Preferred Qualifications:

• Exposure to firmware analysis, JTAG/UART interfaces, or embedded debugging tools.
• Familiarity with tools like IDA Pro, Ghidra, Binary Ninja, or Radare2.
• Understanding of RF fundamentals, signal capture and processing.
• Experience with scripting languages (e.g., Python) for analysis and automation.
• Prior work in mission support, SIGINT, or cyber tool development environments.

• Location: Annapolis Junction, Maryland
• Type: Contract
• Job #3804

Title: Proximal Savvy CNO Developer 3 (SDR)
Location: Annapolis Junction, MD
Compensation Range: $205 -$225K
*Clearance: *Active TS/SCI w/ Polygraph needed to apply *

Company Overview:
Cornerstone Defense is the Employer of Choice within the Intelligence, Defense, and Space communities of the U.S. Government.  Realizing early on that our most prized assets are our employees, we continually focus our attention on improving the overall work/life experience they have supporting the mission.  Our Team is pushed every day to use their industry leading knowledge to provide end-to-end solutions to combat our nation’s toughest and most secure problems.  If you are looking for a place to not only be professionally challenged, but encouraged and supported by a company that cares, don’t look any further than Cornerstone Defense.

Benefits Overview:
Cornerstone Defense offers a very comprehensive benefits package including, but not limited to: Medical, Dental and Vision Plans * Generous PTO Policy * 401(k) * HSA and FSA options * Life and Disability Insurance * Tuition Reimbursement and Training * Perks at Work Discount Program * Referral Program * Leads Generation Program * CollegeAmerica 529 * Fitness Reimbursement Program * Travel Assistance * Norton Lifelock Benefit Solutions * Life Planning Financial & Legal Services *

Summary:
The Proximal-Savvy CNO Developer will work within a mission-critical Research & Engineering (R&E) team supporting advanced cyber operations. This role demands a highly skilled and innovative software developer with deep expertise in low-level systems programming, reverse engineering, and Software Defined Radio (SDR) technologies. The selected candidate will be part of the Proximal TTO, a specialized team focused on developing offensive and defensive cyber capabilities to support national security missions.

Core Tasks:

• Design, develop, and enhance advanced CNO (Computer Network Operations) tools and capabilities in C, targeting complex embedded systems and networked environments.
• Perform in-depth reverse engineering of firmware, operating systems, and wireless protocols to identify vulnerabilities or develop mission-enabling capabilities.
• Develop and prototype tools for Software Defined Radio (SDR) platforms to enable or extend signal-based cyber operations.
• Work across multi-disciplinary teams to integrate developed capabilities into operational environments.
• Conduct vulnerability research, binary analysis, and develop exploits where appropriate.
• Document technical work, write reports, and present to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Support rapid prototyping and agile development workflows in a secure, classified setting.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a closely related field and 10+ years of relevant software development experience.
• OR Master’s degree with 8+ years of experience
• OR Doctorate with 6+ years of experience

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience developing for mobile or embedded platforms (e.g., Android, Linux-based systems).
• Experience with RF tools and spectrum analysis.
• Proficiency with disassembly/debugging tools such as IDA Pro, Ghidra, Radare2, or Binary Ninja.
• Experience with firmware extraction, JTAG/UART debugging, or bootloader analysis.
• Familiarity with embedded platforms, such as ARM, MIPS, or PowerPC.
• Previous work supporting mission operations, national security agencies, or tactical cyber environments.

• Location: Annapolis Junction, Maryland
• Type: Contract
• Job #3803

Title: Proximal Savvy CNO Developer 3 (WiFi/Bluetooth)
Location: Annapolis Junction, MD
Compensation Range: $205 -$225K
*Clearance: *Active TS/SCI w/ Polygraph needed to apply *

Company Overview:
Cornerstone Defense is the Employer of Choice within the Intelligence, Defense, and Space communities of the U.S. Government.  Realizing early on that our most prized assets are our employees, we continually focus our attention on improving the overall work/life experience they have supporting the mission.  Our Team is pushed every day to use their industry leading knowledge to provide end-to-end solutions to combat our nation’s toughest and most secure problems.  If you are looking for a place to not only be professionally challenged, but encouraged and supported by a company that cares, don’t look any further than Cornerstone Defense.

Benefits Overview:
Cornerstone Defense offers a very comprehensive benefits package including, but not limited to: Medical, Dental and Vision Plans * Generous PTO Policy * 401(k) * HSA and FSA options * Life and Disability Insurance * Tuition Reimbursement and Training * Perks at Work Discount Program * Referral Program * Leads Generation Program * CollegeAmerica 529 * Fitness Reimbursement Program * Travel Assistance * Norton Lifelock Benefit Solutions * Life Planning Financial & Legal Services *

Summary:
The Proximal-Savvy CNO Developer will serve on a specialized research and engineering team supporting advanced cyber operations. This position is ideal for an experienced and innovative software developer with deep expertise in Computer Network Operations (CNO) and a passion for working on cutting-edge mobile technologies, including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth protocols. You will contribute to the development of mission-critical cyber capabilities by designing, building, and enhancing software tools used for both defensive and offensive cybersecurity operations.

Core Tasks:

• Develop advanced CNO capabilities with a strong emphasis on low-level system programming and wireless communication protocols (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth).
• Reverse engineer firmware and software components to discover vulnerabilities or implement custom solutions.
• Analyze and deconstruct complex binary applications and embedded systems.
• Design and implement high-performance, reliable software in C and similar low-level languages.
• Integrate with and support mission teams to transition prototypes into operational tools.
• Document technical findings and present results to stakeholders, analysts, and mission leads.
• Collaborate with other software engineers, researchers, and security professionals in a high-security environment.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a closely related field and 10+ years of relevant software development experience.
  • OR Master’s degree with 8+ years of experience
  • OR Doctorate with 6+ years of experience
• At least 3 years of experience in cybersecurity/CNO-specific development.
• Proficient in C programming, with demonstrated experience in reverse engineering and low-level systems development.
• Experience with wireless communication technologies (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth).
• Strong understanding of software exploitation techniques and familiarity with common vulnerabilities.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience developing for mobile or embedded platforms (e.g., Android, Linux-based systems).
• Proficiency with disassembly tools (e.g., IDA Pro, Ghidra, Radare2) and debuggers.
• Familiarity with network analysis tools (e.g., Wireshark, Scapy).
• Exposure to kernel development, firmware extraction, or bootloader analysis.
• Experience working in mission environments or directly supporting operational cyber teams.

• Type: Contract
• Job #3801

Systems Administrator
Aurora, CO
Active TS/SCI w/ Poly
Compensation Range: $90,000 – $110,000

Company Overview:
Cornerstone Defense is the Employer of Choice within the Intelligence, Defense, and Space communities of the U.S. Government.  Realizing early on that our most prized assets are our employees, we continually focus our attention on improving the overall work/life experience they have supporting the mission.  Our Team is pushed every day to use their industry leading knowledge to provide end-to-end solutions to combat our nation’s toughest and most secure problems.  If you are looking for a place to not only be professionally challenged, but encouraged and supported by a company that cares, don’t look any further than Cornerstone Defense.

Job Responsibilities:
• Monitor and maintain computer configurations and performance in a VMware virtual environment
• Perform Operating System, and hardware troubleshooting in bare-metal and virtual environments
• Work with engineering and operations teams to troubleshoot and support systems in a 24×7 operating environment
• Provide IT support to new system developments and system upgrades
• Perform system backups and maintain system reconstitution capabilities and procedures
• Develop and implement scripts to monitor, improve and/or automate system performance and maintainability
• Maintain system documentation, configuration documents, user guides and troubleshooting procedures.
• Systems are operational 24×7 and occasionally require work effort beyond standard work hours.
• Full time 100% Onsite position.

