Software Developer with Security Clearance

KGS is currently seeking a Software Developer with a secret clearance to spearhead the engineering, enhancement, and architectural modernization of core Line of Business (LOB) applications operating within a secure Department of War (DoW) enterprise environment. The ideal candidate will bring strong hands-on experience in full-stack development with React, JavaScript, and Node.js, and thrive in an Agile team setting. This is an onsite position in Huntsville, AL.

Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k) retirement plan, paid time off, paid parental leave, life and disability insurance, flexible spending accounts, commuter benefits and tuition reimbursement. This role requires an understanding of modern software development practices, strong problem-solving abilities, and the ability to collaborate across teams to deliver secure, high-quality solutions. A defining operational imperative of this engagement is that we are actively maintaining mission-critical legacy applications while driving strategic modernization.

The selected developer will operate across a sophisticated dual-track paradigm: ensuring uninterrupted operational readiness and fidelity of mature enterprise systems, while concurrently architecting, refactoring, and migrating these capabilities toward resilient, modular, and cloud-ready architectures. Position Overview Operating under the technical direction of the Software Development Lead and Solutions Architect, the Software Developer will play an integral role throughout the full software development lifecycle within a disciplined Agile/Scrum framework.

The incumbent must demonstrate authoritative, hands-on development expertise across the foundational stack: React, modern enterprise Java Spring Boot, and robust relational database engineering utilizing Microsoft SQL Server and/or MySQL. Furthermore, demonstrable exposure to complementary enterprise frameworks-including modern .NET (.NET 8+ / C#) and Node.js-alongside practical experience within hyperscale cloud ecosystems (AWS, GCP, or Azure) represents a high-value differentiator.

Centralizing all source code collaboration and automated CI/CD pipelines within GitLab, this role demands exceptional analytical acumen, disciplined engineering rigor, and an uncompromising commitment to DoW cybersecurity standards. Essential Functions, Responsibilities & Duties may include, but are not limited to: Full-Stack Architecture, Engineering & Legacy Modernization

