Software Engineer

Join Our Talented Team at Protagonist

We fuse rigorous, methodologically sound analysis with our cutting-edge technology platform, Narrative Analytics®. This powerful combination enables us to quantitatively analyze open-source media, deliver strategic recommendations, and craft executive-level communication strategies for clients with missions that matter.

Why Us?

Our team is a vibrant mix of communication specialists, data scientists, and subject matter experts with extensive experience across U.S. Government agencies, non-profit organizations, and Fortune 500 companies. By joining Protagonist, you’ll immerse yourself in a collaborative environment where innovation thrives, and your contributions truly matter.

What We Do

• Innovative Solutions: We co-develop cutting-edge solutions with our clients to address tough communication problems and capitalize on opportunities to make a tangible impact.
• Data-Driven Insights: Our tools and methodologies provide actionable insights that help clients meet their communication objectives and stay ahead of global challenges.
• Applied Expertise: We integrate our solutions within client organizations, leveraging our profound expertise to address critical issues and ensure sustainable success.

Be Part of Something Bigger

At Protagonist, you’ll work on compelling projects that make a real difference. We seek talented individuals eager to contribute to our mission and grow alongside us. If you’re passionate about communication, data analysis, and making an impact, we invite you to explore a career with Protagonist.

Explore Your Future with Us!

Ready to take the next step in your career? Join us at Protagonist and be part of a team that's making a difference.

Job Description

We're seeking a talented Software Engineer to join our Washington, DC-based team. In this role, you’ll collaborate with data scientists, analysts, and engineers to build, optimize, and scale our Narrative Analytics® platform, which helps clients make informed, strategic decisions.

Responsibilities

• Build and Scale
• Contribute to the development of core features of our Narrative Analytics® platform using Python, React, and related tools
• Build robust backend services and APIs, and implement frontend functionality as needed
• Help design, build, and scale infrastructure components on AWS
• Work with Kubernetes and containerized workloads to support microservice deployments
• Integrate data processing pipelines and support analytics features such as NLP and search
• Collaborate and Grow
• Collaborate with senior engineers and data scientists to bring research prototypes into production
• Participate in code reviews and uphold high standards of software quality
• Work closely with senior team members to learn architectural design and system tradeoffs
• Contribute to technical discussions and engineering planning processes
• Participate in Agile development cycles, sprint planning, and standups
• Seek and incorporate feedback from peers and mentors to grow your technical skill set

Requirements

• Must meet applicable U.S. Government contract eligibility requirements, including any citizenship or security clearance requirements associated with assigned work
• Must be eligible to obtain a US Government security clearance
• BS in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field
• 3+ years of experience in professional software engineering roles
• Strong experience with Python in production environments
• Experience building modern web applications (React, TypeScript preferred)
• Familiarity with cloud environments, particularly AWS
• Experience with PostgreSQL or similar relational databases
• Passion for writing clean, maintainable code and learning from peers

Ideal Candidates

• Experience with Elasticsearch or similar analytics/search engines
• Exposure to machine learning and NLP concepts or pipelines
• Familiarity with Agile/Scrum development processes
• Interest in working with large-scale data and distributed systems

Location & Work Arrangement

This position is based in our Washington, DC office with a hybrid work arrangement. We value in-person collaboration and team building, so we expect regular office presence, while offering flexibility for remote work. Our collaborative environment thrives when we can work together in person, particularly for technical discussions, and architectural planning.

Join Us

If you’re passionate about technology and making an impact, apply today! Protagonist is dedicated to fostering a welcoming and innovative environment where everyone’s voice can make a difference.

Protagonist is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Salary Range: $85,000 - $111,000 based on education and level of relevant experience.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.