Basic Qualifications:
• Typically requires bachelor’s degree, if no degree must have 6 years of experience.
• Minimum of 2 years of prior relevant experience.
• Must have a Current TS/SCI CI Poly transferable U.S. government issued prior to start date. U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are eligible for a security clearance.
• Must have Linux experience
• Experience with administering virtual systems
• Must have a current DODI 8570.01-M IAT Level II (or higher) certification
 

Preferred Qualifications:
• Experience with Networking
• Experience supporting engineers in software, simulations, and hardware development.
 

• Type: Contract
• Job #3800

Infrastructure Engineer
Richardson, TX
Active TS/SCI w/ Poly
Compensation Range: $95,000 – $115,000

Company Overview:
Cornerstone Defense is the Employer of Choice within the Intelligence, Defense, and Space communities of the U.S. Government.  Realizing early on that our most prized assets are our employees, we continually focus our attention on improving the overall work/life experience they have supporting the mission.  Our Team is pushed every day to use their industry leading knowledge to provide end-to-end solutions to combat our nation’s toughest and most secure problems.  If you are looking for a place to not only be professionally challenged, but encouraged and supported by a company that cares, don’t look any further than Cornerstone Defense.

Job Responsibilities:
• You will leverage company and industry with the best practices and capabilities to develop and communicate implementation, of infrastructure solutions
• You will maintain existing systems through Linux Based Tools and manage the COTS stack on the system to support program needs
• You will assist with integration of the selected platform provisioning tool such as VMWare
• You will ensure that the COTS stack and versioning and will work with the team to make updates as necessary
• You will travel to customer sites to assist with system updates and deliveries when necessary

Basic Qualifications:
• Typically requires BS/BA Degree in Science, Technology Engineering Math (STEM) in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Technology or Physics and 3 years of related work experience
• Experience with Agile Development Methodologies (E.g. scrum, SAFe)
• Experience with VMware
• Experience with programming languages (E.g. Python, Java, Ruby, Bash, C++, C#, Go)
• Current TS/SCI CI Poly issued security clearance is required on day 1. U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are eligible for a security clearance

Preferred Qualifications:
• Experience with Linux LDAP for creating Linux based accounts and managing roles and permissions
• Experience with basic Linux Bash scripting for task automation and management of existing scripts
• Experience with modernization technologies such as Terraform/Ansible, Artifactory, xray, Jenkins, Bitbucket, Jira, Confluence, Sonarqube etc
 

• Location: Annapolis Junction, Maryland
• Type: Contract
• Job #3798

Title: Software Integration Engineer 3 (I&T)
Location: Annapolis Junction, MD
Compensation Range: $190 -$210K
*Clearance: *Active TS/SCI w/ Polygraph needed to apply *

Company Overview:
Cornerstone Defense is the Employer of Choice within the Intelligence, Defense, and Space communities of the U.S. Government.  Realizing early on that our most prized assets are our employees, we continually focus our attention on improving the overall work/life experience they have supporting the mission.  Our Team is pushed every day to use their industry leading knowledge to provide end-to-end solutions to combat our nation’s toughest and most secure problems.  If you are looking for a place to not only be professionally challenged, but encouraged and supported by a company that cares, don’t look any further than Cornerstone Defense.

Benefits Overview:
Cornerstone Defense offers a very comprehensive benefits package including, but not limited to: Medical, Dental and Vision Plans * Generous PTO Policy * 401(k) * HSA and FSA options * Life and Disability Insurance * Tuition Reimbursement and Training * Perks at Work Discount Program * Referral Program * Leads Generation Program * CollegeAmerica 529 * Fitness Reimbursement Program * Travel Assistance * Norton Lifelock Benefit Solutions * Life Planning Financial & Legal Services *

Position Description:
The Software Integration Engineer shall be responsible for the automation of installing, configuring, testing, and operational management of system solutions for metrics and monitoring. Additional tasking shall include designing, implementing, verifying, and validating telemetry data-ingest pipelines from HPC infrastructure equipment and services.

Qualifications:
Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related field and have at least eight (8) years of demonstrable experience with integrating, installing, configuring, upgrading, compiling, and supporting COTS/GOTS software in a heterogeneous operating system environment. OR

The individual shall have five (5) years full time Computer Science directly related work that can be substituted for a degree and have at least eight (8) years of demonstrable experience. OR

An industry recognized professional certification, as defined in the TT0s, may substitute as one (1) year experience. A master’s degree in computer science or related field may substitute for two (2) years' experience.

Position Required Skills:

• Experience using Linux CLI and Linux tools
• Proficient using Bash/Python to develop scripts to automate provisioning of HPC systems
• Experience with system administration of solutions related to metrics and monitoring, including Splunk
• Experience configuring and sustaining VMware ESXi/Virtualization environments
• Experience with containerization technologies such as Docker
• Experience with CI/CD principles, methodologies, and tools including GitLab CI
• Experience with IaC principles and automation tools including Ansible
• Experience with Git Source Control System

Position Desired Skills:

• Experience with the Atlassian Tool Suite (JIRA, Confluence)
• Familiar with SAFe Agile principles, methodologies, and best practices

• Location: Annapolis Junction, Maryland
• Type: Contract
• Job #3796

Title: Software Engineer 2 (GHOSTGEM)
Location: Annapolis Junction, MD
Compensation Range: $170 -$190K
*Clearance: *Active TS/SCI w/ Polygraph needed to apply *
Company Overview:
Cornerstone Defense is the Employer of Choice within the Intelligence, Defense, and Space communities of the U.S. Government.  Realizing early on that our most prized assets are our employees, we continually focus our attention on improving the overall work/life experience they have supporting the mission.  Our Team is pushed every day to use their industry leading knowledge to provide end-to-end solutions to combat our nation’s toughest and most secure problems.  If you are looking for a place to not only be professionally challenged, but encouraged and supported by a company that cares, don’t look any further than Cornerstone Defense.

Benefits Overview:
Cornerstone Defense offers a very comprehensive benefits package including, but not limited to: Medical, Dental and Vision Plans * Generous PTO Policy * 401(k) * HSA and FSA options * Life and Disability Insurance * Tuition Reimbursement and Training * Perks at Work Discount Program * Referral Program * Leads Generation Program * CollegeAmerica 529 * Fitness Reimbursement Program * Travel Assistance * Norton Lifelock Benefit Solutions * Life Planning Financial & Legal Services *

SWE-4 Qualifications:
Master’s degree in computer science or related discipline from an accredited college or university, plus three (3) years of experience as a SWE, in programs and contracts of similar scope, type, and complexity. OR
Bachelor’s degree in computer science or related discipline from an accredited college or university, plus five (5) years of experience as a SWE, in programs and contracts of similar scope, type, and complexity. OR
Seven (7) years of experience as a SWE, in programs and contracts of similar scope, type, and complexity.
Position Description
The Software Engineer shall be responsible for developing, sustaining, and troubleshooting GHOSTGEM's software suite of applications including JEDIPOWER/DINO and possibly future capabilities as mission needs arise.  Software development activities include implementation, testing, and integration with other COTS and FOSS products, packages, and libraries. The Software Engineer must have a demonstrated understanding of the software development life cycle.

