Software Engineer-Developer 4 at 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 W2 contract software engineering role supporting the Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) C2BMC program, 100% onsite in Colorado Springs. The engineer will design and develop Java-based mathematical algorithms, participate in the full software development lifecycle (design, implementation, code reviews, testing), and contribute to integration and test processes within an Agile framework. Requires an active Top Secret clearance to start.
Senior level · 9+ years · Colorado Springs, CO · Bachelor's required · Top Secret clearance · Contract
“or” means any one of them counts — you don't need all of them.
We read this from the posting text with AI. Skim the description below before ruling yourself out.
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 (7)
The posting lists 'Java, or Java Spring' as a single conjunctive/disjunctive requirement — both names are captured as a single skill with the other as an alternative, reflecting that either satisfies the requirement.
The experience floor is stated as 9+ years with a Bachelor's, 7+ with a Master's, or 4+ with a PhD; the overall years minimum is set to 9 (the minimum for the most common credential path).
The posting states Top Secret is required to start, with the ability to be cleared to TS/SCI; clearance is set to TopSecret (the hard gate to begin work).
The title 'Software Engineer-Developer 4' carries no standard seniority level word, so the title states no level; the 9+ years requirement and full-lifecycle ownership support a Senior classification.
Position type is listed as 'Associate - W2' with a 52-week duration, indicating a W2 contract engagement.
Requires a Top 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
The employer publishes the full description on their own site — read it there ↗. Or sign in to read it here — it's free, and it also lets you track this application.