Software Engineer 1 - Back-End/DevOps
Captivation Software · Annapolis Junction, MD
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Jul 15, 2026
Annapolis Junction, MD
Jul 21, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A backend and DevOps engineering role focused on building and maintaining microservices in Java with Spring Boot, managing RESTful APIs and cloud infrastructure on AWS, and implementing CI/CD pipelines using tools such as Terraform or CloudFormation. The position requires an active Top Secret/SCI clearance with a favorable Polygraph and at least seven years of software engineering experience.
Senior level · 7+ years · National · TS/SCI clearance · Full-time
Advertised as Mid, but the requirements read as Senior.
“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
Rare in this occupation — lead with these, and say what you built with them.
Most people in this occupation already list these. Still required — just not what gets you shortlisted.
What the occupation pays Median $138,970 (middle half $107,524–$175,762).
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 (8)
The posting is titled 'mid level' but requires 7 years of SWE experience, which aligns with a Senior band — advertised level and actual requirements disagree.
A Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field is stated as required, but the JD immediately offers a substitution path (4 years of additional SWE experience in lieu of the degree), so the degree requirement is treated as None.
The TS/SCI clearance requirement explicitly includes a favorable Polygraph, and all candidates must be U.S. citizens.
Terraform and CloudFormation are listed as interchangeable IaC examples ('e.g., Terraform, CloudFormation'); Terraform is named first and CloudFormation is captured as an alternative.
CloudWatch, Prometheus, and ELK are listed as interchangeable monitoring/observability examples; CloudWatch is named first with the others as alternatives.
No work location or metro area is specified in the posting; CBSA is left blank. Given the clearance and polygraph requirement, the role is likely on-site at a cleared facility, but this cannot be confirmed from the text alone.
The role blends back-end software development (Spring Boot, Java, APIs) with DevOps engineering (CI/CD, IaC, AWS infrastructure); primary day-to-day work leans toward software development, hence Software Developers SOC, with Network/Systems Administrators as a runner-up given the DevOps scope.
Requires a TS/SCI 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.
Read the full posting
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