About the Company

X8 is seeking a cleared Principal Software Engineer to join our mission-focused team supporting a federal customer. In this role, you will lead the development of scalable data pipelines, search optimization, and modern visualizations to enable data-driven decision-making for critical operations. You will play a key role in transforming raw data into actionable insights through engineering excellence, innovative design, and collaborative solutioning. This position is located in Columbia, MD.

Responsibilities

• Lead efforts to ingest, clean, transform, and analyze large-scale structured and unstructured datasets from diverse sources such as Excel, CSVs, system logs, and relational databases.
• Implement and optimize ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) processes to ensure efficient data flow across systems.
• Develop and maintain OpenSearch/Elasticsearch clusters, including indexing strategies, performance tuning, and query optimization using Elasticsearch DSL.
• Create dashboards and visualizations in Kibana to enable real-time data exploration, trend analysis, and operational reporting.
• Design and implement UI dashboards using frameworks like React.js and Material-UI, integrating key data metrics for a seamless user experience.
• Write automation scripts and back-end services in Python, Java, or other languages to streamline data ingestion, transformation, and visualization workflows.
• Apply data science techniques and utilize tools such as Pandas and NumPy to extract insights from complex datasets.
• Work within cloud environments (e.g., AWS or Azure) and apply distributed systems principles to develop scalable, mission-critical solutions.
• Translate initial concepts and prototypes into Minimum Viable Products (MVPs), supporting rapid development cycles and mission needs.

Responsibilities

• 15+ years of experience in software engineering, data engineering, or related fields, with a focus on large-scale data processing and user interface development.
• Proficiency in data engineering techniques including transformation, cleaning, and pipeline development.
• Hands-on experience with Elasticsearch or OpenSearch for large-scale data indexing and querying.
• Ability to create intuitive, visually impactful dashboards using Kibana and/or modern UI frameworks.
• Strong programming skills in Python, Java, or Go, with a focus on automation and data processing.
• Understanding of data structures, algorithms, and core software/data science principles.
• Experience working with distributed systems and cloud infrastructure such as AWS or Azure.
• Capability to transition from rapid prototyping to MVP deployment under tight timelines.

Required Skills

• Experience with orchestration tools like Apache Airflow and real-time processing systems like Apache Kafka.
• Familiarity with advanced visualization platforms such as Grafana.
• Knowledge of Spark or similar frameworks for large-scale data processing.
• Exposure to mission-driven environments requiring rapid turnaround and iterative product development.

Preferred Skills

• Active TS/SCI CI Poly

Pay range and compensation package

Salary Range: $200,000 + (depending on experience and education)

Time Off: 24 Days PTO and 13 Federal holidays

401K: up to 10% 401(k) contribution

Up to $5,000 continuing education reimbursement

Benefits: 100% medical, dental, vision, disability, life insurance