Software Engineering Manager

Company Description

Govini transforms Defense Acquisition from an outdated manual process to a software-driven strategic advantage for the United States. Our flagship product, Ark, supports Supply Chain, Science and Technology, Production, Sustainment, and Modernization teams with AI-enabled applications and best-in-class data to more rapidly imagine, develop, and field the capabilities we need. Today, the national security community and every branch of the military rely on Govini to enable faster and more informed Acquisition decisions.

Job Description

We are seeking a Software Engineering Manager to partner with product managers to support and lead our teams of Forward Deployed Software Engineers. In this role you will be the technical owner of true 0-to-1 initiatives, whereby you are accountable for building new and differentiated capabilities, end to end, into our Ark platform. You are motivated by moving quickly but responsibly against urgent and compelling opportunities to build differentiated products in the field with users, while also maintaining alignment with the Engineering organization and safeguarding platform stability.

In this role, you will design, spec, prototype, and launch new workflows and capabilities into full production within the Ark. You should be highly motivated by the market adoption of the solutions you successfully launch. 

In order to do this job well, you must possess exceptional judgment when it comes to balancing competing priorities and making tradeoffs. You must also excel at communicating technical information to internal stakeholders and engineers. You must work effectively cross-functionally in often ambiguous circumstances, diagnosing a market opportunity quickly and translating it into a viable technical solution and approach.

In a typical week, the individual who fills this position could expect to:

- Collaborate with forward-deployed software engineers to scope, architect, and deliver 0-to-1 product initiatives and prototypes.

- Spend the day onsite with users, seeking to understand pain points and relate those pain points to opportunities to build new valuable workflows in the Ark.

- Partner with Product Managers to assess the engineering cost (and potential business value) of proposed product investments.

- Partner with the sales team to help assess opportunities and understand the degree to which customer requirements align with product capabilities and roadmap

- Communicate with a technical customer decision-maker about the capabilities of the Ark and discuss with them how it can be configured to meet their specific needs.

This role is a full-time position located in our Arlington, VA office

This role may require up to 75% travel

• Identify and evaluate new product features and functionality for Ark through embedding with customers.
• For new product features, assess the engineering cost, develop a technical approach and architecture, and lead forward deployed software engineers to delivery.
• Assist with the scoping, pricing, and capture of contracts, and communicate details to all levels of the organization 
• Partner with internal engineering and data science teams to scope the expected associated investment costs/timelines, and ensure that the business can deliver on scope, contractual obligations, and agreed-upon timelines
• Facilitate the market introduction of new features/functions while balancing tradeoffs of risk, cost, and speed
• Ensure smooth integration of prototyped features/functions into Ark for utilization across customer accounts

• U.S. Citizenship is required

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field, or equivalent work experience
• 5+ years of full-stack software development experience
• Experience working closely with customers
• Strong proficiency with backend API languages such as Java/Spring Boot (preferred) or equivalent and Javascript/ReactJS
• Intermediate proficiency with SQL
• Strong value orientation, understanding of what matters for our customers, and why
• Self-starter, owner mentality
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic work environment

• Current possession of a U.S. security clearance, or the ability to obtain one with our sponsorship
• Experience in or exposure to the nuances of a startup or other entrepreneurial environment
• Proficiency in statistical analysis, quantitative analytics, forecasting/predictive analytics, multivariate testing, and optimization algorithms
• Experience using machine learning algorithms (e.g., gradient-boosted machines, neural networks, LLMs, etc)
• Experience working within the boundaries of a Federally accredited software environment

We firmly believe that past performance is the best indicator of future performance.  If you thrive while building solutions to complex problems, are a self-starter, and are passionate about making an impact in global security, we’re eager to hear from you.

Govini is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability and protected veterans status or any other characteristic protected by law.