Description

The DarkStar Group is seeking a Frontend Software Development Engineer with a TS/SCI + CI Poly clearance to join one of our top projects in Herndon, VA.  Below is an overview of the project, as well as information on our company, our benefits, and our $25,000 referral program.

THE PROJECT

The DarkStar Group's team solves unique and challenging intelligence problems for a Special Operations customer. This work is as close to the mission as a technologist can get, so the environment is fast-paced: team members face rapidly-changing requirements and priorities as mission needs evolve. If you hate monotony and want to use your skills to have a direct impact on real-world operational success, this is the project for you.

We are a multi-faceted software development and systems administration team working to build and maintain software applications backed by a self-managed cloud infrastructure (OpenStack) with a true big-data footprint (over 10 petabytes). Our diverse background of experience in mission support and software development serves as a catalyst to solve unique and challenging intelligence problems in support of special operations analysts and their on-going activities. Prototyping and frequent, iterative feedback are core to our delivery approach, anchored by a need to work quickly in support of our missions.

The technical stack is quite robust and includes Java, Python, C#, C/C++, Geospatial tools, Big Data and Graph Products (Hadoop, MapReduce, Spark, ElasticSearch, Neo4j), Linux, OpenStack, AWS, Ansible, SQL/NoSQL, Text Processing, Cloud Services, Containerization, Infrastructure as Code (IAC), and more.

Work on this program takes place in the Herndon, VA area (we cannot support remote work) and requires a TS clearance and a willingness to obtain a CI Poly: a current TS/SCI + CI Poly is preferred.

THE ROLE

• The DarkStar Group is seeking a Frontend Software Development Engineer to support the development and integration of various intelligence capabilities into a test and operational environment. You will be a member of a project team responsible for designing and deploying numerous components into a larger system infrastructure. Your work will be to drive the UI to ensure that it meets the requirements of our user groups. You will work alongside a team of other front-end development engineers and UI/UX designers to build the UI components across the program. This role will focus on implementing UI/UX designs and other frontend components specifically for a space domain awareness system, ensuring that the user experience is intuitive and effective for operational users. A background in building intelligence community operational-level frontend solutions is a plus. 

Principal Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with stakeholders to define user requirements and translate them into engineering requirements. 
• Develop and implement user interfaces for web applications, ensuring a seamless and engaging user experience. 
• Ensure that new components and features adhere to our design systems and guidelines to ensure consistency across products. 
• Stay current with industry trends and best practices. 
• Develop components & features per UI/UX designs. 
• Thoroughly test your code and make sure it meets all stakeholder requirements. 

Required Skills

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Software Engineering or a related field; equivalent experience may be substituted for a degree. 
• 5+ years of relevant experience developing in Vue2/Vue3. 
• Experience with working in an agile development environment using task management software (Jira). 
• Experience writing automated tests. 
• Experience with the peer review process as both a reviewer and contributor. 

Desired Skills (Optional)

• Experience with splitting up a monolithic UI into separate/stand-alone applications and micro-services. 
• Experience with user research methodologies and usability testing. 
• Experience with Cesium. 
• Knowledge of accessibility standards and best practices. 
• Familiarity with design systems and component libraries. 
• Ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams. 
• Strong communication skills to articulate design concepts and decisions. 
• Familiarity with VUEX/Pinia, Vuetify, Vis, Cypress. 
• Some experience with web-sockets, data streaming, and other real-time data methods 
• Ability to write performant code, as the amount of data being sent, processed, and received in the apps can be very large. 
• Proficient in design tools such as Adobe Creative Suite, Sketch, Figma, or similar is a bonus as UI/UX design work is done in collaboration with frontend developers.  

About The DarkStar Group

Our Company

The DarkStar Group is a small business that solves BIG problems. We're one of the Inc. 5000 fastest-growing private companies in the US, and our engineers and scientists support the most critical national security missions in Virginia, Maryland, and elsewhere. Data Science, Software Engineering, Cloud/AWS Infrastructure, and Cyber/CNO are our core areas of expertise. We offer interesting and important work, job security, some of the best and most flexible benefits you'll find in the IC, and salaries so strong that they'll likely surprise you. 

Our Benefits

The DarkStar Group offers exceptional compensation and benefits:

• very strong salaries;
• 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision premiums for you and all dependents;
• the ability to get increased salary if you don't need medical/dental/vision;
• 100% company-paid disability and life insurance benefits;
• a generously-funded HSA;
• an 8% 401(k) contribution; 
• 31 days of PTO/holidays to start (more with tenure);
• the ability to flex time across pay periods without using your PTO;
• a generous training budget;
• $25,000 employee referral bonuses;
• business development / growth incentives; and
• top notch company swag.

** We have a huge growth opportunity, so we are offering up to a $25,000 reward for anyone new you refer whom we hire. **

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.