Position Required Skills

• Experience using the Linux CLI
• Experience developing scripts using Bash/Python
• Recent experience developing Java in a Linux environment
• Recent experience developing with the Spring Framework including Spring Boot, Spring Data and Spring Integration
• Experience with SQL databases including PostgreSQL 
• Experience with NoSQL databases including MongoDB 
• Experience with containerization technologies such as Docker and containerd
• Familiar with Messaging Frameworks such as RabbitMQ and Kafka
• Familiar with CI/CD principles, methodologies, and tools such as Bamboo and GitLab CI
• Familiar with IaC principles, methodologies, and tools such as Ansible
• Experience using Git Source Control System

Position Desired Skills

• Familiar with container orchestration technologies such as Kubernetes
• Experience creating Helm Charts to deploy containerized services on Kubernetes
• Experience with the Atlassian Tool Suite including Jira and Confluence 

• Type: Contract
• Job #3795

Title: Lead Electrical Engineer/Power Supply Design
Security Clearance: No Clearance required (will accept candidates with a clearance)
Work Schedule: Onsite | 9/80 work schedule | Department-wide team Fridays with social events
Contract Duration: 6+ months, with potential extensions 
Salary: $125k – $150k

• Type: Contract
• Job #3793

Infrastructure Engineer
Aurora, CO
Active TS/SCI w/ Poly
Compensation Range: $95,000 – $115,000

Company Overview:
Cornerstone Defense is the Employer of Choice within the Intelligence, Defense, and Space communities of the U.S. Government.  Realizing early on that our most prized assets are our employees, we continually focus our attention on improving the overall work/life experience they have supporting the mission.  Our Team is pushed every day to use their industry leading knowledge to provide end-to-end solutions to combat our nation’s toughest and most secure problems.  If you are looking for a place to not only be professionally challenged, but encouraged and supported by a company that cares, don’t look any further than Cornerstone Defense.

Job Responsibilities:
• You will leverage company and industry best practices and capabilities to design, deploy, implement, modernize, and support scalable network solutions
• You will support Network designs & development related activities, optimizing for performance and scalability across multiple computing environments
• You will utilize your Linux skills at the command line to deploy updates and change products for Cisco based network systems to support program needs
• You will provide guidance on network resource allocation, utilization, and optimization
• You must be a strong troubleshooter with experience in network issue mitigation as well as prevention
Basic Quals:
• Typically requires BS/BA Degree in Science, Technology Engineering Math (STEM) in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Technology or Physics and 3 years of related work experience
• Experience with Linux System Administration (E.g. RHEL 6.0+)
• Experience with VMWare and related virtualized systems
• Comp TIA Security + within 90 days after starting in the role
• Current TS/SCI with CI Poly security clearance is required day 1. U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are eligible for a security clearance
Preferred Quals:
• Advanced Experience configuring, deploying, and supporting network systems (E.g. Cisco, Cisco Nexus, Cisco ASA, Brocade)
• Experience Troubleshooting Layer 2 and Layer 3
• Experience with Firewall Implementation and knowledge
• Scripting in Python (preferred); Bash, Shell
• Experience integrating with identity management, access management, and authorization solutions (PKI, LDAP).
• Experience with Agile Development Methodologies (E.g.: Scrum, SAFe).
• Experience with scanning tools
• Basic Experience Using Automation Frameworks
 

• Location: Chantilly, Virginia
• Type: Contract
• Job #3791

Title: All Source Analyst/Technical Targeter

*Clearance: *Active TS/SCI w/ Polygraph needed to apply *
Location: Chantilly, VA
*Clearance: *Active TS/SCI w/ Polygraph needed to apply *
 

Company Overview:

Cornerstone Defense, in partnership with our military, intelligence, and civil government customers, supports U.S. operations worldwide through the use of many different types of intelligence, satellite, and cyber technologies. Cornerstone’s Intelligence Sector provides solutions to the United States Government for information collection, operations, exploitation and dissemination, and research activities. Our Team specializes in software development, cloud architecture, systems and network engineering, systems integration, agile management, as well as targeting operations and intelligence analysis. Our support to our mission customers includes cyber network operations, exploitation and defense, signals intelligence, human intelligence, and critical missions and networks.

All Source Analyst/Technical Targeter
Level:  Senior
Location: Dulles Corridor
Tasks:
 

• Conduct data research and analysis leveraging customer targeting tools to facilitate operations
• Design and tailor products/deliverables based on needs and deadlines for both tactical and strategic requests
• Mentor new targeters on projects/workflows/tools
• Test new solutions to meet targeting needs
• Design new tools data scientists build for targeters

Qualifications:
TS/SCI with poly Bachelors degree in technical relevant field or 4 years of additional relevant experience 6+ years working for the client in a targeting / data science role

• Experience with trade craft, tools and operations
• Experience with open-source research and applications

Experience ingesting large datasets Scripting using Excel, Python, or similar technologies Extracting data using SQL, Presto, S3, or similar technologies Experience with data visualization tools like Elasticsearch, Kibana, Tableau

• Location: Annapolis Junction, Maryland
• Type: Contract
• Job #3787

Title: DevOps Software Engineer 3 (Hybrid)
Location: Annapolis Junction, MD
Compensation Range: $180 -$200K
*Clearance: *Active TS/SCI w/ Polygraph needed to apply *

Company Overview:
Cornerstone Defense is the Employer of Choice within the Intelligence, Defense, and Space communities of the U.S. Government.  Realizing early on that our most prized assets are our employees, we continually focus our attention on improving the overall work/life experience they have supporting the mission.  Our Team is pushed every day to use their industry leading knowledge to provide end-to-end solutions to combat our nation’s toughest and most secure problems.  If you are looking for a place to not only be professionally challenged, but encouraged and supported by a company that cares, don’t look any further than Cornerstone Defense.

Benefits Overview:
Cornerstone Defense offers a very comprehensive benefits package including, but not limited to: Medical, Dental and Vision Plans * Generous PTO Policy * 401(k) * HSA and FSA options * Life and Disability Insurance * Tuition Reimbursement and Training * Perks at Work Discount Program * Referral Program * Leads Generation Program * CollegeAmerica 529 * Fitness Reimbursement Program * Travel Assistance * Norton Lifelock Benefit Solutions * Life Planning Financial & Legal Services *

Position Description:
The DevOps Software Engineer shall be responsible for software integration efforts, development of framework solutions, and maintaining automated infrastructure solutions to ensure high availability and scalability of HPC systems in a Linux environment. In this role, the DevOps Software Engineer shall work closely with various stakeholders to streamline the deployment pipeline and optimize system performance.

Qualifications:
Master’s degree in computer science or related discipline from an accredited college or university, plus five (5) years of experience as a SWE, in programs and contracts of similar scope, type, and complexity.
OR
Bachelor’s degree in computer science or related discipline from an accredited college or university, plus seven (7) years of experience as a SWE, in programs and contracts of similar scope, type, and complexity
OR
Nine (9) years of experience as a SWE, in programs and contracts of similar scope, type, and complexity.

Position Required Skills

• Experience with Linux CLI
• Experience writing scripts using Shell/Bash/Python
• Linux administration experience including software integration, service management, configuration management, and routine sustainment operations related to provisioning, storage, and networking.
• Experience installing, configuring, and supporting COTS/GOTS/FOSS software, libraries, and packages in a Linux environment
• Extensive software development experience with Java and Python
• Experience with stream/batch Big Data processing and analytic frameworks
• Experience with CI/CD principles, methodologies, and tools such as GitLab CI 
• Experience with IaC (Infrastructure as Code) principles and automation infrastructure provisioning and configuration using tools such as Ansible
• Experience with containerization technologies such as Docker
• Experience deploying containerized services under Kubernetes orchestration
• Demonstrated experience using system monitoring tools such as Prometheus/Grafana
• Experience with Git for source code management, branching strategies, and team collaboration

Position Desired Skills:

• Experience with the Atlassian Tool Suite (JIRA, Confluence)

• Type: Contract
• Job #3786

Software Engineer
Dulles, VA or State College, PA
Active TS/SCI
Compensation Range: $180,000-$200,000

Company Overview:
Cornerstone Defense is the Employer of Choice within the Intelligence, Defense, and Space communities of the U.S. Government.  Realizing early on that our most prized assets are our employees, we continually focus our attention on improving the overall work/life experience they have supporting the mission.  Our Team is pushed every day to use their industry leading knowledge to provide end-to-end solutions to combat our nation’s toughest and most secure problems.  If you are looking for a place to not only be professionally challenged, but encouraged and supported by a company that cares, don’t look any further than Cornerstone Defense.

