Overview:
Draper is an independent, nonprofit research and development company headquartered in Cambridge, MA. The 2,000+ employees of Draper tackle important national challenges with a promise of delivering successful and usable solutions. From military defense and space exploration to biomedical engineering, lives often depend on the solutions we provide. Our multidisciplinary teams of engineers and scientists work in a collaborative environment that inspires the cross-fertilization of ideas necessary for true innovation. For more information about Draper, visit www.draper.com .
Job Description Summary:
Location
South Tampa, FL – Hybrid (3 days on‑site, 2 days remote).
About Draper
Draper’s Full‑Stack Group builds mission‑critical web applications for military, government, and commercial customers. We operate like an incubator, giving engineers space to experiment, iterate, and deliver software that protects lives and advances the national interest.
Why It Matters
As a mid-level engineer, you’ll get hands‑on experience building software that powers national‑security missions. Working under senior mentors, you’ll rapidly grow technical depth while contributing code that goes live in real customer environments.
Core Responsibilities
- Develop features and fix bugs under guidance of senior staff using React + TypeScript and a back‑end language (Node.js/Python).
- Write unit and integration tests; adopt test‑driven development practices.
- Participate in daily stand‑ups, sprint planning, and retrospectives.
- Review code with peers, absorb architectural guidance, and gradually own small components or services.
- Support deployment pipelines and monitor production health (logs, alerts).
Required Qualifications
- 2‑4 years professional full‑stack development (or 3+ years strong personal/project experience).
- Ability to obtain an Active Secret clearance (existing Secret clearance preferred).
- Working knowledge of JavaScript/TypeScript, React basics, and a server‑side language (Node.js, Python, or Java).
- Familiarity with Git and issue‑tracking tools (Jira, GitLab, etc.).
- BA/BS in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
Preferred Qualifications
- Exposure to Docker containers and simple `docker‑compose` workflows.
- Experience with a cloud platform (AWS, GCP, Azure) through projects or labs.
- Understanding of RESTful APIs and basic authentication (OAuth).
- Demonstrated curiosity: open‑source contributions, hackathon projects, or a technical blog.
About You
- Insatiable appetite to learn new technologies and share knowledge.
- Comfortable navigating ambiguity and forging clear paths to success.
- Passionate about building products you’d proudly use yourself.
- Thrives in a team that pushes each other to excel daily.
The description below provides further information on Draper's view of its mid-level (MTS-2) staff members.
Job Description:
Duties/Responsibilities
• Independently execute task assignments under the some oversight of program leadership and/or senior staff.
• Designs algorithms using modern theory and proven techniques, adheres to software best practices.
• Analyzes designs to demonstrate performance and functionality.
• Develops and executes software tests to check compliance with requirements.
• Prepares technical data, procedures, reports, drawings, manuals, and other required documentation.
• Communicates with customers and stakeholders to establish requirements and describe the design and deliverables.
• Identify challenges and risks associated with assigned tasks and communicate them to project leadership.
• Drives solutions to complex problems with limited direction - contribute to requirements development, propose unique solutions, and adapt appropriately to changes in requirements.
• Provides insight and suggest adaptations or modifications to processes and/or applications based on quantitative data or results.
• Identifies project technical risks and mitigation…