Mid Backend Developer Jobs in Charlottesville, VA

Job Summary
General Atomics Integrated Intelligence Inc. (GA-Intelligence) develops cutting-edge software solutions that transform raw data into actionable intelligence. We specialize in real-time global situational awareness and battle management, processing petabytes of data from hundreds of sources across air, land, and sea. Our systems-including the widely used THRESHER and DRAGONSPELL platforms-support tens of thousands of users at all levels of the DoD and Intelligence Community and enable critical decision-making for national security missions.
We process hundreds of thousands of observations per minute, operating at the scale of global sensor networks and battlefield telemetry. Our backend architecture leverages technologies like Kafka, AWS, NiFi, and GeoMesa-the latter of which we designed and open-sourced-to deliver high-throughput, mission-resilient systems that turn streaming data into real-time intelligence.
Why GA-Intelligence?
At GA-Intelligence, we're not chasing hype or building throwaway demos-we're solving complex, mission-critical problems that matter. Unlike younger firms chasing the next funding round, we've spent decades earning the trust of our users and delivering systems they rely on every day. And unlike traditional defense contractors, we're nimble, privately held, and able to make long-term decisions in the best interest of our customers and our country-not quarterly earnings reports.
Our users love our software. Our customers come back because we deliver. And our engineers stay because they get to work on real problems, with real impact, alongside people who care.
If you're looking for a place where engineering excellence meets enduring mission, GA-Intelligence is where you belong.
What You'll Do
We are seeking Backend Software Engineers to help build the next generation of global situational awareness and battle orchestration capabilities. You'll collaborate with cross-functional teams-including UI/UX engineers, mission engineers, data scientists, and product owners-to design and deliver software that is performant, scalable, and tailored to complex user needs.
Whether you're integrating multi-source data, optimizing backend services, or shaping how insights reach the end user, your work will directly support operational missions that have real-world impact.
What We Believe
These values weren't crafted in a branding session-they were observed and articulated after 35 years of building software that matters. They reflect how we work, what we value in each other, and the kind of impact we want to have. At GA-Intelligence, they aren't aspirational-they're how we operate.

• Solving Meaningful Challenges - Building mission-driven technology that makes a difference
• Collaborative Culture - Working as a team to push boundaries and innovate
• Technical Excellence - Encouraging continuous learning, curiosity, and efficiency
• Idea Meritocracy - Valuing ideas based on impact, not hierarchy

If these principles resonate with you-not just in theory, but in daily practice-you'll find yourself at home here.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Mid-level engineers at GA-Intelligence are trusted contributors who bring solid engineering experience and judgment to every stage of the software lifecycle. You will design, build, and maintain robust backend systems, while collaborating with others to ensure solutions are effective, maintainable, and aligned with mission goals. You'll also play an active role in mentoring junior engineers and shaping technical discussions within your team.

• Engineer high-quality software:
  • Take ownership of features or services from design through deployment, ensuring quality, performance, and maintainability
  • Apply secure coding practices and contribute to system reliability, observability, and compliance with relevant standards
  • Improve and sustain deployed capabilities across customer and cloud environments by addressing evolving operational needs
  • Integrate backend components into larger system architectures and support deployments in cloud and bare-metal environments
  • Conduct and contribute to code reviews to uphold engineering standards and mentor less experienced developers
• Understand the domain and guide the design
  • Work closely with users, stakeholders, and domain experts to understand requirements and translate them into reliable, maintainable code
  • Lead backend efforts on enterprise Java applications for command and control, geospatial data visualization, and analytics
  • Influence technical decisions during design, planning, and cross-team coordination meetings
  • Document technical decisions and communicate clearly with technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Build the team
  • Actively support and guide junior engineers while demonstrating readiness for increasing leadership responsibilities

We recognize and appreciate the value and contributions of individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences and welcome all qualified individuals to apply.
Job Qualifications

• Typically requires a bachelors degree, masters degree or PhD in computer science, information systems or a related discipline and progressive software development experience as follows; four or more years of experience with a bachelors degree or two or more years of experience with a masters degree. May substitute equivalent experience in lieu of education.
• Ability to understand and leverage filtering algorithms, such as Kalman filters and Interacting Multiple Model (IMM) filters.
• Experience with a variety of programming languages, such as Java, Scala, Python, and Golang.
• Supporting experience to execute against database technologies such as PostgreSQL.
• Supporting experience to execute against cloud technologies such as Hadoop, Kafka, HBase, Accumulo.
• Experienced with software version control systems, in particular, git.

DESIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Experience with Computer Vision systems and intelligence collection.
• Knowledge of machine learning and deep learning techniques for enhancing tracking capabilities, such as object detection and classification.
• CI/CD pipelines and tooling (Gitlab CI/CD, ArgoCD, CircleCI, Jenkins).
• Experience with sensor technologies and data acquisition systems used in tracking applications, such as radar, lidar, GPS, or cameras.
• Deployment technologies such as: Docker, Kubernetes, Knative, Helm, Rancher.
• Knowledge of cloud computing platforms and services, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Microsoft Azure.
• Interested in maintaining and adapting existing codebases.
• Experience with data fusion and data engineering tools.
• Familiarity with Intelligence Community and DoD mission sets.
• CompTIA Security+ certification or willingness to get certified.