Lead Software Engineer Visa Sponsorship Jobs in Washington DC
Washington DC's lead software engineer job market is driven by federal contractors, cybersecurity firms, and tech-forward agencies, with major employers including Booz Allen Hamilton, Leidos, SAIC, and Palantir actively hiring senior engineering talent. Many roles require security clearances, making sponsorship pathways more selective. International candidates with strong distributed systems or cloud infrastructure backgrounds are competitive here.
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The Lead Software Engineer codes software applications based on business requirements. The Lead Software Engineer works on problems of diverse scope and complexity ranging from moderate to substantial. The Lead Software Engineer standardizes the quality assurance procedure for software. Oversees testing and debugging and develops fixes. Researches complaints and makes necessary adjustments and/or recommendations to resolve complex software related issues. Advises executives to develop functional strategies (often segment specific) on matters of significance. Exercises independent judgment and decision making on complex issues regarding job duties and related tasks, and works under minimal supervision, using independent judgment requiring analysis of variable factors and determining the best course of action.
Key Responsibilities
- Technical Architecture and Ownership: Design and own the end-to-end architecture of Centerwell's AI systems, including LLM-powered clinical tools, RAG pipelines, harnesses, agent-based workflows, and intelligent automation. Make and communicate foundational technical decisions in close collaboration with the broader engineering team.
- Model Development and Fine-Tuning: Evaluate, select, and where appropriate guide the fine-tuning of foundation models. Establish model evaluation frameworks that prioritize safety, accuracy, and clinical relevance.
- Clinical and Product Partnership: Collaborate closely with product managers, designers, clinicians, and data stakeholders to understand care delivery workflows and translate them into well-scoped, high-impact AI features.
- HIPAA Compliance and Responsible AI: Ensure all AI systems are designed, deployed, and monitored in compliance with HIPAA and Humana's Responsible AI standards, including participation in AIRB and Responsible AI Council review processes where applicable.
Use your skills to make an impact
Required Qualifications
- B.S. or M.S. in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience)
- 8+ years of software engineering experience, with 4+ years focused on production AI/ML systems
- Deep, hands-on experience building with large language models and orchestration frameworks (LangChain, LlamaIndex, or equivalent)
- Strong proficiency in Python, Typescript and modern ML tooling (Hugging Face, PyTorch, or similar)
- Proven experience designing and deploying RAG pipelines and vector search systems in production
- Working knowledge of model fine-tuning approaches (LoRA, RLHF, instruction tuning, or equivalent)
- Experience designing and implementing custom LLM and agent evaluation frameworks, including automated eval pipelines, benchmark construction, and output quality assessment at scale
- Experience designing and building multi-agent AI systems, including agent orchestration, tool use, and sandboxed execution environments
- Demonstrated ownership of complex AI systems end-to-end, from architecture through production operation
- Understanding of HIPAA requirements and secure handling of protected health information (PHI)
- Strong written and verbal communication skills across technical and non-technical audiences
- Hands-on experience with AI-assisted development tools and LLM coding harnesses (Claude Code, Pi Agent, Cursor, Codex, or similar)
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in healthcare, clinical informatics, or other highly regulated industries
- Exposure to clinical NLP, medical coding, or EHR/FHIR data standards
- Experience operating AI systems at scale on cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP)
Additional Information
The candidate must live close to one of our designated IT locations: NYC, NY; Louisville, KY; Tampa, FL; Fort Lauderdale, FL; Dallas/Frisco, TX; Boston, MA; Washington, D.C; Atlanta, GA; Nashville, TN; Chicago, IL; or Charlotte, NC.
Work at Home Requirements: To ensure Home or Hybrid Home/Office employees’ ability to work effectively, the self-provided internet service of Home or Hybrid Home/Office employees must meet the following criteria: At minimum, a download speed of 25 Mbps and an upload speed of 10 Mbps is required; wireless, wired cable or DSL connection is suggested. In certain roles, the minimum recommended internet speed required by Humana may not be sufficient for business needs. Humana reserves the right to require associates to upgrade their internet service if necessary. Work from a dedicated space lacking ongoing interruptions to protect member PHI / HIPAA information.
Travel: While this is a remote position, occasional travel to Humana's offices for training or meetings may be required.
Scheduled Weekly Hours
40
Pay Range
The compensation range below reflects a good faith estimate of starting base pay for full time (40 hours per week) employment at the time of posting. The pay range may be higher or lower based on geographic location and individual pay will vary based on demonstrated job related skills, knowledge, experience, education, certifications, etc.
