Staff Software Engineer

At Esper, we’re on a mission to empower dynamic and responsive policymaking in government. We’re building the platform that connects existing data, stakeholders, and public policy goals into a single dynamic system, transforming bureaucracy into infrastructure that encourages innovation and collaboration. As a fast-growing GovTech company, Esper is at the intersection of two powerful forces: the modernization of government operations and the transformative potential of data-driven decision-making. Our customer base is expanding rapidly, and we’re building the team that will define how public policy is shaped for decades to come. What You'll Do Esper is looking for an experienced Staff Software Engineer to join our team and take technical ownership of significant areas of our platform. This is a senior individual contributor role without direct reports. Because Esper's customers include state, local, and federal government agencies, the reliability, security, and compliance posture of our platform is central to the business. As a senior member of the engineering team, you'll make a direct impact through: Designing, building, and operating core services and product features end to end, from data model through API to the systems that run them in productionSetting technical direction and roadmap for your areas in partnership with engineering leadershipParticipating fully in product development, working with product and design from an ambiguous problem statement through to a shipped featureModeling the domain our customers work in — the entities, relationships, roles, and processes that make up a government agency and its work — and evolving that model as the product growsProviding technical mentorship and design review to other engineers Skills And Experience 8+ years of software engineering experienceStrong programming skills in a language such as Java, Python, Go, or Rust, and willingness to work primarily in JavaExperience owning services in production, including their data stores, deployment, and observabilityExperience with distributed systems and asynchronous or long-running workflowsExperience with domain and data modeling, and the judgment to know when a model needs to changeExperience building production software on AWS or a comparable cloud providerFamiliarity with Docker and infrastructure as code such as TerraformGenuine interest in the product, not just the systems underneath itStrong communication skills — you will be working closely with all of engineering, as well as with product, design, auditors, and customer security teamsAbility to write clear, detailed technical documentation Bonus Points Experience shipping LLM-backed or agentic features to production usersHands-on experience with agent frameworks such as Strands Agents, the Vercel AI SDK, LangChain4j, Spring AI, LangGraph, Pydantic AI, or the OpenAI Agents SDKExperience with workflow orchestration platforms such as Temporal, Cadence, or Step FunctionsExperience with Amazon Bedrock or AgentCore, or with deploying agents into a managed runtimeExperience building evaluation, tracing, or quality monitoring tooling for LLM systemsExperience with ontology modeling or knowledge graphsExperience with Kubernetes, GitOps pipelines, and cloud architecture best practicesExperience implementing technical controls for SOC 2, ISO 27001, or a comparable framework, including direct participation in auditsExperience taking a product through a FedRAMP or StateRAMP authorizationExperience at a govtech or other compliance-driven organization Perks And Benefits Being a part of an innovative and collaborative team that will both support and challenge youSignificant opportunity for growth and ownershipAbility to shape Esper for the long-termPaid holidays & unlimited PTOMedical, dental, and vision insuranceGenerous parental & sick leave401(k) retirement plan with employer matchShort/Long term disability & life insuranceFlexible spending account (FSA)Work anniversary equity grantsQuarterly bonusesMonthly stipend to offset remote work expensesOffice equipment allowancePaid Time Off to participate in volunteer/community events We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.