Job description
We are Skyward.
That is, a love for people, for improvement, for human advancement through information technology. We are a people-centered business with a desire to serve others. We are diverse and unified; creative and collaborative; a collection of complementary, not competing talents. And though on the surface we remain relaxed, beneath, a torrent of energy links us to our civic tech mission.
We stand by our values, and we won’t compromise on any of them.
Integrity: We’re conscientious, intentional, and empathetic. Our words and actions align. That’s our character. Please don’t ask us to play another part, we’re poor actors.
Compassionate: If we may borrow a quote from Theodore Roosevelt: “No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” Because our team is thoughtful and supportive, caring deeply for each other, our clients, and our work, this comes naturally.
Inquisitive: We remain students by failing openly and turning lessons into solutions.
Unconventional: For us, life isn’t what happens outside of work. Work happens inside of life and our culture erases the line often dividing the two.
Authentic: Made possible only because we embody the values listed above. We’re relaxed and fun yet intensely curious and driven. Team members are placed with thought, care, and precision to ensure that Trust, Truth, and Transparency continue to represent our brand.
Because of that, we continue Onward, Upward, and Skyward.
We need a Software Engineer.
Are you the kind of engineer who’s always tinkering with the latest tech - maybe building side projects with AI tools or testing out a new framework before it trends on Hacker News? Do you love the thrill of solving tricky bugs, learning fast, and shipping smart, impactful code? If you’re coming from a startup, a small team, or just love being hands-on with your builds, this might be your next adventure.
Come join us if you’re motivated to learn from others, to learn from mistakes, to be part of a future-looking and growth-oriented team.
Let’s go Skyward together.
What you’ll do:
- Design and develop cutting-edge MCP tools that solve unprecedented challenges for government agencies and beyond.
- Write clean, efficient Python code to build production-ready AI solutions that push technological boundaries.
- Pioneer the evolution of the Model Context Protocol through hands-on development and best practices definition.
- Conduct user interviews with government stakeholders to uncover complex requirements and translate them into breakthrough technical solutions.
- Experiment with experimental GenAI technologies and help establish new industry standards.
- Work directly with Anthropic’s team on MCP protocol enhancements and emerging AI capabilities.
- Identify and solve problems in AI-human collaboration that the broader tech community hasn’t yet recognized.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to architect next-generation AI integrations in fast-paced environments.
- Think beyond current limitations to envision and build AI capabilities that don’t yet exist.
- Contribute to AI transformation playbooks that will reshape government technology adoption.
What we’d like you to have:
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science or equivalent practical experience.
- At least 2–3 years of professional experience in software engineering (or equivalent hands-on experience through personal or open-source projects).
- Love for coding in the best language for the job.
- Desire to contribute. You regularly push to GitHub and enjoy contributing to open-source projects or maintaining your own repositories.
- The drive to be a 10x engineer. You’ve embraced the AI revolution and actively enhance yourself using AI tools.
- An innovative spirit. You’ve built or experimented with GenAI tech.
- Ambition. You are self-driven, and you thrive in a startup-like environment, where curiosity and autonomy are encouraged.
- Excitement to learn, unlearn, and evolve quickly in a fast-moving technical landscape.
- Experience working with APIs, web frameworks, or microservices architecture.
What would blow us away:
- You contribute to Gen AI open source repos.
- You have excellent communication skills for both technical and non-technical audiences.
- Your experience with DevOps. You’ve built your own CI/CD pipelines, orchestrated your containers and deploy your infra as code.
- Your familiarity with cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, or GCP - especially in deploying or managing services.
And now the important part. What we offer you:
- Medical, dental, vision insurance (fully paid for employees)
- 15 days of paid leave
- 7 days of sick leave
- 2 days bereavement leave
- 11 paid Federal holidays
- Up to 40 hours for jury duty
- 401K with 4% employer contribution (and no vesting period)
- Up to 4 weeks of paid paternity and maternity leave
- Company provided laptop
- $5,000 per year for professional development
- $600 per year for technical supplies and equipment
- $2,000 referral bonus
- Life and disability insurance
- HSA and FSA
- Legal Shield and ID Shield Voluntary Benefits
- Opportunity to work in a collaborative, motivated team focused on modernizing government services with cutting-edge technology and innovative solutions. Who says government work can’t be exciting!
$110,000 - $130,000 a year
We believe great work deserves great pay. That’s why we ensure our compensation is not only competitive but also fair and transparent, as required by Maryland law. Expect a salary that matches your skills, experience, and the value you bring to the table — because you’re worth it!
At Skyward, we are committed to creating an environment where everyone, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, or background, can thrive. We support flexible working hours and remote opportunities to help maintain a healthy work-life balance for all employees, including caregivers and those with unique needs.
Offers of employment with Skyward are contingent upon acceptable results of a background investigation.
Applicants must have the ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust security clearance due to the nature of our work as a government contractor.