Job Responsibilities:
• Design, develop, and maintain advanced software applications for our Satellite Ground Systems.
• Collaborate closely with systems engineers, hardware designers, and other software engineers to deliver reliable and high-performance software solutions.
• Design, implement, and test Java and Python based applications and software components for satellite ground systems.
• Work in parallel with legacy platform teams to eventually migrate workloads onto your pipelines.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define software requirements and specifications.
• Work with previously written code and make modifications as necessary.
• Ensure software performance, reliability, and scalability.
• Participate in software design reviews, code reviews, and system integration activities.
• Contribute to the completion of program and project milestones under the specific guidance of their immediate supervisor.
• Follow established Software processes and procedures, development, documentation and maintenance/management of operations concepts, requirements (system, element, segment level), external and internal interfaces, and other software engineering work products/artifacts.
• Learn the workings of satellite ground systems.
• Work with new tools that will keep you state-of-the-art.

Basic Qualifications:
• Active and transferable U.S. government issued TS/SCI security clearance is required prior to start date. U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are eligible for a security clearance.
• Typically requires a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) and a minimum of 8 years of prior relevant experience.
• Eight (8) years of experience in object-oriented software design and development using Java in a Linux or UNIX environment.
• Experience using unit testing tools (e.g., JUnit).
• Experience with Python.
• Experience developing software in an Agile/DevOps environment.

Preferred Qualifications:
• Experience working in a DevOps environment using Docker, Kubernetes, Jenkins, Maven, Jira, Git, BitBucket and Confluence.
• Experience working with SonarQube
• Experience working with SQL
• Experience working in an Agile Development environment
• Security+ certification
• Experience with satellite communication systems and protocols is highly preferred.
• Familiarity with secure coding practices, especially in a defense or aerospace setting.
• Master’s degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM).
Company Benefits:
Cornerstone Defense offers a comprehensive list of benefits, designed to give employees and their families several options to choose from when selecting benefits that best fit their needs.  These offerings include not only a full suite of the traditional Medical/Dental/Vision insurances, but also a number of other benefits and perks to include, but not limited to:  A 401(K) plan with a company match, tuition and training assistances, paid vacation/leave, a fitness reimbursement program, college savings plan, commuter benefits, financial advisory services, flex spending accounts, health savings accounts, STD/LTD coverage, life and AD&D insurance, employee assistance programs, life financial planning assistance, and legal resources.
 

• Location: Reston, Virginia
• Type: Contract
• Job #3784

Cloud Engineer I
Reston, VA
*Clearance: *Active TS/SCI w/ Polygraph needed to apply *

Company Overview:
Cornerstone Defense is the Employer of Choice within the Intelligence, Defense, and Space communities of the U.S. Government.  Realizing early on that our most prized assets are our employees, we continually focus our attention on improving the overall work/life experience they have supporting the mission.  Our Team is pushed every day to use their industry leading knowledge to provide end-to-end solutions to combat our nation’s toughest and most secure problems.  If you are looking for a place to not only be professionally challenged, but encouraged and supported by a company that cares, don’t look any further than Cornerstone Defense.

Benefits Overview:
Cornerstone Defense offers a very comprehensive benefits package including, but not limited to: Medical, Dental and Vision Plans * Generous PTO Policy * 401(k) * HSA and FSA options * Life and Disability Insurance * Tuition Reimbursement and Training * Perks at Work Discount Program * Referral Program * Leads Generation Program * CollegeAmerica 529 * Fitness Reimbursement Program * Travel Assistance * Norton Lifelock Benefit Solutions * Life Planning Financial & Legal Services *

Overview:
We are seeking an experienced Cloud Engineer I to lead the design, implementation, and optimization of secure, scalable cloud solutions for mission-critical systems. In this role, you will architect and manage advanced cloud environments across multiple classification domains, ensure compliance with governance and security standards, and drive automation to enhance efficiency. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver innovative, high-performing cloud infrastructures that align with business and technical objectives.

Company Benefits:
Cornerstone Defense offers a comprehensive list of benefits, designed to give employees and their families several options to choose from when selecting benefits that best fit their needs. These offerings include not only a full suite of the traditional Medical/Dental/Vision insurances, but also a number of other benefits and perks to include, but not limited to: a 401(K) plan with a company match, tuition and training assistance, paid vacation/leave, a fitness reimbursement program, college savings plan, commuter benefits, financial advisory services, flex spending accounts, health savings accounts, STD/LTD coverage, life and AD&D insurance, employee assistance programs, life financial planning assistance, and legal resources.

Key Responsibilities:

• Cloud Architecture & Design – Lead the design and deployment of secure, scalable, and reliable cloud architectures aligned with industry best practices and security requirements.
• Emerging Technology Integration – Evaluate and adopt new cloud technologies, platforms, and methodologies to enhance performance and capabilities.
• Cloud Governance & Compliance – Develop and enforce governance strategies ensuring adherence to applicable standards, regulations, and security frameworks.
• Automation & Optimization – Oversee automation of deployment, monitoring, and management workflows using Infrastructure-as-Code tools to streamline operations.
• Security Implementation – Apply advanced security controls to protect cloud environments across multiple classification domains (e.g., IL5–IL6+).
• Technical Leadership – Serve as a subject matter expert on cloud engineering, mentoring peers and contributing to the organization’s technical community.

Required Qualifications:

• Experience: 4–7+ years of proven experience in cloud engineering, including large-scale AWS deployments across multiple classification domains.
• Technical Skills:
• Expertise in AWS services (EC2, S3, Lambda, EBS) and hands-on experience with AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud.
• Proficient in creating, managing, and securing server OS images (Linux and Windows Server) in cloud environments.
• Strong scripting and programming skills in Python and Bash.
• Advanced knowledge of Infrastructure-as-Code tools (Terraform, CloudFormation, Ansible).
• In-depth understanding of cloud security principles and hands-on security implementation experience.

• Certifications: Active CompTIA Security+ (or equivalent 8140/8570) with at least one year before expiration; AWS Solutions Architect Associate/Professional or AWS SysOps Administrator.
• Other Requirements: Experience working in operational environments managing ticket queues and leveraging knowledge bases for problem resolution; excellent communication skills for technical and non-technical audiences.

• Type: Contract
• Job #3782

Principal Integrated Product Team Lead
Indianapolis, IN
Active Secret
Compensation Range: $140,000 – $160,000

Job Responsibilities:

• Effectively work with, and communicate with, multiple levels of management, customers, and individual contributors on teams.
• Provide leadership and guidance to a cross-functional team, planning and coordinating engineering work
• Responsible for the technical fidelity and quality of the systems engineering work products and associated analyses that document the technical baseline.
• Assist in the development of solutions that meet customer requirements within cost, schedule, and quality constraints.
• Manage customer/stakeholder requirements and the decomposition of those requirements into product system requirements
• Plan system testing and the development and automation of test cases, scripts and execution

Basic Qualifications:
• Typically requires a Bachelor’s in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM preferred) or equivalent experience and a minimum of 8 years’ related experience in systems or project engineering or program management
 • Experience in project management or leading teams in product development across the program lifecycle
 • Experience as a Control Account Manager (CAM) and with implementing Earned Value Management (EVM)
 • Technical leadership and implementation experience with the avionics life cycle (requirements design, development, hardware and software integration, and/or requirements verification).
 • Experience with Agile and Dev[Sec]Ops principles and tools.
 • Demonstrated ability to effectively work with and communicate with multiple levels of management and individual contributors on teams.
 • The ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government issued Secret security clearance is required. U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are eligible for a security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications:
• Experience with Embedded SW (RTOS oriented SW development)
• Experience with Aviation COMM Suite, including UHF, VHF and SATCOM
 • Experience with DOORS, DOORS NextGen, model-based development in Cameo and/or SCADE, and developing cloud-based requirements  
 • Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
 • Experience with management of Government sub-contracts
 • Experience planning programs from the ground up
 • Experience in creation of Basis of Estimates (BOEs)
 • Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification
 • Familiarity with the V-22 aircraft and platform support processes
 • Experience with development lifecycle design reviews (Internal gates, SETRs, SOIs, etc.)
 • Master’s degree in an Engineering specialty
 • Experience in avionics development, integration and modernization programs

Company Overview:
Cornerstone Defense is the Employer of Choice within the Intelligence, Defense, and Space communities of the U.S. Government.  Realizing early on that our most prized assets are our employees, we continually focus our attention on improving the overall work/life experience they have supporting the mission.  Our Team is pushed every day to use their industry leading knowledge to provide end-to-end solutions to combat our nation’s toughest and most secure problems.  If you are looking for a place to not only be professionally challenged, but encouraged and supported by a company that cares, don’t look any further than Cornerstone Defense.

