Software Engineer Contract Jobs in Charleston, SC

We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Backend Software Engineer with experience in containerized environments and orchestration platforms, specifically OpenShift, to join our mission-focused team. You’ll be responsible for designing and implementing secure, scalable backend services that operate within regulated government environments. This role offers the opportunity to work on complex systems that contribute directly to national security, with significant responsibility and technical ownership. As a senior software engineer, you will be mentoring junior personnel and could be responsible for budget and program management tasking.

This position requires eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Secret or Top Secret security clearance with SCI eligibility.

A Senior Software Engineer (Backend) is a highly skilled technical leader responsible for designing, building, and maintaining the server-side logic, databases, and APIs that power applications. They focus on scalability, security, and performance, taking ownership of complex features from design to production while mentoring junior engineers and defining technical standards.

· Design, implement, and maintain robust backend services, APIs, and data pipelines.

· Build and deploy containerized applications in OpenShift and Kubernetes-based environments.

· Collaborate with DevOps, security, and infrastructure teams to ensure high-availability and compliant deployments.

· Lead architecture and design discussions with a focus on secure and scalable systems.

· Implement logging, monitoring, and alerting to support production systems.

· Mentor junior engineers and contribute to a culture of engineering excellence and continuous improvement.

· Support incident response and root cause analysis for production issues.

· Author technical documentation for internal and external stakeholders, with an emphasis on compliance and system security.

· Competitive salary and equity opportunities

· Security clearance sponsorship and support

· Flexible remote or hybrid work arrangements (depending on clearance and contract)

· Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance

· 401(k) with employer matching

· Paid time off, federal holidays, and parental leave

· A mission-driven team culture supporting national defense and public service

Work Environment

• Collaborative Agile development team supporting secure web application delivery.
• May involve testing in multiple environments (Dev, Test, Integration).
• Some testing may occur on classified or controlled networks.
• Operates in a professional office environment and uses standard office equipment such as      computers and phones

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Ability to sit/stand for up to 8 hours per day (with breaks)
• Ability to move freely for up to 8 hours per day

DISCLAIMER: The information contained herein is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of the duties and responsibilities of the job, nor are they intended to be an all-inclusive list of the skills and abilities required to do the job. While this is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current job, management reserves the right to revise the job or to require that other or different tasks be performed as assigned. This job description doesn't constitute a contract of employment and the company may exercise its employment-at-will rights at any time.

· U.S. citizenship and eligibility to obtain a Secret or Top Secret clearance with SCI access.

· Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.

· 5+ years of backend software development experience.

· Proficiency in one or more backend programming languages (e.g., Python, Go, Java, Node.js, C#).

· Hands-on experience with OpenShift (or Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform) in production environments.

· Strong understanding of microservices architecture and API development.

· Experience with relational and NoSQL databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis).

· Familiarity with containerization (Docker) and orchestration (Kubernetes, OpenShift).

· Knowledge of CI/CD tools and secure deployment pipelines.

· Understanding of system security, authentication, and role-based access control (RBAC).

· Active Secret or Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility is highly preferred.

· Experience working on government contracts or in classified environments (DoD, Intelligence Community, etc.).

· Experience deploying and managing applications in OpenShift on premises or in secure cloud environments (e.g., AWS GovCloud,    Azure Government).

· Familiarity with STIGs, NIST 800-53, RMF, or other compliance frameworks.

· Background with messaging systems (e.g., Kafka, RabbitMQ), GraphQL, or gRPC.

· Experience with infrastructure-as-code (e.g., Terraform, Ansible) in secure environments.