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Lead Backend Engineer Jobs in Washington (NOW HIRING)

Cape Fox SS

Back End Developer

Fort Belvoir, VA · On-site

$185K - $220K/yr

... Back End Developer to join our team in support of a government customer ... This role will lead design, implementation, and maintenance of server-side logic, APIs, and system ...

Hirekeyz Inc

Senior Full-Stack Engineer

Washington, DC · On-site

Senior Full-Stack Engineer Location: Onsite- Fairfax, VA 3 Days and in Washington, DC 2 Days per ... Lead backend architecture and development, ensuring reliability, scalability, and high performance.

BDR Solutions LLC

Sr Backend Developer

Herndon, VA · On-site +1

$123K - $160K/yr

BDR is seeking a Sr. Back-End Developer to join our growing team! This position will be performed ... Lead the design and development of secure back-end services, RESTful APIs, and microservices that ...

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Showing results 21-40

All JobsLead Backend Engineer JobsLead Backend Engineer Jobs in Washington

Lead Backend Engineer information

See Washington salary details

$68.5K

$167.2K

$225.4K

How much do lead backend engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 6, 2026, the average yearly pay for lead backend engineer in Washington is $167,241.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $140,400.00 and $194,800.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

Are lead backend engineers still in demand?

Lead backend engineers remain in high demand due to the ongoing need for scalable server-side solutions, cloud integration, and system architecture expertise. Companies seek professionals with strong programming skills in languages like Java, Python, or Node.js, along with experience in database management and DevOps practices. The role often requires leadership abilities and familiarity with modern frameworks and tools to support digital transformation initiatives.

What is a lead backend engineer?

Lead Backend Engineers are senior-level software engineers who oversee the development, maintenance, and optimization of server-side applications and systems. They guide teams of backend developers, design system architecture, and ensure code quality and scalability. In addition to technical responsibilities, Lead Backend Engineers often collaborate with other departments, mentor junior engineers, and help set best practices for backend development within an organization.

What is the difference between Lead Backend Engineer vs Backend Developer?

AspectLead Backend EngineerBackend Developer
Required CredentialsBachelor's degree in CS or related field; experience in system architectureBachelor's degree in CS or related field; coding proficiency
Work EnvironmentTeam leadership, project planning, architecture designCode development, feature implementation
Employer & Industry UsageTech companies, startups, enterprise softwareWeb development firms, tech startups, software agencies
Common Search & ComparisonLeadership, architecture, project managementCoding, feature development, debugging

The main difference between a Lead Backend Engineer and a Backend Developer lies in their responsibilities. The Lead Backend Engineer oversees system architecture, leads technical teams, and manages project planning, while the Backend Developer focuses primarily on coding, implementing features, and debugging. Both roles require similar technical credentials, but the Lead role involves more leadership and strategic planning within tech teams.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a lead backend engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Lead Backend Engineer, you need deep expertise in backend programming languages (such as Java, Python, or Node.js), software architecture, and experience with large-scale system design, usually supported by a degree in computer science or equivalent experience. Familiarity with cloud platforms (like AWS or Azure), containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), and database management systems, as well as knowledge of CI/CD pipelines and relevant certifications, are typically important. Leadership, collaboration, and problem-solving skills help you guide teams, communicate effectively, and resolve technical challenges. These skills and qualities are essential for building robust, scalable systems and ensuring team efficiency in dynamic development environments.

How does a lead backend engineer typically collaborate with front-end teams and other stakeholders?

As a Lead Backend Engineer, collaboration with front-end developers and cross-functional stakeholders is essential to deliver seamless user experiences. You’ll regularly participate in design discussions, API planning sessions, and code reviews to ensure backend services align with front-end requirements and business goals. Effective communication, clear documentation, and a proactive approach to resolving integration issues are key to successful collaboration. Additionally, you may coordinate with product managers, QA engineers, and DevOps teams to streamline deployment and maintain system reliability.
What are popular job titles related to Lead Backend Engineer jobs in Washington? For Lead Backend Engineer jobs in Washington, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Lead Backend Engineer jobs in Washington look for? The top searched job categories for Lead Backend Engineer jobs in Washington are:
Lead Backend Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Lead Backend Engineer job openings in Washington as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 87% Full Time, 10% Part Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 91% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 6% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $167,241 per year, or $80.4 per hour.