Benefits Overview:
Cornerstone Defense offers a very comprehensive benefits package including, but not limited to: Medical, Dental and Vision Plans * Generous PTO Policy * 401(k) * HSA and FSA options * Life and Disability Insurance * Tuition Reimbursement and Training * Perks at Work Discount Program * Referral Program * Leads Generation Program * CollegeAmerica 529 * Fitness Reimbursement Program * Travel Assistance * Norton Lifelock Benefit Solutions * Life Planning Financial & Legal Services *

• Type: Contract
• Job #3780

AI Engineer
Chantilly, VA
Active TS/SCI with Polygraph

Company Overview:
Cornerstone Defense is the Employer of Choice within the Intelligence, Defense, and Space communities of the U.S. Government.  Realizing early on that our most prized assets are our employees, we continually focus our attention on improving the overall work/life experience they have supporting the mission.  Our Team is pushed every day to use their industry leading knowledge to provide end-to-end solutions to combat our nation’s toughest and most secure problems.  If you are looking for a place to not only be professionally challenged, but encouraged and supported by a company that cares, don’t look any further than Cornerstone Defense.

Job Responsibilities:

• Develops innovative AI-driven solutions to solve complex problems and enhance business processes.
• Collects, cleans, and preprocesses large volumes of structured and unstructured data from various sources, ensuring data quality, integrity and relevance for model training and evaluation.
• Trains, validates, and optimizes large language models using state-of-the-art techniques and frameworks. 
• Evaluates model performance, interpret results, and iterate on model design as needed.
• Extracts, selects, and engineers relevant features from raw data to improve model performance and generalization capabilities. Utilizes domain knowledge and data exploration techniques to identify informative features.
• Monitors model performance, reliability, and scalability in production environments, implementing automated monitoring and alerting systems to detect anomalies and performance degradation.
• Documents technical designs, implementation details, and best practices for AI solutions.
• Collaborates with cross-functional teams to include data scientists, software engineers, product managers, and other stakeholders to understand requirements, prioritize projects and delivery impactful AI Solutions.

Required Skills:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or other related analytical, scientific, or technical discipline.
• 5+ years of related experience. 
• Experience with designing, developing, implementing and using machine learning algorithms and large language models to address business challenges and opportunities, such as predictive analytics, natural language processing, computer vision and recommender systems.
• Understanding of Agentic AI frameworks (e.g. Pydantics, CrewAI, Langchain), proficiency in programming languages such as Python and Java.
• Works independently under general supervision, strong documentation and communication skills, strong user interaction and business analysis skills.

Desired Skills:

• Understanding of machine learning algorithms, including supervised and unsupervised learning, deep learning, reinforcement learning, Large Language Models, generative AI and ensemble methods.
• Familiarity with machine learning libraries and frameworks.
• Knowledge of software development best practices, version control systems and agile methodologies.

Company Benefits:
Cornerstone Defense offers a comprehensive list of benefits, designed to give employees and their families several options to choose from when selecting benefits that best fit their needs.  These offerings include not only a full suite of the traditional Medical/Dental/Vision insurances, but also a number of other benefits and perks to include, but not limited to:  A 401(K) plan with a company match, tuition and training assistances, paid vacation/leave, a fitness reimbursement program, college savings plan, commuter benefits, financial advisory services, flex spending accounts, health savings accounts, STD/LTD coverage, life and AD&D insurance, employee assistance programs, life financial planning assistance, and legal resources.
 

• Type: Contract
• Job #3774

Software Developer
Aurora, CO
Active TS/SCI
Compensation Range: $95,000-$115,000

Company Overview:
Cornerstone Defense is the Employer of Choice within the Intelligence, Defense, and Space communities of the U.S. Government.  Realizing early on that our most prized assets are our employees, we continually focus our attention on improving the overall work/life experience they have supporting the mission.  Our Team is pushed every day to use their industry leading knowledge to provide end-to-end solutions to combat our nation’s toughest and most secure problems.  If you are looking for a place to not only be professionally challenged, but encouraged and supported by a company that cares, don’t look any further than Cornerstone Defense.

Job Responsibilities:
• Design, develop, test, deliver, and maintain software for satellite ground systems
• Modernize software systems and upgrade Commercial off-the-shelf COTS and Free and open-source software (FOSS)
• Work with talented teams of engineers, architects, and leaders in an Agile environment
Basic Qualifications:
• Typically requires a Bachelor’s degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) and 2 years of relevant software engineering experience
• Experience designing and developing object-oriented software using Java
• Ability to troubleshoot software errors and provide fixes
• An active and transferable U.S. government issued TS/SCI security clearance is required prior to start date. An active and transferable U.S. government issued Top Secret security clearance that can be crossed over to a TS/SCI security clearance is also acceptable. U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are eligible for a security clearance
Preferred Qualifications:
•  Experience working with COTS/FOSS and performing COTS/FOSS upgrades
• Experience with some areas of satellite ground system software such as mission management, planning and scheduling, command and telemetry, satellite operations, or flight dynamics models
• Experience developing software using C++ and Python
• Experience working with a large-scale legacy software system
• Experience with tools such as Confluence, Eclipse, Jira, Jenkins, Junit, Kafka, and Spring Boot
Company Benefits:
Cornerstone Defense offers a comprehensive list of benefits, designed to give employees and their families several options to choose from when selecting benefits that best fit their needs.  These offerings include not only a full suite of the traditional Medical/Dental/Vision insurances, but also a number of other benefits and perks to include, but not limited to:  A 401(K) plan with a company match, tuition and training assistances, paid vacation/leave, a fitness reimbursement program, college savings plan, commuter benefits, financial advisory services, flex spending accounts, health savings accounts, STD/LTD coverage, life and AD&D insurance, employee assistance programs, life financial planning assistance, and legal resources.
 

• Location: Tysons Corner, Virginia
• Type: Contract
• Job #3773

Program Security Officer – PSO
*Clearance: *Active TS/SCI w/ Polygraph needed to apply *

McLean, VA

Provide comprehensive security assistance and over site to all facets of the program, including operational security/program protection, personnel physical/technical, industrial, and information systems security:

Supporting the Most Exciting and Meaningful Missions in the World

• Location: Chantilly, Virginia
• Type: Contract
• Job #3772

Position Chief Data Engineer
Work Location McLean, VA
Security Clearance TS/SCI with Polygraph

Company Overview:
Cornerstone Defense is the Employer of Choice within the Intelligence, Defense, and Space communities of the U.S. Government.  Realizing early on that our most prized assets are our employees, we continually focus our attention on improving the overall work/life experience they have supporting the mission.  Our Team is pushed every day to use their industry leading knowledge to provide end-to-end solutions to combat our nation’s toughest and most secure problems.  If you are looking for a place to not only be professionally challenged, but encouraged and supported by a company that cares, don’t look any further than Cornerstone Defense.

Benefits Overview:
Cornerstone Defense offers a very comprehensive benefits package including, but not limited to: Medical, Dental and Vision Plans * Generous PTO Policy * 401(k) * HSA and FSA options * Life and Disability Insurance * Tuition Reimbursement and Training * Perks at Work Discount Program * Referral Program * Leads Generation Program * CollegeAmerica 529 * Fitness Reimbursement Program * Travel Assistance * Norton Lifelock Benefit Solutions * Life Planning Financial & Legal Services *

Position Description
We are seeking a skilled Data Engineer to support one of our Intelligence customers. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in data engineering and integration, with a focus on normalizing data from diverse sources for advanced analytical methodologies. The Data Engineer will enhance the program's ability to integrate data from varied data sets and capitalize on emerging analytic capabilities developed across the Intelligence Community (IC).

