Federal Backend Engineer
Horizon3 AI· startup· Cybersecurity· May 28, 2026 · 5mo agoPosted 152 days ago
United States
Remote
Full-time
Mid
$144K–$195K est.
7+ years exp
Before you apply
Ghost Signal:
Open since May 28, 2026 — 152 days, and still accepting applications.
Job description
Get to Know Us
Horizon3 horizon3.ai is a fast-growing, remote cybersecurity company dedicated to the mission of enabling organizations to proactively find, fix and verify exploitable attack vectors before criminals exploit them. Our flagship product, the NodeZeroTM platform, delivers production-safe autonomous pentests and other key assessment operations that scale across the largest internal, external, cloud, and hybrid cloud environments. NodeZero has been adopted by organizations of all sizes, from small educational institutions to government agencies and Global 100 enterprises. It is used by IT Ops/SecOps teams, consulting pentesters, and MSSPs and MSPs.
We are a fusion of former U.S. Special Operations cyber operators, startup engineers & operators, and formerly frustrated cybersecurity practitioners. We're committed to helping solve our common security problems: ineffective security tools and false positives, resulting in alert fatigue, blind spots, "checkbox” security culture, cybersecurity skills shortage, and the long lead time and expense of hiring outside consultants. Collectively, we are a team of learn-it-alls, committed to a culture of respect, collaboration, ownership, and results.
What You’ll Do
The Federal - Senior Backend Engineer will be joining one of our world-class software engineering teams, and will be a key contributor to both user-facing product launches as well as platform enhancements and stability. Employee must be eligible for and successfully secure a US Federal Security Clearance as a condition of employment. *This job description covers roles available across multiple teams. During the interview process, we’ll work with you to determine the best team fit based on your experience, interests, and career goals.
Responsibilities:
- Develop core product features in ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) and GraphQL to support data processing and retrieval.
- Design and implement backend APIs in GraphQL to facilitate data interactions between different components of the product.
- Build and maintain ETL pipelines for efficient data processing and analytics.
- Collaborate with frontend team members to present data in a clear and user-friendly format, enhancing the product's user experience.
What You’ll Bring
- Ability to own and manage concurrent initiatives, demonstrating effective judgment in prioritization and time management.
- Driven, self-managed, capable of conceiving and implementing solutions on your own and with a team
- A strong desire to continuously improve and learn new technologies in a fast-paced Agile development environment
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, effective communication, attention to detail and high-quality work
- Strong technical documentation ability to support the development process.
- Effective communication and collaboration with designers, developers, and product managers.
- Ability and interest in mentoring junior and mid-level engineers to foster their growth and development.
Required Education / Experience:
- Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering or related field.
- 7+ yrs professional software engineering experience using modern object-oriented or functional languages (Python, Java, Go, Scala, C++, TypeScript, etc).
- Experience building applications on cloud computing platforms such as AWS, Azure, GCP, using container technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes.
- Experience building and troubleshooting capabilities in Federally compliant systems such as FedRAMP, IL4/5/6, and other Classified workloads.
- Expert proficiency in SQL.
- Current Top Secret security clearance or eligibility to gain/maintain a Top Secret clearance.
Preferred Education/Experience:
- Experience with various database architectures including relational (PostgreSQL) and graph (Neo4j).
- Experience building GraphQL backends.
- Experience managing and maintaining production infrastructure.
- Experience building platform capabilities for internal teams.
- Experience using AI-enabled development tools
Travel Required
We are a fully remote company with a strong preference for candidates located in the
Baltimore, MD / Washington DC area. This job may require up to 5% of travel to be successful.
Compensation and Values
At Horizon3, we believe that our people are our greatest asset, and our compensation philosophy reflects this core value. We are committed to fostering an environment where all employees feel valued, respected, and rewarded for their contributions. Our compensation structure is designed to be fair, competitive, and transparent, ensuring that every team member is recognized and compensated equitably across roles, levels, and locations.
In accordance with various State’s transparency regulations, we provide the following salary range information for this position:
- Base salary range: The exact salary will be determined based on the selected candidate’s location, qualifications, experience, and relevant skills.
- Additional compensation: All full-time roles are eligible for an equity package in the form of stock options.
Perks of horizon3.aihorizon3 horizon3.ai
- Inclusive Team: We value diversity and promote an inclusive culture where everyone can thrive.
- Growth Opportunities: Be part of a dynamic and growing team with numerous career development opportunities.
- Innovative Culture: Work in a collaborative environment that encourages creativity and out-of-the-box thinking.
- Remote Work: We are a 100% remote company. Enjoy the flexibility to work in the way that supports you and brings out your best.
- Competitive Compensation: We offer competitive salary, equity and benefits. Our benefits include health, vision & dental insurance for you and your family, a flexible vacation policy, and generous parental leave.
You Belong Here
Horizon3 is not just an equal opportunity employer - we are a community that values diversity, equity, and inclusion as fundamental principles of our culture and success. We are dedicated to fostering a workplace where everyone feels welcome and respected, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, hair length or any other legally protected status by law.
Our commitment to diversity and inclusion means we strive to attract, develop, and retain a workforce that reflects the varied communities we serve. We believe that diverse perspectives drive innovation and strengthen our ability to create cutting-edge cybersecurity solutions. At Horizon3, every team member is valued and supported in an environment that encourages personal and professional growth.
We welcome candidates from all backgrounds and experiences, and we encourage all qualified individuals to apply. Come be a part of Horizon3, where your unique contributions are recognized, and your potential is limitless.
Other Duties
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
Application Note
In any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.
Application prep
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Keywords to mirror
aigraphqlagilepythonjavagotypescriptawsazuregcpdockerkubernetessql
- Platform
- ashby
- Effort
- quick
Benefits
Benefits detected in the listing.
Dental
Vision
Parental Leave