$155,200 - $213,400 per year
This job is eligible for a bonus incentive plan. This incentive opportunity is based upon company and/or individual performance.
Description of Benefits
Humana, Inc. and its affiliated subsidiaries (collectively, “Humana”) offers competitive benefits that support whole-person well-being. Associate benefits are designed to encourage personal wellness and smart healthcare decisions for you and your family while also knowing your life extends outside of work. Among our benefits, Humana provides medical, dental and vision benefits, 401(k) retirement savings plan, time off (including paid time off, company and personal holidays, paid parental and caregiver leave), short-term and long-term disability, life insurance and many other opportunities.
About Us
About Humana: Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) is a leading U.S. healthcare company. Through our Humana insurance services and our CenterWell healthcare services, we make it easier for the millions of people we serve to achieve their best health – delivering the care and service they need, when they need it. These efforts are leading to a better quality of life for people with Medicare and Medicaid, families, individuals, military service personnel, and communities at large. Learn more about what we offer at Humana.com and at CenterWell.com.
Equal Opportunity Employer
It is the policy of Humana not to discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, marital status, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status. It is also the policy of Humana to take affirmative action, in compliance with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and VEVRAA, to employ and to advance in employment individuals with disability or protected veteran status, and to base all employment decisions only on valid job requirements. This policy shall apply to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, upgrading, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, recall, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation and selection for training, including apprenticeship, at all levels of employment.
Lead Software Engineer Job Roles in Washington DC
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Search Lead Software Engineer Jobs in Washington DCLead Software Engineer Jobs in Washington DC: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies sponsor visas for lead software engineers in Washington DC?
Federal contractors and defense technology firms are among the most active sponsors in the DC area, including Booz Allen Hamilton, Leidos, SAIC, and Accenture Federal Services. Commercial tech employers like Amazon Web Services (which has a significant Northern Virginia presence) and Palantir also sponsor lead engineers. Government contracting firms tend to sponsor H-1B visa and L-1 visas for senior technical roles, though clearance requirements can limit eligibility for some candidates.
Which visa types are most common for lead software engineer roles in Washington DC?
The H-1B is the most common visa category for lead software engineers in DC, as the role clearly qualifies as a specialty occupation requiring at least a bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field. L-1A and L-1B visas are also common for senior engineers transferring within multinational firms. Some candidates in research or policy-adjacent roles may qualify for the O-1A if they have demonstrated extraordinary ability in their field.
How to find lead software engineer visa sponsorship jobs in Washington DC?
Migrate Mate filters job listings specifically by visa sponsorship availability, making it straightforward to find lead software engineer roles in Washington DC without sifting through positions that don't sponsor. You can filter by role seniority and location to focus on DC-area employers, including federal contractors and commercial tech firms. Given that many DC roles involve security clearances, reviewing employer sponsorship history before applying is worth the time.
Which areas in Washington DC have the most lead software engineer sponsorship jobs?
Most lead software engineer sponsorship activity in the DC metro area is concentrated in Northern Virginia, particularly in Tysons Corner, Reston, and the broader Dulles Technology Corridor, which houses major defense contractors and cloud infrastructure companies. Washington DC proper and Bethesda, Maryland also have a significant presence, driven by federal agencies, health IT firms, and policy-tech organizations. Remote-eligible roles tied to DC-area employers extend this reach further.
Are there any DC-specific considerations for lead software engineers seeking visa sponsorship?
Washington DC's job market for lead software engineers is heavily shaped by federal contracting, which introduces a layer of complexity not found in other tech hubs. Many roles require a security clearance, and visa holders on H-1B or similar nonimmigrant status may face restrictions in obtaining certain clearance levels, which can narrow the pool of sponsoring employers. Candidates with backgrounds in cybersecurity, cloud architecture, or government-facing software systems tend to be most competitive with DC-area sponsors.
What is the prevailing wage for sponsored lead software engineer jobs in Washington DC?
U.S. employers sponsoring a visa must pay at least the prevailing wage, which is what workers in the same role, area, and experience level typically earn. The Department of Labor sets this rate to make sure companies aren't hiring foreign workers simply because they'd accept lower pay than a U.S. worker. It varies by job title, location, and experience. You can look up current prevailing wage rates for any occupation and location using the OFLC Wage Search page.