Key Responsibilities:

• Integrate data from a wide range of data sets with varying formatting and tagging standards.
• Normalize and standardize data for incorporation into AI/ML enabled analytical methodologies.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams and stakeholders to understand data requirements and ensure seamless integration.
• Develop and maintain data pipelines, ETL processes, and data integration workflows.
• Ensure data quality, consistency, and accuracy throughout the integration process.
• Stay current with emerging data engineering technologies and best practices.
• Provide guidance and mentorship to non-technical team members on data engineering methodologies and best practices.
• Create and maintain documentation for data integration processes and workflows.

Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI with CI Polygraph is required.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, or a related field. Advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum of 8 years of experience in data engineering or a related field.
• Proven experience in integrating data from diverse sources with varying formats and tagging standards.
• Strong understanding of data normalization, standardization, and ETL processes.
• Experience with data processing platforms such as Hadoop, Spark, and cloud services (AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, SQL, and tools like Apache NiFi, Talend, or similar ETL tools.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to think critically and strategically.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills to effectively collaborate with stakeholders and present findings.
• Experience working within the Intelligence Community (IC) or other government agencies.
• Active TS/SCI clearance with CI Polygraph is required.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Familiarity with AI/ML enabled analytical methodologies and emerging analytic capabilities.
• Knowledge of national security threats and data exploitation strategies.

• Location: Annapolis Junction
• Type: Contract
• Job #3767

Title: HPC Test Engineer
Location: Annapolis Junction, MD
Compensation Range: $165 -$185K
*Clearance: *Active TS/SCI w/ Polygraph needed to apply *
Company Overview:
Cornerstone Defense is the Employer of Choice within the Intelligence, Defense, and Space communities of the U.S. Government.  Realizing early on that our most prized assets are our employees, we continually focus our attention on improving the overall work/life experience they have supporting the mission.  Our Team is pushed every day to use their industry leading knowledge to provide end-to-end solutions to combat our nation’s toughest and most secure problems.  If you are looking for a place to not only be professionally challenged, but encouraged and supported by a company that cares, don’t look any further than Cornerstone Defense.

Benefits Overview:
Cornerstone Defense offers a very comprehensive benefits package including, but not limited to: Medical, Dental and Vision Plans * Generous PTO Policy * 401(k) * HSA and FSA options * Life and Disability Insurance * Tuition Reimbursement and Training * Perks at Work Discount Program * Referral Program * Leads Generation Program * CollegeAmerica 529 * Fitness Reimbursement Program * Travel Assistance * Norton Lifelock Benefit Solutions * Life Planning Financial & Legal Services *

Qualifications:
Eight (8) years’ experience as a TE in programs and contracts of similar scope, type and complexity is required. Bachelor’s degree in Math, Science, Engineering, Statistics, Engineering Management, or related discipline form an accredited college or university is required.
Four (4) years of additional TE experience may be substituted for a bachelor’s degree.

Position Description:
The Test Engineer shall be responsible for testing and validating HPC systems in accordance with test plans to ensure that system requirements are met.

Required Skills:

• Experience using Linux CLI and Linux tools
• Proficient using Bash/Python scripting for task automation
• Experience developing and executing test plans for HPC systems
• Experience integrating and testing REST APIs related to HPC systems
• Experience creating complex database queries to analyze test data across various database platforms 
• Demonstrated experience in defect tracking and resolution processes
• Experience with CI/CD principles, methodologies, and tools including GitLab CI

Desired Skills:

• Experience with the Atlassian Tool Suite (JIRA, Confluence)
• Familiar with Splunk for searching, monitoring, and analyzing machine generated data
• Familiar with SAFe Agile principles, methodologies, and best practices
• Experience with IaC principles and automation tools including Ansible
• Experience with Git Source Control System

• Location: Herndon, Virginia
• Type: Contract
• Job #3766

Title:  Cloud Techical Advisor

*Clearance: *Active TS/SCI w/ Polygraph needed to apply *

Company Overview: 
Cornerstone Defense, in partnership with our military, intelligence, and civil government customers, supports U.S. operations worldwide through the use of many different types of intelligence, satellite, and cyber technologies.  Cornerstone’s Intelligence Sector provides solutions to the United States Government for information collection, operations, exploitation and dissemination, and research activities. Our Team specializes in software development, cloud architecture, systems and network engineering, systems integration, agile management, as well as targeting operations and intelligence analysis. Our support to our mission customers includes cyber network operations, exploitation and defense, signals intelligence, human intelligence, and critical missions and networks. 

Cloud Technical Advisor
Level: Senior
Position Overview: We are seeking an experienced and highly communicative Cloud Technical Advisor to join our Cloud Program team. As a contributor to the intelligence community’s first multi-cloud initiative, you will be at the epicenter of emergent cloud computing technologies, establishing a foundation that will evolve to include all agencies within the IC. The ideal candidate will have a background in cloud services and excellent verbal and written communication skills. This role requires a person who is comfortable reviewing and editing Statements of Work (SOWs) for cloud task orders.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Build and maintain strong relationships with community members.
2. Engage with cloud community members and consumers across various media platforms.
3. Respond to technical cloud requests promptly and effectively.
4. Serve as a Cloud Agnostic advocate and helping to educate the Government customer on cloud services appropriate to meet mission requirements
5. Review SOWs for cloud task orders, providing feedback and advising on edits.
6. Utilize knowledge and experience to ask technical questions, ensuring you gather necessary information to create comprehensive and accurate SOWs.
7. Create educational cloud content based on community interactions and identified needs.
8. Ability to communicate technical concepts clearly and effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences.
9. Partner with account management, vendor, provisioning, and communications teams to ensure cohesive support for the community.
10. Provide regular updates on community feedback, technical issues, and areas for improvement.

Qualifications:

• Active TS/SCI with Polygraph clearance
• Bachelor’s Degree in STEM or related field
• Knowledge of cloud services.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Experience researching cloud issues and briefings findings.
• Willingness to review and edit Cloud Statements of Work (SOWs) for cloud consumers.
• At least 4 years of experience in a cloud and/or hybrid environment

Preferred Skills:

• Familiarity with different media platforms for community engagement.
• Experience working with cross-functional teams.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to think analytically.
• Certifications in Azure, GCP, Azure, IBM, and/or Oracle
• Experience as a Cloud Agnostic Architect

• Location: Chantilly, Virginia
• Type: Contract
• Job #3749

Technical Training Instructor:
*Clearance: *Active TS/SCI w/ Polygraph needed to apply *
Company Overview:
Cornerstone Defense is the Employer of Choice within the Intelligence, Defense, and Space communities of the U.S. Government.  Realizing early on that our most prized assets are our employees, we continually focus our attention on improving the overall work/life experience they have supporting the mission.  Our Team is pushed every day to use their industry leading knowledge to provide end-to-end solutions to combat our nation’s toughest and most secure problems.  If you are looking for a place to not only be professionally challenged, but encouraged and supported by a company that cares, don’t look any further than Cornerstone Defense.

Benefits Overview:
Cornerstone Defense offers a very comprehensive benefits package including, but not limited to: Medical, Dental and Vision Plans * Generous PTO Policy * 401(k) * HSA and FSA options * Life and Disability Insurance * Tuition Reimbursement and Training * Perks at Work Discount Program * Referral Program * Leads Generation Program * CollegeAmerica 529 * Fitness Reimbursement Program * Travel Assistance * Norton Lifelock Benefit Solutions * Life Planning Financial & Legal Services *

Technical Training Instructor
An experienced targeter/targeting instructor to assist with a technical training program for the Customer’s targeting occupation by providing SME support to curriculum development and delivery of course material.  The instructor should have experience as a Technical Targeting Analyst (TTA) or other multi-source targeting experience.  The candidate must have expertise in and the ability to advise others on the use of common TTA tools and methodologies.  The ideal candidate should be familiar with basic instructional and course design principles to help build course curriculum.  The training may include blended and distance learning solutions, along with asynchronous and synchronous approaches to training.  The candidate will also help carry out training evaluations and support creation of a variety of training products such as guides, handbooks, and job aids. 
 
