Backend Software Developer Jobs in Virginia
Backend Software Developer jobs in Virginia are highly active, with strong demand concentrated in defense technology, federal contracting, cloud infrastructure, and financial services, drawing candidates from entry-level associates through principal and staff engineers. Northern Virginia, Richmond, and the Hampton Roads area are the three largest hiring metros, anchored by established employers like Booz Allen Hamilton, Leidos, and Capital One, all of which maintain major engineering operations in the state. The most sought-after specialties include cloud-native development, microservices architecture, and API integration tied to government and enterprise platforms. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Showing 5 of 35+ Backend Software Developer jobs
Job ID: 2618996
Location: Ashburn, VA, US
Date Posted: 2026-11-10
Category: Software
Subcategory: SW Engineer
Schedule: Full-Time
Shift: Day Job
Travel: No
Minimum Clearance Required: None
Clearance Level Must Be Able to Obtain: Public Trust
Potential for Remote Work: ORA_HYBRID
Description
SAIC is currently seeking a motivated, career and customer oriented, and hands on senior-level Java Backend Developer with cloud experience to join our team to begin an exciting and challenging career in Ashburn, Va.
This position is hybrid-remote and requires 2 days on-site per week in Ashburn, VA.
Job Responsibilities:
- Working closely with the tech lead and senior developers, the Java Developer will participate in the system architecture design, development, integration testing and validation, and all aspects of the software life cycle (requirements to design to implementation to test) for a java back-end application involving extensive Messaging and Transaction processing
- Must be hands on and be able to design and develop Java code as dictated by project requirements as needed and work with/mentor junior team members.
- Work with users in an Agile development approach to understand requirements, then elicit feedback and refine solution through demonstrations
- Provide application support during testing and production phase and work with the lead to deploy code fixes as needed
Qualifications
Required Skills and Experience
- B.S. Degree in Computer Science or Engineering and 9+ years of software development experience
- 9+ years of strong Java J2EE/JEE design and software development experience including designing, developing, and documenting large-scale enterprise software systems.
- 5+ years of working with Applications on Cloud utilizing serverless hosted services like AWS lambda.
- Experience with NoSQL DBs like MongoDB, DocumentDB, DynamoDB etc.
- Docker and Kubernetes experience
- Spring Boot/AWS cloud experience
- Web /Micro Sevices
- SQL DBs (preferably Oracle)
- XML/JSON
- Unix/Linux
- Extensive skills in JDBC/JPA/Hibernate and strong SQL skills is required for this position.
- Knowledge of standard design patterns.
- Demonstrated expertise in software engineering practices (e.g., reading/generating software specs, design patterns, continuous integration)
- Gitlab/JIRA/Jenkins for CI/CD
Desired Skills and Experience
- First-hand experience working with large project teams (working with the Federal Government a strong plus)
- Demonstrated ability to think critically and creatively to develop innovative solutions to software problems
- Ability to develop and maintain components with stringent performance requirements
- Agile development experience a plus
- React experience is a plus
- IBM MQ, JMS, EJB, MDB and other JEE technologies
- JEE Server experience (Weblogic\Websphere\JBOSS\etc.)
- This is a highly technical and hands on position
- Masters in Computer Science or related field is a plus
Customer Requirements
- Clearance – Ability to obtain and hold a public trust position and favorable suitability based on a CBP Background Investigation
- Citizenship – Must be a US Citizen
- Location – Hybrid with on-site (Ashburn, VA) visits 2 days per week and if a mission need. All candidates must be within the GWA/commutable area
Target salary range: $140,001 - $180,000. The estimate displayed represents the typical salary range for this position based on experience and other factors.
Job ID: 2618996
Location: Ashburn, VA, US
Date Posted: 2026-11-10
Category: Software
Subcategory: SW Engineer
Schedule: Full-Time
Shift: Day Job
Travel: No
Minimum Clearance Required: None
Clearance Level Must Be Able to Obtain: Public Trust
Potential for Remote Work: ORA_HYBRID
Description
SAIC is currently seeking a motivated, career and customer oriented, and hands on senior-level Java Backend Developer with cloud experience to join our team to begin an exciting and challenging career in Ashburn, Va.
This position is hybrid-remote and requires 2 days on-site per week in Ashburn, VA.
Job Responsibilities:
- Working closely with the tech lead and senior developers, the Java Developer will participate in the system architecture design, development, integration testing and validation, and all aspects of the software life cycle (requirements to design to implementation to test) for a java back-end application involving extensive Messaging and Transaction processing
- Must be hands on and be able to design and develop Java code as dictated by project requirements as needed and work with/mentor junior team members.
- Work with users in an Agile development approach to understand requirements, then elicit feedback and refine solution through demonstrations
- Provide application support during testing and production phase and work with the lead to deploy code fixes as needed
Qualifications
Required Skills and Experience
- B.S. Degree in Computer Science or Engineering and 9+ years of software development experience
- 9+ years of strong Java J2EE/JEE design and software development experience including designing, developing, and documenting large-scale enterprise software systems.
