Senior Distributed Systems Engineer - Unified Data Gateway

Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc. (SPA) delivers high-impact, technical solutions to complex national security issues. With over 50 years of business expertise and consistent growth, we are known for continuous innovation for our government customers, in both the US and abroad. Our exceptionally talented team is highly collaborative in spirit and practice, producing Results that Matter. Come work with the best! We offer opportunity, unique challenges, and clear-sighted commitment to the mission. SPA: Objective. Responsive. Trusted.

The Space and Intelligence Division provides professional services to the US Space Force, Combatant Commands, Intelligence Community, and NASA. Our work includes enterprise architectural assessments, systems engineering and integration, test, planning and execution, cost estimating and analysis, acquisition support, and cybersecurity. We are trusted partners developing approaches and concepts to meet emerging high priority needs, assessing cutting-edge technologies, and supporting capabilities for our National Defense. Come join the fastest growing Division at Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc.!

The Space Systems Group (SSG), part of SPA's Space and Intelligence Division, provides timely and objective assessments and recommendations integrating technical, operational, programmatic, policy and business analysis. We focus on our key clients in the Space community including the US Space Force's Space Systems Command (USSF/SSC), one of the three designated Field Commands under USSF. We work tirelessly to provide integrated solutions based on information and communications throughout the chain of command. We provide clear and consistent analysis and recommendations which are aligned to strategic and leadership goals while balancing the ability to execute on time and on budget within the technical communities. Come join an organization responsible for being a key enabler of Spacepower!

SPA has a immediate need for a Senior Distributed Systems Engineer - Unified Data Gateway.

SPA is seeking a Senior Distributed Systems Engineer to help design and build a Unified Data Gateway (UDG) that enables secure, scalable data exchange across mission platforms, cloud environments, and edge systems. The Unified Data Gateway serves as a core data integration layer, enabling real-time ingestion, transformation, and distribution of mission data across distributed systems. The gateway bridges client applications, event streaming infrastructure, and downstream data platforms through modern event-driven architectures. This role focuses on building high-performance Golang services that provide protocol gateways, data ingestion pipelines, and integrations with distributed messaging systems. The successful candidate will work closely with platform engineers, data engineers, and system architects to build reliable and secure data exchange services capable of operating in mission-critical environments. You are an experienced distributed systems engineer who is comfortable building cloud-native services, event-driven architectures, and high-throughput data pipelines that operate at scale.

Key responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

• Unified Data Gateway Development. Design and implement Golang-based services that enable secure ingestion, transformation, and routing of data between external systems and the platform's event backbone.
• Distributed Messaging Integration. Develop integrations with event streaming platforms and distributed messaging systems to support scalable real-time data pipelines and event-driven workflows.
• Protocol Gateway Development. Build and maintain protocol bridge services that expose platform capabilities through modern communication protocols such as gRPC, WebSocket, and HTTP-based APIs.
• Event Routing and Data Streaming Architecture. Design scalable routing strategies for streaming data across multiple consumers, ensuring reliable event distribution and high throughput.
• Secure Data Exchange. Implement authentication, encryption, and service identity mechanisms to ensure secure communication between gateway services, client systems, and platform infrastructure.
• Platform Integration. Work closely with platform engineering teams to deploy and operate gateway services within containerized environments and Kubernetes-based infrastructure.
• Reliability and Performance Optimization. Improve system reliability, latency, and throughput through performance optimization, fault tolerance strategies, and distributed systems design best practices.
• Observability and Operational Visibility. Implement monitoring, logging, and distributed tracing to provide visibility into data flows, service health, and operational performance.

This is a hybrid position. You will be expected to work on-site 1-2 days per week either in Colorado Springs, CO or El Segundo, CA due to the fast pace, quick-turn nature of the job and the persistent need to access secure networks. Thus, residing in comfortable driving distance of either location should be considered.

About the Must Haves

• US Citizen and current active DoD Secret clearance
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related Engineering discipline
• Minimum 8 years of progressive experience developing software or distributed systems in cloud-native or platform environments
• Possession of DoD 8570/8140-compliant IAT Level II security certification
• Strong development experience in Golang, including building backend services or microservices
• Experience designing and implementing distributed services or APIs using modern protocols such as REST, gRPC, or WebSockets
• Experience working with event streaming or messaging systems such as NATS, Kafka, RabbitMQ, or similar distributed messaging platforms
• Experience building and deploying applications within Kubernetes-based environments
• Experience developing containerized services using Docker or similar container technologies
• Experience building or supporting data ingestion pipelines, ETL workflows, or real-time streaming data architectures
• Experience implementing secure service communication, including TLS, service authentication, and API security practices
• Experience integrating distributed systems with data pipelines, event backbones, or downstream data processing platforms
• Familiarity with cloud-native development practices, including CI/CD pipelines and Git-based workflows
• Experience implementing observability and operational monitoring, including metrics, logging, and tracing for distributed services
• Ability to design and build high-performance, reliable services capable of operating in large-scale distributed environments
• Ability to report to designated work location in either Colorado Springs or El Segundo, based on the needs of the customer

At SPA, we strive to deliver a robust total compensation package that will attract and retain top talent. Elements of the compensation package include competitive base pay and variable compensation opportunities.

SPA provides eligible employees with an opportunity to enroll in a variety of benefit programs, generally including health insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, retirement savings plans, life and disability insurance programs, and a number of programs that provide for both paid and unpaid time away from work. The specific programs and options available to any given employee may vary depending on eligibility factors such as geographic location, date of hire, etc.

Please note that the salary information shown below is a general guideline only. Salaries are commensurate with experience and qualifications, as well as market and business considerations. Pay Transparency Range: 140k - 185k