Senior Tooling Engineer Jobs in Washington (NOW HIRING)

Location: Laurel, MD
Employment Type: Full-time
Experience Level: Senior (12+ years)
Security Clearance: Active TS/SCI with polygraph required

The selected candidate will serve as a Software Engineer focused on enhancing developer productivity through the design and integration of advanced development tooling. This role emphasizes AI-assisted capabilities, automation of software development workflows, and experimentation with agent-based systems to support engineering tasks.

The candidate will contribute to building tools that improve code quality, streamline development processes, and enable more efficient delivery of software in a mission-focused environment.

Developer Tooling & Platform Engineering

• Design and implement advanced developer tooling, including AI-assisted integrated development environment (IDE) capabilities
• Integrate tools into existing development platforms, workflows, and pipelines
• Enhance development environments to improve usability, efficiency, and consistency

AI & Automation Integration

• Develop and integrate agent-based systems to automate repetitive development tasks (e.g., code review, test generation, code analysis)
• Experiment with autonomous and semi-autonomous systems to support software engineering workflows
• Evaluate emerging AI-driven tooling approaches and apply them to practical use cases

Prototyping & Evaluation

• Prototype new tooling concepts and assess their effectiveness in real-world scenarios
• Measure, document, and communicate improvements in developer productivity and code quality
• Iterate on solutions based on feedback and performance metrics

Collaboration & Requirements Development

• Work closely with stakeholders, developers, and users to gather requirements and feedback
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to refine and deploy tooling solutions
• Support continuous improvement of development practices

• Minimum of 12 years of relevant professional experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Bachelor’s degree in a technical discipline (or additional experience in lieu of degree)
• Strong software engineering experience in one or more modern programming languages
• Experience working with integrated development environments (IDEs), developer tools, or build/test systems
• Hands-on experience with AI- or LLM-powered development tools, including automated coding assistants or agent-based tools
• Demonstrated ability to prototype, evaluate, and refine technical solutions
• Strong understanding of software development workflows and best practices

• Experience with automated code review or static analysis tools
• Familiarity with agent-based AI frameworks or orchestration systems
• Experience working on developer platforms or internal engineering enablement teams
• Knowledge of CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices
• Experience developing IDE extensions or plugins (e.g., VS Code extensions using TypeScript or Electron)

• Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Curiosity and interest in emerging AI-driven development technologies
• Effective communication and collaboration across technical teams
• Commitment to improving developer experience and productivity

Compensation & Retirement

• Highly competitive base salary
• Performance-based bonus opportunities
• Employee referral bonus program (up to $10,000 per referral)
• 401(k) and Roth retirement plans with up to 10% profit-sharing contribution

Paid Time Off & Leave

• 25 days of paid time off annually
• PTO buy-back program
• 11 paid holidays annually (with flexible scheduling options)
• 3 additional paid site closure days per year
• Paid bereavement leave
• Paid parental leave:
  • 8 weeks childbirth leave for birthing parent
  • 4 weeks bonding leave for all parents (birth or adoption)

Health & Insurance

• 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and eligible dependents
• Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flexible Spending Accounts (medical, dependent care, limited purpose)
• Company-paid basic life insurance
• Short-term and long-term disability coverage

Education & Professional Development

• Unlimited company-funded training courses and industry conferences
• Education assistance and continuing education support
• Up to 5 paid training days per year

Additional Benefits

• Company-provided apparel
• Regular company-sponsored events, including family-friendly gatherings and social events
• Annual holiday celebration

Benefits are subject to change based on contract and organizational policies.

• This position requires work to be performed on-site in a secure environment
• Candidates must maintain an active security clearance
• U.S. citizenship may be required based on contract requirements

Equal Opportunity Employer

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or disability.