Staff Software Developer Jobs in Virginia
Staff Software Developer jobs in Virginia are in high demand, with strong concentrations in defense and intelligence technology, cloud infrastructure, federal contracting, and commercial software product companies across seniority levels from mid-career to principal engineer. Northern Virginia, Richmond, and the Hampton Roads corridor account for the largest share of openings, with anchor employers including Leidos, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Capital One maintaining substantial engineering teams across the state. The most sought-after specialties in Virginia's market are cloud-native development, distributed systems, and full-stack engineering with security clearance eligibility. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Staff Software Engineer - Full Stack
Location: Remote (U.S.)
JOB ID # 913
Work on Things That Matter
Ad Hoc is a technology company that empowers organizations to deliver scalable, impactful digital services. Using modern, agile methods, our team creates products that meet people's needs and transform their experience of government.
Our collaborations have shaped some of the defining moments in public sector service delivery. We've helped build products that connect Veterans to tailored services, help millions access affordable health care, and support critical programs like Head Start. As we work with agencies to deliver essential services, we're also changing how the government approaches technology.
Built for Remote Work
Our culture, communication, and tools are intentionally designed for remote work, allowing us to bring together exceptional talent from across the country. Remote work gives our teams the flexibility to create environments where they can do their best work while collaborating closely to deliver outstanding outcomes for our customers.
A Culture Built on Trust
At Ad Hoc, we value acceptance, accountability, and humility. We aren't heroes. We learn from our mistakes, continuously improve, and build small, inclusive teams that work closely with our partners to solve meaningful problems and deliver software that works.
About the Veterans Affairs Business Unit
The Veterans Affairs Business Unit helps transform the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs into a modern digital services organization where Veteran outcomes are at the center of every effort. We partner with the VA to design and deliver seamless digital experiences for Veterans, their families, caregivers, and VA employees.
Through service design, product management, and modern engineering practices, we help increase the quality, reliability, and accessibility of critical government services while reducing the time Veterans spend waiting for results.
Primary Responsibilities
As a Staff Software Engineer - Full Stack, you will serve as a senior technical leader and trusted individual contributor with a high degree of autonomy. You'll help lead technical direction across projects, influence engineering decisions, and collaborate closely with stakeholders to deliver high-quality software solutions.
In this role, you will:
- Plan and execute technical roadmaps for new initiatives with minimal oversight.
- Participate in strategic planning sessions with customers, partners, and internal stakeholders.
- Occasionally travel to collaborate with and present to clients and project partners.
- Break down complex, ambiguous product challenges into actionable technical solutions.
- Reduce technical debt through documentation, refactoring, and automated testing.
- Clearly communicate system architecture, technical decisions, project history, and implementation tradeoffs for proposals, demonstrations, and customer engagements.
- Participate in technical interviews and help evaluate engineering candidates.
- Present technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences to support business and engineering decisions.
- Champion engineering best practices while influencing improvements across teams.
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree and 8+ years of professional software engineering experience, or 10+ years of professional software engineering experience in lieu of a degree.
- Relevant professional experience may be substituted for education.
- Expert experience developing applications with Ruby on Rails.
- Strong experience designing and developing RESTful APIs.
- Experience with React, Redux, JavaScript, HTML, and CSS.
- Experience responding to and triaging production issues.
- Demonstrated expert-level knowledge in at least one technical discipline, including frontend, backend, or infrastructure engineering, with the ability to independently lead technical initiatives and ensure successful delivery.
- Must be able to successfully obtain and maintain a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Public Trust security clearance.
- Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without employer sponsorship, now or in the future.
Preferred Qualifications
- Prior experience supporting federal government contracts.
- Familiarity with the VA.gov platform and vets-api architecture.
- Experience using Postman, Datadog, and RSpec.
To learn more about working at Ad Hoc, please visit:
https://adhocteam.us/join
Benefits
- Company-subsidized medical, dental, and vision insurance
- Flexible paid time off
- 401(k) with employer match
- Paid parental leave after one year of service
- Employee Assistance Program
Equal Opportunity Employer
Ad Hoc LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, age, pregnancy, disability, work-related injury, covered veteran status, political ideology, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
We value the unique skills gained through military service and encourage Veterans and transitioning service members to apply.
Compensation
In support of applicable state and local pay transparency laws, Ad Hoc provides the salary range we reasonably expect to pay candidates who meet the qualifications for this position. Final compensation is determined by a variety of factors, including experience, skills, geographic location, and level of responsibility.
Salary Range: $135,000 - $155,000
Our recruiting team is happy to answer any questions regarding compensation and benefits during the hiring process.
See All 17 Staff Software Developer Jobs in Virginia
Find roles in Virginia that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Staff Software Developer JobsStaff Software Developer Jobs by City in Virginia
Where Virginia roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Staff Software Developer Job Market in Virginia
A snapshot from current Virginia openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring



Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software
- Consulting & Professional Services
- Insurance
- Automotive
- Healthcare & Medical Services
What Virginia Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in staff software developer jobs across Virginia.
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, or a related technical field required
- Five or more years of professional software development experience in production environments
- Proficiency in at least one compiled language such as Java, Go, or C++ alongside modern frameworks
- Experience designing and deploying services on AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud platforms
- Ability to obtain or currently hold a U.S. security clearance for federal and defense roles
- Demonstrated experience mentoring junior engineers and leading technical design reviews
Staff Software Developer Jobs in Virginia: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a staff software developer in Virginia?
Virginia does not require a state-issued license to work as a software developer, so the path runs through education and experience. Most hiring managers expect a bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, or a closely related field, followed by several years of progressive engineering experience. Virginia's large federal contracting sector adds a practical credential: a security clearance, which substantially widens opportunity with defense and intelligence employers across Northern Virginia and the broader National Capital Region.
How much do staff software developers make in Virginia?
Staff 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 staff software developers in Virginia?
Employers hiring staff software developers in Virginia right now include Northrop Grumman, ID.me, and Alarm, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. Virginia's blend of federal contractors, financial technology firms, and cloud-infrastructure companies means demand is spread across both the public-sector supply chain in Northern Virginia and commercial product companies headquartered in Richmond and Reston.
Which Virginia cities have the most staff software developer jobs?
McLean, Dulles, and Reston have the most staff software developer openings in Virginia. Northern Virginia dominates because it is home to the world's largest concentration of data centers alongside the federal contracting ecosystem anchored in Tysons, Reston, and Herndon, while Richmond draws demand from Capital One's headquarters and a growing fintech and insurance technology cluster.
Are there remote staff software developer jobs in Virginia?
Yes, and more than most fields. About 50% of staff software developer openings tied to Virginia are remote or hybrid as of August 2026, reflecting how naturally this work translates to distributed teams. The roles most likely to be fully remote are product-side engineering positions at commercial software companies, while defense and federal contracting roles more often require on-site presence due to classified system requirements.
How can I get hired as a staff software developer in Virginia with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is through a junior or associate software engineer role at one of Virginia's large federal contractors or financial technology employers. Companies like Leidos, SAIC, and Capital One run structured new-graduate and early-career programs that bring in candidates from Virginia's universities and develop them toward senior roles over time. Building a portfolio of deployed projects and earning an AWS or Azure associate-level certification can meaningfully offset limited professional experience when applying to these programs.
Where can I find and apply to staff software developer jobs in Virginia?
You can find and apply to staff software developer jobs in Virginia on Migrate Mate, which lists current Virginia openings updated regularly. Search the listings to see roles across Northern Virginia, Richmond, and Hampton Roads, find the positions that match your experience and specialization, and apply directly to the ones that fit.
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