Staff Software Engineer

At Esper, we’re on a mission to empower dynamic and responsive policymaking in government. We’re building the platform that connects existing data, stakeholders, and public policy goals into a single dynamic system, transforming bureaucracy into infrastructure  that encourages innovation and collaboration. As a fast-growing GovTech company, Esper is at the intersection of two powerful forces: the modernization of government operations and the transformative potential of data-driven decision-making. Our customer base is expanding rapidly, and we’re building the team that will define how public policy is shaped for decades to come.

What You'll Do Esper is looking for an experienced Staff Software Engineer to join our team and take technical ownership of significant areas of our platform. This is a senior individual contributor role without direct reports. Because Esper's customers include state, local, and federal government agencies, the reliability, security, and compliance posture of our platform is central to the business.

As a senior member of the engineering team, you'll make a direct impact through:

Designing, building, and operating core services and product features end to end, from data model through API to the systems that run them in production

Setting technical direction and roadmap for your areas in partnership with engineering leadership

Participating fully in product development, working with product and design from an ambiguous problem statement through to a shipped feature

Modeling the domain our customers work in — the entities, relationships, roles, and processes that make up a government agency and its work — and evolving that model as the product grows

Providing technical mentorship and design review to other engineers

Skills and Experience 8+ years of software engineering experience

Strong programming skills in a language such as Java, Python, Go, or Rust, and willingness to work primarily in Java

Experience owning services in production, including their data stores, deployment, and observability

Experience with distributed systems and asynchronous or long-running workflows

Experience with domain and data modeling, and the judgment to know when a model needs to change

Experience building production software on AWS or a comparable cloud provider

Familiarity with Docker and infrastructure as code such as Terraform

Genuine interest in the product, not just the systems underneath it

Strong communication skills — you will be working closely with all of engineering, as well as with product, design, auditors, and customer security teams

Ability to write clear, detailed technical documentation

Bonus Points Experience shipping LLM-backed or agentic features to production users

Hands-on experience with agent frameworks such as Strands Agents, the Vercel AI SDK, LangChain4j, Spring AI, LangGraph, Pydantic AI, or the OpenAI Agents SDK

Experience with workflow orchestration platforms such as Temporal, Cadence, or Step Functions

Experience with Amazon Bedrock or AgentCore, or with deploying agents into a managed runtime

Experience building evaluation, tracing, or quality monitoring tooling for LLM systems

Experience with ontology modeling or knowledge graphs

Experience with Kubernetes, GitOps pipelines, and cloud architecture best practices

Experience implementing technical controls for SOC 2, ISO 27001, or a comparable framework, including direct participation in audits

Experience taking a product through a FedRAMP or StateRAMP authorization

Experience at a govtech or other compliance-driven organization

Perks and Benefits Being a part of an innovative and collaborative team that will both support and challenge you

Significant opportunity for growth and ownership

Ability to shape Esper for the long-term

Paid holidays & unlimited PTO

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Generous parental & sick leave

401(k) retirement plan with employer match

Short/Long term disability & life insurance

Flexible spending account (FSA)

Work anniversary equity grants

Quarterly bonuses

Monthly stipend to offset remote work expenses

Office equipment allowance

Paid Time Off to participate in volunteer/community events