Senior Software Development Engineer Jobs in Virginia
Senior Software Development Engineer jobs in Virginia are among the most active in the country, concentrated in defense and intelligence contracting, federal civilian IT, cloud infrastructure, and enterprise software across Northern Virginia, Richmond, and the Hampton Roads corridor. Major employers with a lasting Virginia presence include Leidos, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Amazon Web Services, all of which maintain large engineering workforces in the state. The most in-demand specialties are cloud-native development, distributed systems, and software engineering for classified or government-facing platforms. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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- Establishing development tools and infrastructure for automation
- Understanding the needs of stakeholders and conveying this to developers
- Automate and improve development, testing, deployment, and release processes
- Testing and examining code written by others and analyzing results
- Ensuring that systems are safe and secure against cybersecurity threats
- Identifying technical problems, performing root cause analysis, and developing software updates and ‘fixes’
- Working with software developers and software engineers to ensure that development follows established processes and works as intended
- Support enterprise Cloud applications or infrastructure through infrastructure as code including any activities around automated server or network configurations, large-scale software deployments, and monitoring and testing, such as CI/CD
- Document as-is state of the environment, perform a gap analysis, and produce artifacts that articulate options and recommendations
- Leverage virtualization and containerization to optimize and modernize software systems
- Work with teams to bring continuous improvement to DevSecOps processes and tools.
- Engineer and implement solutions and provide recommendations for continuous improvement for the services provided
- Present regular status updates and provide cross training to other DevOps team members.
- This will be a part-time role
- Ability to obtain a U.S. government Security Clearance
- BS Degree in an IT field OR BS in a non-IT field and 2 years related IT experience
- Experience with one or more clouds (i.e. AWS, Azure, or GCP)
- Experience with Git SCM providers such as GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket
- Experience with one or more programming or scripting languages
- Must have current DHS SASS PT
- Must have knowledge of Design Intelligence Methodology
Preferred:
-
Certifications:
- AWS Cloud Practitione
- AWS Solution Architect Associate
- Azure Developer Associate
- 1 years of application DevSecOps Experience with actual/active development experience in an Agile environment
- Experience implementing docker containers and utilizing platforms such as Kubernetes
- Experience implementing infrastructure as code and orchestration
- Experience building CI/CD pipelines with tools such as Jenkins, GitLab CI/CD, GitHub Pipelines, CircleCI, TravisCI
- Experience implementing Automated Testing frameworks including Selenium
- Hands on experience integrating deployments with industry standard DevSecOps tooling and orchestration
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, interpersonal and collaborative skills
Identity Statement
Steampunk is a Change Agent in the Federal contracting industry, bringing new thinking to clients in the Homeland, Federal Civilian, Health and DoD sectors. Through our Human-Centered delivery methodology, we are fundamentally changing the expectations our Federal clients have for true shared accountability in solving their toughest mission challenges. If you want to learn more about our story, visit http://www.steampunk.com.
We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Steampunk participates in the E-Verify program.
See All 265+ Senior Software Development Engineer Jobs in Virginia
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Find JobsSenior Software Development Engineer Jobs by City in Virginia
Where Virginia roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Senior Software Development Engineer Job Market in Virginia
A snapshot from current Virginia openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
- General Dynamics Information Technology10

- Booz Allen Hamilton9

- Amentum8

- Sabree Software Services8S
- Leidos6

Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software
- Banking & Financial Services
What Virginia Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in senior software development engineer jobs across Virginia.
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, or a closely related field
- Seven or more years of professional software development experience in production environments
- Proficiency in one or more modern languages such as Java, Python, C++, or Go
- Active or eligible U.S. security clearance for defense and federal contracting roles in Virginia
- Experience designing and deploying cloud-based systems on AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform
- Demonstrated ability to lead code reviews, mentor junior engineers, and drive technical decisions
Senior Software Development Engineer Jobs in Virginia: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a senior software development engineer in Virginia?
The concrete path in Virginia starts with a computer science or software engineering degree and several years of progressive development experience. Virginia has no state-issued license for software engineers, so advancement is credential- and portfolio-driven. Many Virginia employers, particularly in the defense corridor, require or strongly prefer candidates who hold or can obtain a federal security clearance. Certifications from AWS, Microsoft, or Google carry consistent weight across Northern Virginia's cloud-heavy employer base.
How much do senior software development engineers make in Virginia?
Senior software development engineers 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 senior software development engineers in Virginia?
Employers hiring senior software development engineers in Virginia right now include General Dynamics Information Technology, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Amentum, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. Virginia's defense contracting ecosystem means many of the largest and most consistent hiring organizations are federal systems integrators and government IT services firms with permanent offices throughout Northern Virginia and the Richmond area.
Which Virginia cities have the most senior software development engineer jobs?
The cities with the most senior software development engineer openings in Virginia are Chantilly, Herndon, and Reston. Northern Virginia dominates because it anchors the national defense and intelligence contracting corridor, home to the headquarters of firms like Leidos, Booz Allen Hamilton, and SAIC, while Richmond draws demand from financial services and state government IT, and Hampton Roads reflects the region's large military and naval technology footprint.
Are there remote senior software development engineer jobs in Virginia?
Yes, and more than most fields. About 49% of senior software development engineer openings tied to Virginia are remote or hybrid as of September 2026, reflecting how naturally desk-based and tool-independent senior development work tends to be. The roles most likely to be fully remote are in commercial software and cloud engineering, while positions tied to classified government systems or defense programs typically require on-site presence due to clearance and facility requirements.
How can I get hired as a senior software development engineer in Virginia with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is through associate or junior software engineer roles at Virginia's large federal contractors and technology firms. Employers like Leidos, Northrop Grumman, and Peraton run structured new-graduate hiring programs in Northern Virginia, often paired with clearance sponsorship for candidates who qualify. Building a public portfolio on GitHub, earning a foundational cloud certification, and applying to internal rotation or early-career programs at these firms gives candidates without deep experience a concrete edge over peers submitting cold applications.
Where can I find and apply to senior software development engineer jobs in Virginia?
You can find and apply to senior software development engineer jobs in Virginia on Migrate Mate, which lists current Virginia openings across defense contracting, cloud infrastructure, enterprise software, and government IT. Find roles that fit your experience and apply directly from the listings on this page.
See All 265+ Senior Software Development Engineer Jobs in Virginia
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