Senior Backend Engineer

The Role
GovExec is seeking a Senior Backend Engineer to help build and enhance our GovTribe product. In this role, you will focus on architecting and optimizing the product’s backend systems, with an emphasis on ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) processes, web scraping, data engineering, and building new Laravel models, collections, and Eloquent relationships. Your expertise in PHP (Laravel) will be critical to designing and maintaining robust APIs and data pipelines that power our front-end (Vue.js) applications.

The ideal candidate has extensive experience with backend services, data processing, and analytics. You’ll collaborate with cross-functional teams—including front-end engineers, product managers, and leadership—to deliver solutions that facilitate smooth data flows, high performance, and reliable system operations.

Responsibilities:

Data Pipeline & ETL

• Design, build, and optimize ETL workflows for large-scale data ingestion and transformation.
• Work with diverse data formats and sources to ensure data consistency and quality for downstream consumption.

Web Scraping & Automation

• Architect and implement web scraping solutions to collect high-volume, real-time data from external sources.
• Monitor and maintain scraping scripts to handle edge cases, changes in source sites, and performance bottlenecks.

API & Laravel Model Development

• Develop and maintain RESTful APIs using PHP (Laravel), ensuring reliability, scalability, and security.
• Create and optimize new models, collections, and Eloquent relationships in Laravel to efficiently manage data and improve query performance.
• Collaborate with front-end teams (Vue.js) to align on API structures and data contracts.

Data Engineering

• Design and manage database schemas and queries for MongoDB and Elasticsearch, optimizing for performance and efficiency.
• Implement best practices for data storage, retrieval, indexing, and search functionalities.

Performance & Scalability

• Monitor system performance, implement caching strategies, and proactively identify bottlenecks.
• Ensure code quality through comprehensive testing, peer reviews, and robust error handling.

Collaboration & Innovation

• Work closely with product managers, customer success managers, and leadership to define requirements and refine backlog priorities.
• Propose and explore new tools, frameworks, or methodologies to improve data ingestion, processing, and overall system reliability.

Sprint Involvement & Deployment

• Participate in agile ceremonies—refining feature requests, sprint planning, code reviews, and retrospectives.
• Deploy new releases of GovTribe, ensuring minimal downtime and smooth rollouts.

Qualifications:

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field; or equivalent professional experience.
• 5 years of full-time software development experience, with a strong focus on backend engineering.

Technical Skills

• Proven expertise in PHP with frameworks like Laravel, including building RESTful APIs.
• Proven expertise in creating and optimizing new models, collections, and Eloquent relationships in Laravel.
• Proven expertise with ETL processes, web scraping, and data engineering.
• Proven expertise of MongoDB and Elasticsearch for data storage and indexing.
• Expertise in query optimization, management of large datasets, and system performance improvement.

Soft Skills & Collaboration

• Excellent communication skills to explain technical solutions and coordinate with non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience working in an agile environment, with a proven ability to meet sprint deadlines and deliver high-quality features.
• A passion for problem-solving, innovation, and finding creative ways to handle large-scale data challenges.

About GovExec:

GovExec’s data and insights set the standard for depth, accuracy, and impact for government leaders and contractors. As the market-leading information and intent-based marketing platform, for over fifty years GovExec has empowered the government ecosystem to engage and support government leaders as they work to achieve their missions across federal, defense, and state and local agencies. Our strategic sales enablement and intent-based marketing solutions accelerate revenue growth to fuel market success. The platform is powered by the largest and most sophisticated database in the public sector, GovExec’s platform reaches 3.3 million government influencers each month and provides its marketing clients with a significant competitive advantage in driving higher conversion and growth.

Working at GovExec

At GovExec, we believe that a new era of work -- particularly when, where, and how it gets done -- has arrived. We are building a hybrid workplace that allows for greater freedom and flexibility while also fostering a collaborative culture, no matter where you are working. GovExec offers permanent remote work in 20 states across the US, as well as the option to work out of one of our offices based in Washington DC, New York or Connecticut. GovExec also offers a range of great benefits including:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance plans
• 401(k) retirement plan with company match
• Open time off policy
• Twelve weeks paid parental leave
• Supportive, collaborative teams
• Unique opportunity to help government officials from a private sector company
• Expansive learning and development opportunities

 Commitment to Shared Values

GovExec recruits talent for four salient attributes or qualities:

• Soul of Entrepreneurship
• Culture of Inclusion
• Force of Ideas
• Spirit of Generosity

 The compensation range for this role is $140,000 to $167,000 per year. 

Government Executive Media Group, Inc. and its affiliates ("GovExec") are Equal Opportunity Employers. We do not discriminate against our applicants because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other status protected by applicable law.

Salary : $140,000 - $167,000