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.