Principal Software Engineer – Focus Digital is hiring Software Engineers to work on projects that make a real difference in how people interact with government services. We're currently staffing for our Online Passport Renewal and Minnesota Paid Family Leave projects.
About Focus
Focus is a digital services firm dedicated to delivering on projects with impact in the civic tech space. We transform outdated government systems into modern, efficient solutions that deliver better outcomes for citizens.
Our team partners with federal and state agencies to modernize systems and improve user experiences. We've worked with agencies such as the Department of State, IRS and Grants.gov to streamline workflows and enhance accessibility. As a growing team, we're always looking for talented professionals who want to help shape the future of government digital services.
At Focus Digital, we believe in doing impactful work while maintaining a healthy work-life balance. We encourage our team to log off at the end of the day, take time off when needed, and bring their best selves to work.
We're also intentional about staying on the cutting edge of our tooling and practices — from our development environments to how we bake AI into our day-to-day workflows. We want our engineers spending their time on hard problems, not fighting their tools.
We are a fully remote company, and all employees must be based in the continental U.S. Some projects may require occasional travel, approximately 1-2 times per year.
What Software Engineers Do at Focus Digital
Develop and maintain API endpoints and business logic
Update and optimize database models through code
Build and improve data processing jobs to support API operations
Develop new UI features that interact with APIs
Write and maintain automated tests to keep our codebase reliable as it grows
Review code and provide constructive feedback through pull requests
Write and review technical specifications for upcoming development tasks
Make minor cloud infrastructure updates using Terraform
Maintain documentation and contribute to the team's knowledge base
Participate in agile team meetings, including sprint planning, standups, and retrospectives
Required Skills
Professional experience developing cloud-based applications
Hands-on experience working with PostgreSQL databases
Familiarity with end-to-end testing frameworks and strategies
Experience working on cross-functional teams (including engineers, designers, and product owners) in an agile environment
Proven ability to define, maintain, and coordinate API contracts that span multiple teams
Strong architecture skills with a track record of designing scalable, maintainable systems
Other requirements
All roles at Focus Digital require the following:
Legal authorization to work in the United States
Ability to meet any other requirements for government contracts for which candidates are hired
Work authorization that doesn’t require visa sponsorship, now or in the future
May be subject to a government background check or security clearance, depending on the contract