are vital for efficiently building robust products from scratch and driving early-stage company growth.
What are popular job titles related to Founding Software Engineer jobs in Virginia? For Founding Software Engineer jobs in Virginia, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Founding Software Engineer jobs in Virginia look for? The top searched job categories for Founding Software Engineer jobs in Virginia are:
Founding Software Engineer jobs near you

Senior Software Engineer with Security Clearance

GRVTY

Chantilly, VA • On-site

$126K - $166K/yr

Other

Posted 17 days ago

Job description

What Impact You'll Have GRVTY is a member of 100% of the winning teams for the largest technology program in the Intel Community. We've been supporting this customer on many different sub-projects of this program since our founding in 2013. We've grown on this effort by providing the customer with Engineers who have done exceptional work, and we've retained our staff by paying very strong salaries, and working hard to ensure each Engineer is doing work that aligns with their career interest.

Work on this program takes place in Chantilly, VA and in various field offices throughout Northern VA (we cannot support remote work), and requires a TS/SCI + Polygraph clearance (acceptable to this customer). What You'll Be Owning The Software Engineer, with a minimum of 4 years of experience, will be responsible for working within Cloud Services for the Sponsor, using Java and/or Python to provide software development support. The ideal candidate requires demonstrated experience with: Experience with the Sponsor's cloud environment Programming in Java and Python What You Must Have 4-7 years of relevant experience Demonstrated experience with Systems Administration Demonstrated experience leveraging a background in programming, software tools and packages, operating systems, and networking to solve collection needs in cloud environments Demonstrated experience with Python Demonstrated experience with cloud services, to include Lambda, S3, Batch, EC2, EventBridge, SQS/SNS, IAM, DynamoDB, and containers Demonstrated experience using AWS Cloud Development Kits (CDK) Demonstrated experience building and maintaining secure web applications on the Sponsor's network JWICS C2S network Designing, developing, querying and maintaining ElasticSearch/AWS OpenSearch and related technologies Writing and tuning complex queries against structured and unstructured data sets using both SQL and ElasticSearch/OpenSearch languages Integrating Services C2S services including Lambdas, SNS, SQS, etc.

Integrating AWS services including Lambdas, SNS, SQS, etc., in the sponsor's classified environment Demonstrated experience with the ability to listen and transcribe from mission need to technical requirements for Sponsor consideration Demonstrated experience with the ability to reflect back an understanding of the mission need described and convey how a technical solution will deliver mission results Demonstrated experience prioritizing work based on mission need Demonstrated experience documenting and communicating technical and non-technical mission requirements for all audiences Demonstrated experience working with other technical teams across multiple organizational boundaries Demonstrated experience with assessing project requirements and making informed recommendations Demonstrated experience with Linux shell scripting Demonstrated experience building Docker containers and images Demonstrated experience transforming data in various file formats into common formats, such as JSON, CSV, or XML Demonstrated experience working with application developers to identify and implement infrastructure and deployment requirements What Would Be Nice to Have Demonstrated experience with tools, such as IDA Pro, Ghidra, JADX, or APKtool Demonstrated experience with multiple cloud providers Demonstrated experience with other programming languages besides Python #LI-BPJ

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