Software Engineer, Public Sector - New Grad
The Software Engineer, Public Sector - New Grad at Confidential Client will develop and maintain core AI systems and data processing pipelines that support critical federal decision-making environments. This role involves building secure, scalable full-stack applications and collaborating directly with government stakeholders to deliver impactful, mission-critical features from day one. The position offers hands-on experience with cutting-edge AI technologies and government data infrastructure in a high-stakes, evolving domain.
About Careertakes
👉 Important disclosure: Careertakes is a third-party recruiting platform supporting this hiring process. If selected, you will be employed directly by our client, Software Development.
Applicants for this role may also receive access to additional matched opportunities through the Careertakes platform.
About the role
Confidential Client is hiring a New Grad Software Engineer (Public Sector) to join a mission-focused engineering team in San Francisco, CA. You will ship production software that enables AI systems to operate safely and reliably in high-stakes government environments. This role gives new graduates ownership of end-to-end product work, close collaboration with stakeholders, and fast iteration on real-world problems.
What You’ll Do
- Build full-stack features and services that process and make large federal datasets usable for AI agents.
- Implement multi-layered safety and guardrail systems for agent behavior in sensitive environments.
- Design and optimize data retrieval (including RAG-style pipelines) across heterogeneous sources.
- Develop orchestration and monitoring for fleets of asynchronous agents executing long-horizon tasks.
- Ship tooling for analysts and operators to query, visualize, and audit agent decisions.
- Harden and deploy applications into secure, air-gapped, and cloud-native government environments.
- Work directly with government stakeholders to collect feedback and iterate on product requirements.
Minimum Qualifications
- Graduation date in Fall 2026 or Spring 2027 with a Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in Computer Science, EECS, Computer Engineering, Statistics, or related field.
- Product engineering experience: building web apps or services end-to-end, integrating APIs, and shipping features.
- Prior Product or Software Engineering internship experience.
- Experience building systems that handle large volumes of data.
- Proficiency with Python and familiarity with Typescript/React and MongoDB (or similar stacks).
- Strong written and verbal communication — able to explain technical topics to non-technical stakeholders.
- Comfortable working in ambiguous domains and learning quickly.
Nice to Have
- Hands-on experience with LLMs, evaluations, or agentic systems (internships, research, or side projects).
- Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP), Docker, and Kubernetes.
- Experience with ETL, data modeling, data warehousing, or data governance.
- Interest or prior exposure to national security, defense, or civil government technology.
- Open-source contributions or a portfolio of shipped side projects.
Compensation & Benefits (San Francisco, CA)
- Base salary range (San Francisco): $124,000—$162,000 USD.
- Eligible roles may also include equity and benefits such as comprehensive health, dental, vision, retirement plans, learning & development stipend, generous PTO, and potential commuter stipends.
- Final compensation will be determined based on location, experience, skills, and interview performance.
How We Work / Team Values
- Earn Customer Love — deliver work that builds trust with every interaction.
- Team Flow — share ideas and support across teams; optimize for the whole.
- Quality is Our Cheat Code — invest in systems that create consistent quality.
- Find the 20% — focus effort on the inputs that drive outcomes.
- Write the Market — use research to lead partners to the frontier.
- Three Moves Ahead — plan with future consequences in mind.
Location & Legal Notes
- This role is based in San Francisco, CA. Candidates should be eligible to work in the United States; some projects may require additional background checks or the ability to obtain required clearances for work in secure government environments.
- Reasonable accommodations are available for applicants with disabilities; please request accommodations during the hiring process.
Equal Opportunity & Hiring Transparency
Careertakes and our client are Equal Opportunity Employers committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We prohibit discrimination or harassment of any kind. To support a fair and efficient hiring process, AI tools may be used to assist with application review or resume screening. These tools do not replace human decision-making. Final hiring decisions are made by people.
If you have questions about how your data is used, please contact us directly.
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