- 5+ years of working with Applications on Cloud utilizing serverless hosted services like AWS lambda.
- Experience with NoSQL DBs like MongoDB, DocumentDB, DynamoDB etc.
- Docker and Kubernetes experience
- Spring Boot/AWS cloud experience
- Web /Micro Sevices
- SQL DBs (preferably Oracle)
- XML/JSON
- Unix/Linux
- Extensive skills in JDBC/JPA/Hibernate and strong SQL skills is required for this position.
- Knowledge of standard design patterns.
- Demonstrated expertise in software engineering practices (e.g., reading/generating software specs, design patterns, continuous integration)
- Gitlab/JIRA/Jenkins for CI/CD
Desired Skills and Experience
- First-hand experience working with large project teams (working with the Federal Government a strong plus)
- Demonstrated ability to think critically and creatively to develop innovative solutions to software problems
- Ability to develop and maintain components with stringent performance requirements
- Agile development experience a plus
- React experience is a plus
- IBM MQ, JMS, EJB, MDB and other JEE technologies
- JEE Server experience (Weblogic\Websphere\JBOSS\etc.)
- This is a highly technical and hands on position
- Masters in Computer Science or related field is a plus
Customer Requirements
- Clearance – Ability to obtain and hold a public trust position and favorable suitability based on a CBP Background Investigation
- Citizenship – Must be a US Citizen
- Location – Hybrid with on-site (Ashburn, VA) visits 2 days per week and if a mission need. All candidates must be within the GWA/commutable area
Target salary range: $140,001 - $180,000. The estimate displayed represents the typical salary range for this position based on experience and other factors.
See All 35 Backend Software Developer Jobs in Virginia
Find roles in Virginia that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find JobsBackend Software Developer Jobs by City in Virginia
Where Virginia roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Backend Software Developer Job Market in Virginia
A snapshot from current Virginia openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
What Virginia Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in backend software developer jobs across Virginia.
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, or a closely related field required
- Proficiency in one or more backend languages such as Java, Python, Go, or C#
- Experience designing and maintaining RESTful APIs and microservices architectures
- Familiarity with cloud platforms including AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud preferred
- Active or obtainable federal security clearance, frequently required by Virginia defense contractors
- Experience with relational and NoSQL databases such as PostgreSQL, MySQL, or MongoDB
Backend Software Developer Jobs in Virginia: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a backend software developer in Virginia?
Virginia does not require a state-issued license for backend software developers, so the path runs through education and demonstrated skills. Most roles expect at least a bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, or a related field, though bootcamp graduates and self-taught developers do get hired when their portfolio is strong. For defense and federal contracting roles, which are especially common in Northern Virginia, a security clearance eligibility check is often part of the hiring process from the start.
How much do backend software developers make in Virginia?
Backend software developers in Virginia earn a median of about $136,460 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $83,350 for the lowest 10% to over $211,930 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire backend software developers in Virginia?
Employers hiring backend software developers in Virginia right now include Vantor, Deloitte, and Booz Allen Hamilton, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Virginia's concentration of federal agencies and defense contractors means many of the largest employers also look for developers who can work on or obtain security clearances.
Which Virginia cities have the most backend software developer jobs?
Reston, McLean, and Arlington have the most backend software developer openings in Virginia. Northern Virginia dominates because of its density of federal agencies, defense contractors, and cloud infrastructure companies, while Richmond draws hiring from financial services firms and state government technology offices, and Hampton Roads carries demand from naval and military installations alongside their supporting technology contractors.
Are there remote backend software developer jobs in Virginia?
Yes, and more than most fields. About 71% of backend software developer openings tied to Virginia are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, reflecting how well the work translates to distributed teams. The roles most likely to stay fully remote are those without classified data requirements, while positions tied to federal contracts or defense systems generally require on-site presence or a secure facility.
How can I get hired as a backend software developer in Virginia with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is landing a junior or associate developer role with one of Virginia's large technology employers or federal contractors, many of whom run new-grad programs explicitly aimed at recent computer science graduates. Companies like Booz Allen Hamilton and Leidos recruit from Virginia universities for associate engineer tracks that train junior developers on the job. Building a portfolio of personal or open-source projects demonstrating API design or database work helps considerably, and pursuing a cloud certification from AWS or Microsoft Azure gives candidates a measurable edge when competing against other early-career applicants.
Where can I find and apply to backend software developer jobs in Virginia?
You can find and apply to backend software developer jobs in Virginia on Migrate Mate, which lists current Virginia openings updated regularly. Find roles that fit your experience and location preference and apply directly to the employers posting them.
See All 35 Backend Software Developer Jobs in Virginia
Find roles in Virginia that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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