Software Engineer Independent Contractor Jobs in Ohio

DCS is an employee-owned organization with a reputation for agile and efficient development of technology solutions for U.S. Defense, Aerospace, Human Factors, and Security markets. We continue to provide innovative solutions with multidisciplinary teams formed with exceptional employees.
The DCS Air and Space Technology Sector is seeking a qualified candidate to apply advanced knowledge in the areas of software engineering, systems engineering, DevSecOps, and information technology for the technical design, development, modernization, integration, and sustainment of complex software systems supporting U.S. Department of Defense customers.
As a member of our team, the successful candidate will support software development and modernization efforts in a secure DoD environment, including work associated with PlatformOne-aligned development practices, cloud-enabled software delivery, CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, secure coding, and mission application sustainment. This position requires an experienced technical contributor who can work under broadly defined direction, apply advanced engineering principles, and provide high-level technical guidance to engineers, managers, and customers.
The candidate must be able to work independently and as part of a broader technical team. Successful candidates will have strong problem-solving skills, sound technical judgment, effective oral and written communication skills, and the ability to support complex software efforts in fast-paced mission environments.
Essential Job Functions:
Design, develop, test, integrate, and sustain software capabilities in support of DoD mission systems.
Support modernization of existing applications, services, and user interfaces using current software engineering practices.
Develop and maintain software components using object-oriented and web-based technologies.
Support secure software development practices, including code quality analysis, vulnerability remediation, automated testing, and configuration management.
Develop, maintain, and improve CI/CD pipelines and related software delivery processes.
Support containerized or cloud-enabled software development environments, as required.
Troubleshoot, analyze, and resolve complex software, integration, performance, and deployment issues.
Work with engineers, managers, cybersecurity personnel, and customers to define requirements, assess technical approaches, and deliver mission-focused solutions.
Provide technical guidance to software engineers and support disciplined development practices across the team.
Prepare and maintain technical documentation, user documentation, installation guidance, and status materials.
Support software deployments, testing activities, and operational sustainment in classified or controlled environments.
Use initiative and independent judgment to develop solutions to complex technical problems.
Perform additional duties as required.
Required Skills:
Due to the sensitivity of customer-related requirements, U.S. Citizenship is required.
Active Top Secret security clearance, with the ability to maintain clearance eligibility.
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Technology, Systems Engineering, or a related technical discipline, and at least 12 years of related experience; or a Master's degree and at least 10 years of related experience; or a PhD and at least 7 years of related experience.
Experience designing, developing, testing, and sustaining complex software systems, including PlatformOne.
Experience supporting PlatformOne, Cloud One, Iron Bank, Big Bang, Kubernetes, OpenShift, Docker, Helm, or similar DoD cloud/container platforms.
Experience with object-oriented software development and modern software engineering practices.
Experience developing web-based applications, services, APIs, or enterprise software capabilities.
Experience using source control, issue tracking, automated build, and software configuration management tools.
Experience supporting secure software development, vulnerability remediation, or software assurance activities.
Ability to work independently under broadly defined direction.
Ability to provide technical guidance to engineers, managers, and customers.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to work effectively in a team environment.
Desired Skills:
Experience developing or maintaining CI/CD pipelines using tools such as Jenkins, GitLab CI/CD, GitHub Actions, or similar technologies.
Experience with DevSecOps principles, automated testing, static code analysis, vulnerability scanning, and secure deployment practices.
Experience with Java, JavaScript, TypeScript, React, NodeJS, Python, C++, or similar development languages and frameworks.
Experience with relational databases, SQL, data management, data integration, or enterprise service architectures.
Experience with DoD cybersecurity requirements, RMF, ATO support, STIGs, or classified network deployment processes.
Experience modernizing legacy applications or migrating older systems to current frameworks and architectures.
Experience supporting Air Force, DoD, Intelligence Community, or mission-planning software systems.
Experience working in Agile, Scrum, Kanban, or similar software development environments.
Experience creating technical documentation, user guides, briefings, and status reports.