Staff Software Engineer (Backend)

Twenty is seeking a Staff Backend Engineer to work in office in our Arlington, VA office to help build the next generation of cyber technologies that protect democracies worldwide. We're looking for someone with 9 years of experience in developing scalable applications, with deep expertise in Golang, graph databases, and cloud-native technologies, plus proven leadership experience mentoring engineers and leading technical initiatives. In this role, you'll architect and develop high-throughput systems that process real-time operational data, lead technical design decisions, mentor junior engineers, and drive engineering best practices across our backend services. You'll work with complex graph schemas, design robust GraphQL APIs, and serve as a technical leader who can evaluate engineering courses of action for new features while organizing and managing development workflows. You'll join a world-class product and engineering team that delivers mission-critical solutions for U.S. national security, working in both cloud and on-premises environments to build systems that operate at machine speed. If you're passionate about solving complex technical challenges while leading engineering teams and making a direct impact on national security, we want to talk to you.

About The Company

At Twenty, we're taking on one of the most critical challenges of our time: defending democracies in the digital age. We develop revolutionary technologies that operate at the intersection of cyber and electromagnetic domains, where the speed of operations exceeds human sensing and complexity transcends conventional boundaries. Our team doesn't just solve problems – we deliver game-changing outcomes that directly impact national security. We're pragmatic optimists who understand that while our mission of protecting America and its allies is challenging, success is possible.

Role Details

Technical Leadership & Architecture

• Lead the design and architecture of scalable backend solutions using Go that enhance cyber operators' decision-making and response capabilities
• Evaluate and recommend engineering courses of action (COAs) for new features and system enhancements
• Drive technical decision-making for complex system integrations and performance optimizations
• Architect efficient data models and complex queries using graph databases to support advanced relationship mapping
• Lead the design and optimization of event-driven architectures using NATS for real-time communication between system components
  
  

Team Leadership & Mentorship

• Mentor and provide technical guidance to junior engineers, conducting thorough code reviews and knowledge transfer
• Organize development efforts and assign tasks across engineering teams to optimize workflow and delivery
• Manage project timelines and coordinate cross-functional collaboration with product, design, and operations teams
• Establish and maintain engineering best practices, coding standards, and development processes
• Lead technical discussions and facilitate architectural decision-making sessions
  
  

Development & Operations

• Develop high-performance Go services and microservices architectures deployed on AWS.
• Create and maintain comprehensive automated testing suites to ensure system integrity and performance
• Design and implement CI/CD pipelines that enable rapid, secure deployment of new capabilities
• Troubleshoot complex system issues and lead incident response efforts
• Research and evaluate emerging technologies that could enhance our cyber operations capabilities
  
  

Collaboration & Strategy

• Partner closely with cyber operations experts to understand and implement features that enhance operator efficiency
• Collaborate with frontend teams to ensure seamless API integration and optimal user experiences
• Contribute to long-term technical strategy and roadmap planning
• Participate in technical hiring and interview processes
  
  

Qualifications

Technical Skills & Experience

• 7 years of professional software development experience with full-stack applications
• Expert-level proficiency in Go (Golang) with demonstrated ability to write clean, efficient, and maintainable code
• Proven experience leading technical projects and mentoring junior developers
• Deep understanding of event-driven architectures, message queues, and distributed systems
• Extensive experience with graph databases (Neo4j, AWS Neptune, or similar) and complex query optimization
• Advanced proficiency with cloud platforms, preferably AWS.
• Expert knowledge of containerization, microservices architectures, and orchestration platforms
• Strong understanding of security best practices, secure coding principles, and threat modeling
• Experience with performance profiling, optimization, and scalability engineering
  
  

Leadership & Management Skills

• Demonstrated experience mentoring engineers and leading technical teams
• Proven ability to organize development workflows and manage project delivery
• Strong communication skills with ability to explain complex technical concepts to diverse audiences
• Experience conducting thorough code reviews and establishing development standards
• Track record of driving technical decision-making and architectural improvements
  
  

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field, or equivalent practical experience
  
  

Security Requirements

• Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a security clearance
  
  

Distinguishing Qualifications

• Track record of delivering complex technical solutions in defense or security contexts
• Experience with AI/ML integration in operational systems
• Background in developing tools for cyber operators or security analysts
• Experience with large-scale data processing and analysis
  
  

Additional Skills

• Experience with Agile development methodologies
• System architecture and design experience
• Performance optimization and scalability experience
• Open-source contributions or personal projects demonstrating relevant skills