 Required Skills: 
 

• Active TS/SCI clearance with polygraph. 
• Bachelor's degree (4 years of relevant experience may substitute in lieu of degree) and 10+ years of related work experience. 
• Demonstrated experience as a Technical Targeting Analyst, or other multi-source targeting experience. 
• Knowledgeable in the use of common TTA tools and the ability to teach others to use them. 
• Demonstrated ability to instruct others in the application of TTA tools and methodologies against real-world scenarios. 
• Successful experience facilitating training working groups and/or discussions. 
• Exceptional aptitude and ability in coordination, scheduling, and performing outreach.
• Strong ability to establish and maintain meaningful directorate, Customer, and community networks; including ability to identify opportunities to integrate targeting tradecraft from those networks into the technical targeting training program.
• Willingness to travel CONUS as part of routine work approximately five times per year.
• Knowledge of how technical targeting drives technical operations (and vice versa).

The position is located in Chantilly, VA.

• Type: Contract
• Job #3744

Systems Engineer
Dulles, VA or State College, PA
Active TS/SCI
Compensation Range: $150,000 – $175,000

Company Overview:
Cornerstone Defense is the Employer of Choice within the Intelligence, Defense, and Space communities of the U.S. Government.  Realizing early on that our most prized assets are our employees, we continually focus our attention on improving the overall work/life experience they have supporting the mission.  Our Team is pushed every day to use their industry leading knowledge to provide end-to-end solutions to combat our nation’s toughest and most secure problems.  If you are looking for a place to not only be professionally challenged, but encouraged and supported by a company that cares, don’t look any further than Cornerstone Defense.

Job Responsibilities:
• The senior systems engineer will execute multiple aspects of the systems engineering discipline, to include support of software development and test, requirements traceability into software functions, system performance analysis, and system integration and test activities to ensure system requirements achieve validation
• The system engineer will interact with the agile development teams regarding technical considerations, risks, and issue closure associated with the system capabilities and features
• The candidate must also possess the ability to multi-task, adapt to rapidly changing circumstances, effectively network, and communicate to the appropriate levels of the organization and support schedules and delivery milestones
Basic Qualifications:
• Typically requires a bachelor’s degree in science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) and 5 years of prior relevant experience
• Experience defining system requirements for Agile software development and test teams, ensuring verification through acceptance criteria
• Engineering experience within the full systems and/or software engineering lifecycles
• Experience in system requirement creation and decomposition of capabilities into features with acceptance criteria using agile development tools like JIRA, CONFLUENCE, and JAMA
• An active TS/SCI security clearance is required prior to start date.
Preferred Qualifications:
• Familiarity utilizing Cloud environments, tools and utilizing associated processes and procedures
• Systems engineering experience in DoD architecture and service-oriented system architectures development program and platforms
• Experience using Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE),
• Experience in performing Project Management
• Current Certification in Security +
• Experience with Containerized Application, Orchestration and Virtual Environments,
• Experience working in a DevSecOps environment, utilizing associated practices and procedures
• Experience working with RedHat Operating Systems
• Experience with Virus scanning application and execution
• Experience working with NIST 800-53, Privacy Framework and Cybersecurity Framework requirements
Company Benefits:
Cornerstone Defense offers a comprehensive list of benefits, designed to give employees and their families several options to choose from when selecting benefits that best fit their needs.  These offerings include not only a full suite of the traditional Medical/Dental/Vision insurances, but also a number of other benefits and perks to include, but not limited to:  A 401(K) plan with a company match, tuition and training assistances, paid vacation/leave, a fitness reimbursement program, college savings plan, commuter benefits, financial advisory services, flex spending accounts, health savings accounts, STD/LTD coverage, life and AD&D insurance, employee assistance programs, life financial planning assistance, and legal resources.
 

• Location: Annapolis Junction, Maryland
• Type: Contract
• Job #3743

Title: Software Engineer 3
Location: Annapolis Junction, MD
Compensation Range: $215 -$235K
*Clearance: *Active TS/SCI w/ Polygraph needed to apply *

Company Overview:
Cornerstone Defense is the Employer of Choice within the Intelligence, Defense, and Space communities of the U.S. Government.  Realizing early on that our most prized assets are our employees, we continually focus our attention on improving the overall work/life experience they have supporting the mission.  Our Team is pushed every day to use their industry leading knowledge to provide end-to-end solutions to combat our nation’s toughest and most secure problems.  If you are looking for a place to not only be professionally challenged, but encouraged and supported by a company that cares, don’t look any further than Cornerstone Defense.

Benefits Overview:
Cornerstone Defense offers a very comprehensive benefits package including, but not limited to: Medical, Dental and Vision Plans * Generous PTO Policy * 401(k) * HSA and FSA options * Life and Disability Insurance * Tuition Reimbursement and Training * Perks at Work Discount Program * Referral Program * Leads Generation Program * CollegeAmerica 529 * Fitness Reimbursement Program * Travel Assistance * Norton Lifelock Benefit Solutions * Life Planning Financial & Legal Services *

Description:
The Software Engineer develops, maintains, and enhances complex and diverse software systems (e.g., processing-intensive analytics, novel algorithm development, manipulation of extremely large data sets, real-time systems, and business management information systems) based upon documented requirements. Works individually or as part of a team. Reviews and tests software components for adherence to the design requirements and documents test results. Resolves software problem reports. Utilizes software development and software design methodologies appropriate to the development environment. Provides specific input to the software components of system design to include hardware/software trade-offs, software reuse, use of Commercial Off-the-shelf (COTS)/Government Off-the-shelf (GOTS) in place of new development, and requirements analysis and synthesis from system level to individual software components.
Requirements:

• Twelve (12) years’ experience as a SWE in programs and contracts of similar scope, type, and complexity is required.
• Bachelor’s degree in computer science or related discipline from an accredited college or university is required. Four (4) years of additional SWE experience on projects with similar software processes may be substituted for a bachelor’s degree.

Core Tasks:

• Experience programming in Java.
• Proficient in using the Spring Boot framework.
• Experience working with MongoDB is required.
• Familiarity with Kafka for event streaming or messaging.
• Some familiarity with the AWS suite, including ECR, is expected.
• Experience working with RKE (Rancher Kubernetes Engine).

• Location: Sunnyvale, California
• Type: Contract
• Job #3742

Job Title: Systems Engineer
Job Location: Sunnyvale, CA
Clearance: Secret (Top Secret preferred)
Schedule: 9/80 Onsite
Salary: $95K – $120K
Certification Requirement: Current Security+ (CompTIA)

Company Overview:
Cornerstone Defense is the Employer of Choice within the Intelligence, Defense, and Space communities of the U.S. Government.  Realizing early on that our most prized assets are our employees, we continually focus our attention on improving the overall work/life experience they have supporting the mission.  Our Team is pushed every day to use their industry leading knowledge to provide end-to-end solutions to combat our nation’s toughest and most secure problems.  If you are looking for a place to not only be professionally challenged, but encouraged and supported by a company that cares, don’t look any further than Cornerstone Defense.

Overview:
We are seeking an early-career Systems Engineer to join our team supporting secure systems and infrastructure operations in Sunnyvale, CA. This position offers hands-on experience working within a classified environment and is ideal for individuals who have a foundational understanding of systems engineering concepts and are eager to learn and grow under the guidance of experienced professionals. You will support a wide range of technical tasks related to systems, networking, cybersecurity, and mission support infrastructure.

