Awetomaton is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to help build and evolve backend services for a mission-critical platform serving existing customers at WPAFB. In this role, you will design and build Go-based microservices that power core platform capabilities and data pipelines. You'll work alongside a blended team of engineers, data specialists, and mission SMEs, with the autonomy to shape service architecture and the technical culture of a growing program. Active Top Secret clearance is strongly preferred; we offer clearance sponsorship for exceptional candidates who do not currently hold one. Desired start date for selected candidate is late July – August 2026. Criteria for success - Design, build, and operate high-throughput Go microservices supporting core platform capabilities and data pipelines - Communicate clearly with both engineering peers and mission stakeholders, translating requirements into resilient, well-tested services - Champion clean API design, code review discipline, and automated testing across the service portfolio - Balance delivery of new platform capabilities while maintaining the reliability, performance, and observability of services already in production - Bring curiosity and initiative to an evolving data model, comfortable operating with ambiguity as mission requirements mature Required Experience and Skills - B.S. in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field, or equivalent professional experience - 8+ years of professional software engineering experience, including 3+ years building production backend services in Go - Demonstrated experience designing and implementing RESTful and/or gRPC APIs for distributed systems - Hands-on experience with containerized deployments (Docker) and orchestration platforms (Kubernetes/EKS) - Experience with relational (Postgres) and non-relational (Elasticsearch / Opensearch) data stores, including schema design for high-volume data ingestion - Working knowledge of CI/CD pipelines and GitOps practices (GitLab CI, ArgoCD, or similar) - Strong grasp of concurrent programming patterns, unit/integration testing, and performance profiling in Go - U.S. citizenship is required; sponsorship for clearance processing is available for highly qualified candidates. Desired Education and Experience - Prior experience supporting DoW or IC programs - Experience with data processing or streaming architectures (Argo Workflow, Airflow, Numaflow, or similar) - Familiarity with infrastructure-as-code and service-layer abstraction tooling (Terraform, Crossplane) - Active Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility strongly preferred About Awetomaton We build software that enables humans to make informed decisions from raw intel data, with a specialization in satellite collection. We are a Dayton-based defense startup that believes there is a critical skill & culture gap - one we are filling with high-output, mission focused engineering talent. Results matter to our customers. We've never lost a customer because we deliver what they need. Awetomaton is where you do work that matters with a passionate team in an environment that inspires your creativity. Benefits We provide industry leading benefits that balance your health & wellbeing today, as well as lay a solid financial future into retirement. Highlights of our benefit plan include: - Flexible time off totaling 36 days / year. No approvals required. - 100% 401k company match up to IRS annual limits. This is a benefit of up to $24,500 for 2026. - Health plan through Blue Cross Blue Shield with Health Savings Account (HSA). We pay 95% of employee premiums including family plans. - Employee favorite: Tech and Wellness reimbursement of $3000 / year. Treat yourself with the newest gadgets or athletic gear. No approvals required. - Annual profit sharing as 401k contribution. No set percent and dependent on annual company performance. Benefit is above and beyond 401k match. - MacBook laptop and well-equipped office spaces for optimal productivity in office and on-the-go.