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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Lead Software Engineer (SAIL) - **Company:** Appian - **Location:** McLean, VA, United States - **Experience:** Expert - **Salary:** $150,000.0 - $300,000.0 - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Java (Programming Language), JavaScript (Programming Language), Build Automation, Software Quality, Code Review, Data Structures, Software Design Patterns, Human-Computer Interaction, Performance Tuning, Software Engineering, Multithreading, Appian, Data Layers, Information Technology, Software Performance, Code Restructuring, Programming Languages - **Published:** July 21, 2026 - **Apply:** https://diversityjobs.com/main/sendform/8/8/28176/1/17648554?backUrl=%2Fcareer%2F17648554%2FLead-Software-Engineer-Sail-Virginia-Mclean ## About the Role Preferred Requirements: MS in Computer Science or related field/degree and 5+ years of relevant experience, or a BS and 7+ years of relevant experience; Experience in a high-volume or critical production service environment; Fluency in Java, React & Typescript; Experience with Multi-threading / Lock-Free vs. Locking; Experience with Performance analysis (Server load, Java / Javascript performance optimizations, UI speed, etc.) Education: B.S. in Computer Science or related field/degree ## Description Here at Appian, our values of Intensity and Excellence define who we are. We set high standards and live up to them, ensuring that everything we do is done with care and quality. We approach every challenge with ambition and commitment, holding ourselves and each other accountable to achieve the best results. When you join Appian, you'll be part of a passionate team dedicated to accomplishing hard things, together. As a Lead Software Engineer working on the Appian platform, your mission will be to ensure Appian is always fast, scalable and up to whatever tasks our customers configure it to do. You will be solving problems of scale and flexibility that most engineers never see, building a product capable of serving our customers in ways you never imagined. Your scope extends from the high-performance data layer to the cross-platform user interface to the design tools used to create it. This role is based at our headquarters in McLean, Virginia. Appian was built on a culture of in-person collaboration, which we believe is a key driver of our mission to be the best. Employees hired for this position are expected to be in the office 5 days a week to foster that culture and ensure we continue to thrive through shared ideas and teamwork. We believe being in the office provides more opportunities to come together and celebrate working with the exceptional people across Appian. Responsibilities: * Contribute to Programming Language Design and Implementation (Appian SAIL framework) * Leverage knowledge of data structures, algorithms, and design patterns to write software in a full-stack web environment. * Leverage relevant software development experience to radiate best practices and faster development. * Manage availability, latency, scalability and efficiency of the product by engineering reliability into software and systems. * Contribute to software performance analysis and system tuning. * Key contributor to team feature breakdowns/sizing and design of new feature implementations. * Moderate degree of personal responsibility for the overall performance of the team, including capabilities, quality, stability and velocity. * Perform code reviews which provide feedback not only on code quality, but on design and implementation. * Build automation to prevent problem recurrence. * Seek to identify opportunities for code refactoring and performance optimizations on a regular basis and champion these efforts within the team. * Mentor junior software engineers by sharing best-practices and providing guidance on how to become more proficient. * Share advanced/expert knowledge with others in the department, both on and off team; maintain a reputation as a key resource in those areas. * Lead technological changes to keep platform modern. * Effectively communicate technical designs verbally, visually and/or in writing for small to medium sized technical audiences. * Contribute to Appian's long-term documentation through publishing relevant, high-quality content to Engineering's technical documentation site ## Related Videos - [The Intent Engineer: Closing the Gap Between Business & Engineering - Manuel Klein](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1855-the-intent-engineer-closing-the-gap-between-business-engineering-manuel-klein) - [Are Code Reviews Worth It? Insights from 16 Years of Review Data](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1135-are-code-reviews-worth-it-insights-from-16-years-of-review-data) - [Why Your AI Agent Keeps Hallucinating Your Data: Building Deterministic Context Layers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/2055-why-your-ai-agent-keeps-hallucinating-your-data-building-deterministic-context-layers) - [Build a CI/CD pipeline to automate code reviews and ensure code quality](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/349-build-a-ci-cd-pipeline-to-automate-code-reviews-and-ensure-code-quality) - [How to govern Vibe Coding for the Enterprise](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100290-how-to-govern-vibe-coding-for-the-enterprise) - [The Alpha‑Developer of Tomorrow: Building the Future of the Software Development Lifecycle](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1401-the-alpha-developer-of-tomorrow-building-the-future-of-the-software-development-lifecycle) ## Related Articles - [Now is the time for industrialized software development](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/601-now-is-the-time-for-industrialized-software-development) - [Software Engineer Career: Things You Should Know](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/143-software-engineer-career-things-you-should-know) - [The 8 Best Code Testing Tools](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/402-the-8-best-code-testing-tools) - [Navigating the AI Shift](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/629-navigating-the-ai-shift) - [What is Software Engineering?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/289-what-is-software-engineering) - [7 Important Tips That Every Software Developer Should Know](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/101-7-important-tips-that-every-software-developer-should-know)