Senior Performance Engineer Jobs in Reston, VA (NOW HIRING)

Unissant, Inc. delivers innovative capabilities to the agencies that keep our nation healthy and safe. We apply our domain expertise, data acumen, and technology know-how to achieve breakthrough results for our clients. Working collaboratively, we advance missions and careers through a focus on honesty, integrity, and dependability. We continuously look for talent, excited to join that effort. To learn more about our exciting organization, please visit www.unissant.com.

We are seeking a Senior Software Engineer to join our team and support our client, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This is a remote position.

The ideal candidate is a senior full-stack engineer who will provide technical leadership for application engineering, cloud integration, and platform operations across FEMA's AI portfolio. This individual will build, integrate, modernize, and sustain user-facing and back-end AI services that meet FEMA security, accessibility, performance, and operational requirements.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Lead the architecture, design, development, integration, testing, deployment, and sustainment of full-stack AI applications.

• Build user interfaces, APIs, middleware, data services, and back-end components for RAG/chatbot, document-processing, predictive-analytics, and enterprise-automation solutions.

• Apply PERN-stack engineering practices using PostgreSQL, Express.js, React, and Node.js; use Terraform for infrastructure-as-code where applicable.

• Establish and maintain CI/CD pipelines, source-control practices, automated testing, environment promotion, and observability across FEMA-approved AI platforms.

• Conduct system analysis, performance engineering, debugging, root-cause analysis, and technical-debt remediation.

• Ensure user-facing deliverables comply with Section 508; support accessibility test plans, test results, and Accessibility Conformance Reports as required.

• Develop and maintain architecture diagrams, build and operating plans, interface specifications, security artifacts, user guides, and technical documentation.

• Collaborate with AI engineers, data scientists, cybersecurity personnel, product owners, and program stakeholders to deliver secure, scalable, production-ready capabilities.

Work Experience and Job Skills:

• Five (5) to ten (10) years of experience in full-stack software engineering, application architecture, cloud engineering, DevSecOps, or related technical disciplines.

• Demonstrated experience with relational databases, modern web frameworks, Agile/Scrum delivery, software architecture, and system integration.

• Proficiency with PERN-stack technologies or comparable modern full-stack technologies; Terraform; CI/CD; git-based code management; and observability tools.

• Experience designing accessible user interfaces and testing web applications for Section 508 conformance.

• Experience building secure, maintainable, scalable applications and integrating cloud-hosted services, APIs, and enterprise data systems.

• Strong technical leadership, documentation, troubleshooting, performance-engineering, and collaboration skills.

Education:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, or a related technical field required.

Certificates, Licenses and Registrations:

• Cloud, DevSecOps, agile, accessibility, software architecture, or relevant technical certification preferred.

Communication Skills:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to explain architecture, technical risks, accessibility considerations, and solution tradeoffs to technical and nontechnical audiences.

• Ability to write clear, concise content and manage sensitive information in a highly confidential manner.

Clearance Requirements:

• U.S. Citizenship is required.

• Favorably adjudicated FEMA Public Trust suitability is required before the employee's start date.

• Must comply with DHS/FEMA training, safeguarding, and access-control requirements applicable to FOUO/SBU information and assigned systems.

Travel:

• This is a remote position. Travel may be required based on client and business needs.

Environmental Requirements:

• Mainly a routine office environment.

• May be required to lift up to ten (10) pounds.

• Flexible in working extended hours as needed.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by the individual(s) assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and skills required. Unissant management reserves the right to modify, add, or remove duties and to assign other duties as necessary. In addition, where applicable and available, reasonable accommodation(s) may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions of this position.

Please note: Candidate(s) will be required to go through pre-employment screening.

Unissant, Inc. is a proud Equal Opportunity Employer! (EOE; M/F/Disability/Vets)