Senior Software Engineer (Developer) Client: Department of Defence (SA), on behalf of the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) RFQ ID: LH-05922 Estimated Start Date: August 2026 Initial Contract Duration: 12 months Extension Term: 12 months (up to 2 extensions) Experience Level: EL1 Location of Work: ACT Work arrangements: Hybrid Between 7am and 7pm Monday to Friday. Not including public holidays or shutdown periods. The candidate MUST be an Australian Citizen. Candidates must be willing to undergo ASD's Organisational Suitability Assessment (OSA) prior to engagement. Candidates must have an active Top Secret Positive Vetting (TSPV) Security Clearance. ASD will not sponsor candidates to upgrade their security clearances in order to apply for the role. Security Clearance: Positive Vetting Suitable candidates will be required to complete ASD's Organisational Suitability Assessment (OSA) prior to commencement. A merit pool will be created as part of this evaluation for future requirements. Further information on the OSA is available at: https://www.asd.gov.au/careers/how-apply/candidate-information Maximum Hours: Up to 40 hours per week About the Organisation The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) is a statutory agency in the Defence portfolio that defends Australia against global threats and advances our national interests through the provision of foreign signals intelligence, cyber security and offensive cyber operations as directed by the Australian Government. Job details Software Engineers have experience overseeing software development projects, writing optimised code, and provide technical leadership to a team of software engineers. They are responsible for the quality and functionality of the software produced by their team. Key duties and responsibilities ASD requires an EL1 equivalent Software Engineer (Developer) to deliver effective capability solutions. The Software Developer will be accountable under broad direction to interpret specifications and technical designs to build, maintain and modify, adapt data for software applications, write and execute tests, and write and maintain technical documentation. Job duties and responsibilities The Specified Person will be able to demonstrate attributes of SFIA Level of Responsibility 5 (LOR5). The preferred skills and knowledge include but not limited to: Experience with ASD tools and systems Experience in the Cyber Security Competence in Java software development Competence in Python scripting Experience with C++ Experience in developing and deploying software within Linux/UNIX environment Competence and experience in data manipulation and conversion Experience with SQL Experience with Cloudera Experience with Apache airflow Experience with Splunk Experience with Azure Experience in Linux/Windows administration Experience with OpenSearch and Elastic Experience with Atlassian suite Experience with Cloud administration UX and UI design experience Criteria The buyer has specified that each candidate must provide a response to each criterion. Each response is limited to 3000 characters. Essential criteria Programming/software development level 5 Takes technical responsibility across all stages and iterations of software development. Plans and drives software construction activities. Adopts and adapts appropriate software development methods, tools and techniques. Measures and monitors applications of project/team standards for software construction, including software security. Contributes to the development of organisational policies, standards, and guidelines for software development. Software design level 4 Designs complex software applications, components and modules. Uses appropriate modelling techniques following agreed software design standards, guidelines, patterns and methodology. Creates and communicates multiple design views to balance stakeholders' concerns and to satisfy functional and non-functional requirements. Identifies, evaluates and recommends alternative design options and trade-offs. Models, simulates or prototypes the behaviour of proposed software to enable approval by stakeholders, and effective construction of the software. Verifies software design by constructing and applying appropriate methods. Reviews, verifies and improves own designs against specifications. Leads reviews of others designs. Specialist advice level 4 Provides detailed and specific advice regarding the application of their specialism to the organisation's planning and operations. Actively maintains knowledge in one or more identifiable specialisms. Recognises and identifies the boundaries of their own specialist knowledge. Where appropriate, collaborates with other specialists to ensure advice given is appropriate to the organisation's needs. Systems design level 5 Designs large or complex systems and undertakes impact analysis on major design options and trade-offs. Ensures that the system design balances functional and non-functional requirements. Reviews systems designs and ensures that appropriate methods, tools and techniques are applied effectively. Makes recommendations and assesses and manages associated risks. Adopts and adapts system design methods, tools and techniques. Contributes to development of system design policies, standards and selection of architecture components. Systems integration and build level 5 Plans and drives activities to develop organisational systems integration and build capabilities including automation and continuous integration. Identifies, evaluates and manages the adoption of tools, techniques and processes to create a robust integration framework. Provides authoritative advice and guidance on any aspect of systems integration. Leads integration work in line with the agreed system and service design. Assesses risks and takes preventative action. Measures and monitors applications of standards. Contributes to the development of organisational policies, standards, and guidelines for systems integration. If you're ready to explore what's next in your secure career, express your interest today. Let's have a confidential chat. At Cleared Recruitment, we provide tailored recruitment solutions to individuals with a background in ICT, Engineering, Cyber, and Project Services, seeking their next opportunity within Defence Industry, Federal Government, Intelligence, and National Security.