Software Engineer-Developer 3
PDS Defense · Colorado Springs, CO
$72–$77/hrfrom the description
Jul 27, 2026
Colorado Springs, CO
Jul 28, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A contract software engineering role focused on designing and implementing Java-based mathematical algorithms for the C2BMC missile defense program. The engineer will participate in the full software development lifecycle — from requirements and architecture through integration, testing, and issue resolution — working onsite in Colorado Springs within an Agile team alongside defense industry partners.
Mid level · Colorado Springs, CO · Bachelor's required · Secret clearance · Contract
“or” means any one of them counts — you don't need all of them.
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How this req sits in the market our data
What the occupation pays Median $137,233 (middle half $108,638–$170,529). This posting is about at that midpoint.
Estimated from BLS employment for this occupation and area, per-skill prevalence across our listing corpus, and published wage benchmarks — as of Jul 28, 2026. It is a model, not a headcount.
Why we read it this way (9)
The posting is a W2 contract (staffing firm PDS Defense) with a stated 52-week duration, classified here as Contract.
The title 'Software Engineer-Developer 3' implies a mid-to-senior level within the staffing firm's internal grade scale, but the JD provides no explicit years-of-experience requirement at the role level; seniority is assessed as Mid based on available signals.
Java is the only technology explicitly required in the Required Skills section; all other tools and frameworks appear under Desired Qualifications.
Java J2EE and Java Spring are listed as interchangeable alternatives under Desired Qualifications ('Java J2EE or Java Spring').
Security+ is listed as 'highly desired' under Desired Qualifications, not as a hard gate.
The role requires the ability to obtain access to an MDA facility and acceptance by an industry partner resource control board, in addition to an active Secret clearance.
Travel up to 10% domestically and/or internationally may be required.
Requires a Secret clearance — the cleared population is a small fraction of this occupation, so the real candidate pool is materially smaller than the estimate below, which does not model clearance.
Posting is for a contract engagement — the market benchmarks below price full-time roles, so read the comp comparison with that in mind.
Read the full posting
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