Junior Full Stack Jobs in Washington (NOW HIRING)

Responsibilities

Join a cross-functional Scrum team building mission-focused software in an Agile DevSecOps environment in our Herndon, VA location. As a junior engineer, you'll contribute to fullstack features, participate in acceptance criteria development, automate tests using Open Source/COTS tools, document instructions, and support integration activities. You'll fix bugs, ship enhancements, and learn best practices while working with modern cloud, data, and messaging technologies.

What You'll Do

• Build & deliver software in sprints: design, develop, test, document, and integrate features across front-end and back-end services.
• Apply Agile engineering practices: participate in backlog grooming, sprint planning, daily standups, demos, and retros.
• Support DevSecOps workflows: use Git-based workflows, CI/CD pipelines, and containerization to move changes from development to production.
• Automate testing: create unit/integration tests and simple scripts to improve quality and repeatability.
• Contribute to modernization: assist senior engineers in analyzing legacy ExtJS/Spring components and migrating to modern stacks and microservices.
• Collaborate & learn: work closely with product owners, UX, QA, and other engineers; document technical work in Confluence and track tasks in Jira.

Technologies You'll Use (and grow into)

• Front-end: JavaScript/TypeScript with React or Angular, HTML5, CSS3, responsive design; exposure to state management (Redux/NgRx) and modern build tools (Webpack, Vite, Angular CLI).
• Back-end: Python 3.8+ (FastAPI or Flask), OR Java (Spring/Spring Boot); RESTful API design and OpenAPI/Swagger.
• Messaging: Basic understanding of message brokers (e.g., ActiveMQ), JMS/STOMP concepts; integrating Python apps (e.g., stomp.py).
• Data: PostgreSQL, MongoDB (schemas, indexing), and AWS managed databases (DynamoDB, DocumentDB).
• Search & Analytics: Exposure to Elasticsearch (v8+)-index management, query DSL, analyzers/tokenizers, Python client usage.
• Cloud & DevOps: AWS (EC2, S3), Docker, Kubernetes (foundational), CI/CD with Jenkins, GitLab CI or GitHub Actions; infrastructure-as-code (intro level).
• Testing & Quality: JUnit, Pytest, Jest; familiarity with integration/E2E tools (Cypress, Selenium) and TDD concepts.
• Security: Awareness of secure API design, OAuth2/JWT, CORS configuration, and OWASP-aligned practices.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• A Bachelor's degree in an area applicable to the position with 2+ years of relevant experience OR a Master's degree in an area applicable to the position; an additional 4 years of experience maybe considered in lieu of a degree requirement.
• Active TS/SCI with polygraph (required)
• Programming: Coursework or hands-on experience in two or more of the following:
• Java (Spring/Spring Boot),
• Python (FastAPI or Flask; package management with Poetry is a plus),
• JavaScript/TypeScript (React ecosystem or Angular).
• Core skills: REST/JSON fundamentals; basic Git usage; familiarity with Agile/Scrum; exposure to Docker.
• Cloud/Data: Experience or coursework with AWS services (e.g., EC2, S3, plus one of PostgreSQL, DynamoDB, DocumentDB).
• Testing: Experience with unit testing (e.g., JUnit, Pytest, or similar).

Desired

• Front-end state management (Redux, NgRx); modern build tooling (Webpack, Vite, Angular CLI).
• Python async/await and ASGI servers (Uvicorn/Hypercorn).
• Elasticsearch basics (indexing, query DSL) and Python client usage.
• MongoDB schemas, aggregation pipelines, performance tuning; drivers (PyMongo or Motor).
• Message broker familiarity (ActiveMQ, JMS/STOMP).
• CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions); infrastructure-as-code (Terraform/CloudFormation).
• Kubernetes fundamentals; container orchestration patterns.
• Legacy analysis/migration: ExtJS and Spring to modern microservices/API gateway patterns.
• E2E testing (Cypress/Selenium); integration testing strategies.
• Collaboration tooling (Jira, Confluence); code reviews and branching strategies.
• Monitoring/observability awareness (Prometheus, Grafana, ELK).

Soft Skills

• Strong analytical and problem-solving mindset; curiosity to learn and ask great questions.
• Clear written and verbal communication for documenting and collaborating.
• Team-oriented with the ability to work independently on assigned tasks.
• Receptive to feedback and mentoring; growth-oriented attitude.

Peraton offers enhanced benefits to employees working on this critical National Security program, which include heavily subsidized employee benefits coverage for you and your dependents, 25 days of PTO accrued annually up to a generous PTO cap and eligible to participate in an attractive bonus plan.

Peraton Overview

Peraton is a next-generation national security company that drives missions of consequence spanning the globe and extending to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. As the world's leading mission capability integrator and transformative enterprise IT provider, we deliver trusted, highly differentiated solutions and technologies to protect our nation and allies. Peraton operates at the critical nexus between traditional and nontraditional threats across all domains: land, sea, space, air, and cyberspace. The company serves as a valued partner to essential government agencies and supports every branch of the U.S. armed forces. Each day, our employees do the can't be done by solving the most daunting challenges facing our customers. Visit peraton.com to learn how we're keeping people around the world safe and secure.

Target Salary Range$80,000 - $128,000. This represents the typical salary range for this position. Salary is determined by various factors, including but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the individual's experience, education, knowledge, skills, and competencies, as well as geographic location and business and contract considerations. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay.EEOEEO: Equal opportunity employer, including disability and protected veterans, or other characteristics protected by law.Employment Type: FULL_TIME