Key Responsibilities:
 

• Assist in the maintenance and troubleshooting of Linux and VxWorks systems
• Provide support for VME-based systems and participate in spacecraft telemetry reviews
• Help configure, deploy, and maintain network switches, routers, firewalls, and threat defense systems under supervision
• Assist with setup and maintenance of TACLANE cryptographic devices, including re-keying and deploying hardware
• Learn and apply Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs) and assist in documenting compliance with Risk Management Framework (RMF) processes
• Support basic network architecture changes, update technical documentation, and participate in design discussions
• Configure and troubleshoot Video Teleconferencing (VTC) systems
• Support broader infrastructure projects, including equipment installation/removal, cable routing (fiber/copper), remote deployments, and desktop/user support
• Gain experience with VMware and virtualized environments

Basic Qualifications:
 

• Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering, Computer Science, IT, or a related field (Master’s preferred)
• 0–2+ years of relevant engineering experience (internships, labs, or co-ops may qualify)
• Active DoD Secret clearance (or ability to obtain; TS eligibility preferred)
• Current Security+ Certification (CompTIA) or ability to obtain within 60 days
• Foundational understanding of networking, operating systems, and cybersecurity principles
• Willingness to learn, follow detailed instructions, and take on technical tasks under close or general supervision

Preferred Qualifications:
 

• Exposure to embedded or real-time systems such as VxWorks
• Hands-on experience from labs, internships, or school projects involving Linux, networking, or system configuration
• Familiarity with STIGs, RMF, or other cybersecurity compliance frameworks
• Experience working in secure environments or DoD programs (even in support roles)

Work Conditions:
 

• Full-time, onsite role in Sunnyvale, CA
• Standard day shift; occasional extended hours based on project needs
• Work may include physical tasks such as equipment setup and cable installation

Company Benefits:
Cornerstone Defense offers a comprehensive list of benefits, designed to give employees and their families several options to choose from when selecting benefits that best fit their needs.  These offerings include not only a full suite of the traditional Medical/Dental/Vision insurances, but also a number of other benefits and perks to include, but not limited to:  A 401(K) plan with a company match, tuition and training assistances, paid vacation/leave, a fitness reimbursement program, college savings plan, commuter benefits, financial advisory services, flex spending accounts, health savings accounts, STD/LTD coverage, life and AD&D insurance, employee assistance programs, life financial planning assistance, and legal resources.
Job Title: Systems Engineer
Job Location: Sunnyvale, CA
Clearance: Secret (Top Secret preferred)
Schedule: 9/80 Onsite
Salary: $95K – $120K
Certification Requirement: Current Security+ (CompTIA)

Company Overview:
Cornerstone Defense is the Employer of Choice within the Intelligence, Defense, and Space communities of the U.S. Government.  Realizing early on that our most prized assets are our employees, we continually focus our attention on improving the overall work/life experience they have supporting the mission.  Our Team is pushed every day to use their industry leading knowledge to provide end-to-end solutions to combat our nation’s toughest and most secure problems.  If you are looking for a place to not only be professionally challenged, but encouraged and supported by a company that cares, don’t look any further than Cornerstone Defense.

Overview:
We are seeking an early-career Systems Engineer to join our team supporting secure systems and infrastructure operations in Sunnyvale, CA. This position offers hands-on experience working within a classified environment and is ideal for individuals who have a foundational understanding of systems engineering concepts and are eager to learn and grow under the guidance of experienced professionals. You will support a wide range of technical tasks related to systems, networking, cybersecurity, and mission support infrastructure.

Key Responsibilities:
 

• Assist in the maintenance and troubleshooting of Linux and VxWorks systems
• Provide support for VME-based systems and participate in spacecraft telemetry reviews
• Help configure, deploy, and maintain network switches, routers, firewalls, and threat defense systems under supervision
• Assist with setup and maintenance of TACLANE cryptographic devices, including re-keying and deploying hardware
• Learn and apply Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs) and assist in documenting compliance with Risk Management Framework (RMF) processes
• Support basic network architecture changes, update technical documentation, and participate in design discussions
• Configure and troubleshoot Video Teleconferencing (VTC) systems
• Support broader infrastructure projects, including equipment installation/removal, cable routing (fiber/copper), remote deployments, and desktop/user support
• Gain experience with VMware and virtualized environments

Basic Qualifications:
 

• Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering, Computer Science, IT, or a related field (Master’s preferred)
• 0–2+ years of relevant engineering experience (internships, labs, or co-ops may qualify)
• Active DoD Secret clearance (or ability to obtain; TS eligibility preferred)
• Current Security+ Certification (CompTIA) or ability to obtain within 60 days
• Foundational understanding of networking, operating systems, and cybersecurity principles
• Willingness to learn, follow detailed instructions, and take on technical tasks under close or general supervision

Preferred Qualifications:
 

• Exposure to embedded or real-time systems such as VxWorks
• Hands-on experience from labs, internships, or school projects involving Linux, networking, or system configuration
• Familiarity with STIGs, RMF, or other cybersecurity compliance frameworks
• Experience working in secure environments or DoD programs (even in support roles)

Work Conditions:
 

• Full-time, onsite role in Sunnyvale, CA
• Standard day shift; occasional extended hours based on project needs
• Work may include physical tasks such as equipment setup and cable installation

Company Benefits:
Cornerstone Defense offers a comprehensive list of benefits, designed to give employees and their families several options to choose from when selecting benefits that best fit their needs.  These offerings include not only a full suite of the traditional Medical/Dental/Vision insurances, but also a number of other benefits and perks to include, but not limited to:  A 401(K) plan with a company match, tuition and training assistances, paid vacation/leave, a fitness reimbursement program, college savings plan, commuter benefits, financial advisory services, flex spending accounts, health savings accounts, STD/LTD coverage, life and AD&D insurance, employee assistance programs, life financial planning assistance, and legal resources.
 

• Location: Chantilly
• Type: Contract
• Job #3740

Program Integrator
*Clearance: *Active TS/SCI w/ Polygraph needed to apply *
Company Overview:
Cornerstone Defense is the Employer of Choice within the Intelligence, Defense, and Space communities of the U.S. Government.  Realizing early on that our most prized assets are our employees, we continually focus our attention on improving the overall work/life experience they have supporting the mission.  Our Team is pushed every day to use their industry leading knowledge to provide end-to-end solutions to combat our nation’s toughest and most secure problems.  If you are looking for a place to not only be professionally challenged, but encouraged and supported by a company that cares, don’t look any further than Cornerstone Defense.

Benefits Overview:
Cornerstone Defense offers a very comprehensive benefits package including, but not limited to: Medical, Dental and Vision Plans * Generous PTO Policy * 401(k) * HSA and FSA options * Life and Disability Insurance * Tuition Reimbursement and Training * Perks at Work Discount Program * Referral Program * Leads Generation Program * CollegeAmerica 529 * Fitness Reimbursement Program * Travel Assistance * Norton Lifelock Benefit Solutions * Life Planning Financial & Legal Services *

Seeking a Project Integrator. This position translates customer intent into multi-year strategies, annual roadmaps, action plans, and requirements. Track program execution across milestones in preparation for decision points. Assigned work includes designing and orchestrating workflows, business rules, processes, and standard operating procedures. Coordinating course scheduling, final training exercise management, role-player coordination and management. 
The position is located in Chantilly, VA.

Qualifications
Required Qualifications:

• Active TS/SCI clearance with polygraph.
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Science, Engineering, or Education or Liberal Arts or (five years of experience providing training or training support with the customer may substitute in lieu of a degree) and (15) years or more of related experience. Masters and (13) years or more experience; PhD or JD and (10) years or more experience.
• Five years (5) years of experience business process and tracking program execution.  
• Demonstrated experience reading, interpreting, communicating, and presenting complex information.
• Demonstrated experience interacting with customers, partners, colleagues, and senior management.
• Demonstrated experience listening well and resolving issues identified by stakeholders.