Senior Software Engineer (Backend) - NASA

INNOVIM is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to support NASA’s Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) Evolution and Development-3 (EED-3) contract. This role is heavily backend-focused, supporting the NASA Common Metadata Repository (CMR) and Earthdata Search platforms, which serve billions of metadata records and millions of users worldwide.

Location: Remote (U.S. Only)
Travel: Quarterly PI Planning (Annapolis, MD)
Clearance: U.S. Person Required

Key Responsibilities:

• Design, implement, and operate large-scale Elasticsearch clusters, including index design, data modeling, lifecycle management, and performance tuning


• Develop and maintain backend services in Clojure, supporting high-throughput search and metadata APIs


• Ensure system reliability, scalability, and availability for mission-critical services (99.9% uptime targets)


• Lead troubleshooting and resolution of complex production issues across distributed systems


• Collaborate closely with DevOps, cloud infrastructure, and product stakeholders in an Agile / SAFe environment


• Contribute to architectural decisions for cloud-native systems (AWS preferred)


• Mentor other engineers and provide technical leadership within the team

Required Experience, Knowledge, and Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field


• 6+ years of professional software engineering experience, primarily backend-focused


• Experience with Elasticsearch, including: Cluster architecture and operations, Indexing strategies and schema design, Performance optimization and scaling, Managing large datasets (billions of records, high query volumes)


• Experience with Clojure in production systems


• Cloud platform experience (AWS preferred), including serverless services (Lambda, Step Functions)


• Proven experience building and operating high-availability, high-performance distributed systems


• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to independently drive complex technical work


• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Desired Skills

• Experience with geospatial or scientific data systems


• Familiarity with GIS tools and formats (e.g., GeoJSON, QGIS, ArcGIS)


• Experience with containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes)


• Infrastructure-as-Code and CI/CD pipeline experience


• Experience working within the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)


• AWS certifications (Solutions Architect, Developer, or similar)


• Familiarity with front-end frameworks (e.g., React)

INNOVIM is committed to providing superior work in the fields of science, engineering, data analytics and technology to government agencies. We offer competitive compensation packages, including comprehensive nationwide Medical/Dental/Vision insurance programs, life insurance, matching 401k contribution and Educational/Training support.