Staff / Principal Backend Software Engineer

Twenty Technologies, Inc

Arlington, VA • On-site

$192K - $455K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 18 days ago

Job description

About the Company
America is under sustained cyber attack. Our adversaries infiltrate our networks, steal our IP, and degrade the digital infrastructure that modern life runs on. They've learned-correctly-that those attacks rarely produce consequences.
Twenty was founded to change that, by making our adversaries think twice before they attack us. Our vision is American and allied primacy in cyberspace-a future where they cannot contest us, deterrence is assured, and the free world remains secure.
Founded in 2024, Twenty Technologies (www.twenty.io) industrializes offensive cyber operations for the U.S. and its allies. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, Twenty has raised $168M from Khosla Ventures, Accel, Caffeinated Capital, Friends & Family Capital, Point72 Ventures, General Catalyst, and In-Q-Tel.
Role Summary
You'll design and build backend systems that turn real-time operational data into mission-critical capabilities. This role owns core services that need to be fast, reliable, and secure-operating across cloud and on-prem environments. You'll make high-leverage architecture decisions, drive technical execution, and raise the bar through mentorship and engineering standards. You'll partner closely with product, operations, and frontend teams to ship systems that work under real-world constraints.
Who You Are
  • You're motivated by high-stakes, real-world outcomes-especially in national security and cyber operations.
  • You take ownership: you push projects from ambiguous problem to shipped, measured capability.
  • You bring calm, high-judgment leadership during incidents, tradeoff discussions, and tight timelines.
  • You hold a high bar for reliability, security, and maintainability-and you help others meet it.
  • You communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical partners.
  • You prefer simple, scalable designs and know when complexity is justified.
  • You enjoy mentoring and leveling up engineers through feedback, pairing, and strong technical direction.

What You'll Do
  • Architect and build high-throughput backend services that process real-time operational data.
  • Lead technical design reviews and choose pragmatic approaches for new features and system improvements.
  • Design event-driven and distributed systems that are resilient, observable, and performance-tuned.
  • Define stable APIs for internal and external consumers, partnering with frontend for seamless integration.
  • Improve engineering excellence through code reviews, standards, testing strategy, and incident practices.
  • Build and maintain CI/CD workflows that enable rapid, secure delivery.
  • Troubleshoot complex production issues, lead incident response, and drive durable fixes.
  • Partner with product and operational stakeholders to translate needs into deliverable technical plans.
  • Contribute to technical strategy and roadmap planning across backend services.
  • Support hiring by participating in interviews and helping define what "great" looks like.

Must Have
  • You have 10+ years building scalable backend systems in production environments.
  • 4+ years of experience in Golang, or 4+ years writing server-side business logic in an object-oriented language (Java, Kotlin, C#, Python) or systems language (C, C++, Rust) with strong system design aptitude.
  • You have led technical initiatives end-to-end, including architecture, execution, and delivery.
  • You have experience designing distributed systems (e.g., event-driven architectures, messaging, consistency tradeoffs).
  • You have built cloud-native services and operated them in production (AWS preferred).
  • You have strong security fundamentals: secure coding, threat modeling, and defensible design choices.
  • You have a track record mentoring engineers through code reviews, technical guidance, and feedback.
  • You have strong communication skills and can align teams around clear technical decisions.

Nice To Have
  • You have experience designing data models and queries in graph databases (e.g., Neo4j, AWS Neptune).
  • You have used relational databases (ex: Postgres, MySQL, or MariaDB) to solve business problems and are able to reason about query performance.
  • You've worked on defense, intelligence, or security-focused products with real operational users.
  • You've shipped large-scale data processing systems (streaming, near-real-time analytics, or similar).
  • You've integrated ML/AI capabilities into production systems in a practical, measurable way.
  • You have open-source contributions or personal projects that demonstrate strong engineering craft.

Tech Environment (You Might Work With)
  • Go (Golang) business logic
  • AWS and hybrid cloud/on-prem deployments
  • Event-driven messaging (e.g., NATS)
  • Containers and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes)
  • GraphQL and service-to-service APIs
  • Graph databases (Neo4j, AWS Neptune) and complex relationship data

Benefits
What's on the table:
  • Health. Medical, dental, and vision plan options. Life / AD&D, disability coverage options.
  • Family. Paid parental leave for eligible full-time employees. 12 weeks for birthing parents, 4 for non-birthing parents, 6 weeks for adoptive, foster, or intended parents through surrogacy.
  • Vacation. Paid holidays and flexible PTO. Take what you need.
  • Retirement. 401(k) with pre-tax and Roth options. HSA/FSA options, dependent care FSA.

Benefits vary by location, role, and eligibility. Full plan details provided during the interview and offer process.
If this role sounds like you, apply and share with us your interest
Due to U.S. government contract and security requirements, this role is limited to U.S. citizens. Some positions may also require eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance. Any active clearance requirement will be listed in the role description.
Twenty is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected status, consistent with applicable law.
If you need a reasonable accommodation during the hiring process, let us know and we will work with you.

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