• Dual-Track Operational Execution: Uphold baseline stability, performance, and defect resolution for active legacy enterprise applications, while systematically engineering migration roadmaps that decompose monolithic architecture into decoupled, maintainable, and cloud-aligned services.
• Full-Lifecycle Application Development: Leverage rigorous software engineering principles to design, construct, optimize, and sustain high-throughput, secure web applications utilizing React for user interfaces, Java Spring Boot for robust business logic, and Microsoft SQL Server / MySQL for resilient data persistence.
• Modernization Strategy & Refactoring: Formulate and implement clean code refactoring, domain-driven decomposition, and containerization patterns, transitioning legacy routines to scalable microservices and modern design paradigms without disrupting continuous mission operations.
• Process Automation & AI-Enabled Velocity: Proactively evaluate and integrate emerging AI-assisted developer capabilities, automated code-generation tools, and streamlined workflows to enhance developer velocity, technical accuracy, and lifecycle efficiency. Front-End Engineering & User Experience
• Modern Interface Development: Demonstrate mastery of React, ES6+ JavaScript, HTML5, and CSS3 to deliver intuitive, highly responsive, and component-driven user interfaces.
• Accessibility & Interface Modernization: Modernize disparate, legacy front-end presentations into unified, reusable design systems that strictly conform to federal Section 508 accessibility mandates and DoW user experience benchmarks. Backend Services, Middleware & Distributed Systems
• Enterprise Service Implementation: Architect, implement, and maintain highly scalable backend microservices and enterprise applications utilizing the comprehensive Java Spring Boot ecosystem (including Spring MVC, Spring Data JPA/Hibernate, and Spring Security).
• API Architecture & System Interoperability: Author, document, and refine secure, high-performance RESTful APIs and web services, establishing seamless interoperability between legacy data stores and modernized distributed components.
• Polyglot Ecosystem Integration: Interface effectively with cross-platform and multi-framework components-such as modern .NET (.NET 8+ / C#) services or Node.js runtime environments-to support unified system integration during phased modernization initiatives. Database Engineering, Optimization & SQL
• Relational Database Stewardship: Apply advanced database engineering principles across enterprise relational platforms, specifically Microsoft SQL Server and MySQL.
• Query Performance & Schema Evolution: Author, refactor, and tune sophisticated SQL queries, stored procedures, triggers, views, and data persistence layers; isolate performance bottlenecks, enforce referential integrity, and guide schema evolution across legacy and modern architectures. Agile Cadence, GitLab Repository Management & DevSecOps
• Agile/Scrum Leadership: Actively engage in sprint planning, refinement, daily scrums, retrospectives, and backlog prioritization across concurrent maintenance and modernization workstreams using Jira and GitLab.
• GitLab Workflow & Version Control: Champion disciplined source code management, branching strategies, and merge request reviews exclusively within GitLab.
• Continuous Integration & Delivery (CI/CD): Utilize and contribute to automated GitLab CI/CD pipelines to support continuous integration, automated test execution, static analysis gating, and controlled multi-environment deployments.
• Tooling Mastery: Maintain operational fluency with modern IDEs and toolsets (e.g., IntelliJ IDEA, Visual Studio Code, Eclipse, Vite, npm/yarn). Quality Assurance, Verification & Automated Testing
• Comprehensive Test Engineering: Formulate and maintain rigorous multi-tier automated testing suites-incorporating unit, integration, regression, and end-to-end (E2E) validations (utilizing JUnit, Mockito, Jest, and React Testing Library)-to guarantee functional parity and prevent regressions during legacy refactoring.
• Systematic Triage & Remediation: Methodically diagnose, isolate, and remediate application defects, race conditions, memory leaks, and performance anomalies across development, staging, and operational environments.
• Code Governance, Peer Review & Technical Documentation
• Peer Review Governance: Conduct constructive, meticulous peer code reviews within GitLab, verifying architectural cohesion, adherence to established design patterns, and compliance with secure coding standards.
• Living Technical Documentation: Author clear, authoritative system architecture documentation, data flow diagrams, RESTful API specifications (Swagger/OpenAPI), and operational runbooks, reverse-engineering undocumented legacy business logic whenever necessary. Infrastructure, Hosting & Cloud Platform Acumen
• Hosting Infrastructure Familiarity: Maintain working familiarity with enterprise host environments, directory services, and application servers, including Apache Tomcat, Microsoft IIS, Active Directory, DNS, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), Windows Server, and VMware virtualization.
• Cloud Modernization Alignment: Collaborate on technical initiatives aimed at transitioning on-premises services into hyperscale cloud environments (e.g., AWS GovCloud, Microsoft Azure Government, or Google Cloud Platform). Cybersecurity, STIG Adherence & Change Control
• Security Hardening & STIG Compliance: Collaborate closely with information assurance and cybersecurity teams to ensure all application architectures, server configurations, and source code strictly align with DoW Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs).
• Vulnerability Mitigation: Proactively remediate vulnerabilities identified via static/dynamic code analysis (SAST/DAST) and manage third-party software dependencies (CVE remediation, Software Bill of Materials/SBOM compliance).
• Formal Change Governance: Ensure all configuration modifications and deployment artifacts satisfy formal Engineering Change Proposals (ECP) and change management protocols. Professional Communication & Stakeholder Engagement
• Cross-Functional Communication: Articulate sophisticated technical concepts, modernization tradeoffs, architectural decisions, and risk assessments with clarity and precision across technical teams, program management, and government stakeholders. Work Experience, Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
• Required Education : BS in Computer Science or Engineering.
• Experience : 24 to 84 months of hands-on relevant experience.
• Certification : CompTIA Security+ before joining.
• Clearance : Active, Interim, or capable of obtaining SECRET clearance before joining.

Working Environment & Conditions This job operates in a professional office environment and has a noise level of mostly low to moderate. This role routinely involves standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines. This position is primarily indoors, consistent with a standard office position and has a noise level of mostly low to moderate. The incumbent is required to stand, walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; talk and hear. The workload may require the incumbent to sit for extended periods of time. The incumbent must be able to read, do simple math calculations and withstand moderate amounts of stress. The incumbent must occasionally lift and/