Staff Software Engineer, AI-Core (Federal)

• 5+ years of software engineering experience building production backend systems.
• 1+ years of exposure to AI/ML or agentic applications, whether through production work, side projects, or hands-on experimentation.
• Strong proficiency in one or more backend languages (Python, TypeScript/Node.js, Go, or similar)
• Hands-on experience designing and operating distributed systems: APIs, microservices, container orchestration, and serverless technologies
• A security-conscious mindset around credential handling, trust boundaries, and what can go wrong at integration points; familiarity with OAuth, OIDC, or other modern auth patterns.
• Comfort operating in ambiguous, fast-moving environments where the problem definition evolves alongside the solution and the right abstractions are still being invented.

Bonus: Exposure to LLM integration, RAG pipelines, MCP, or agent orchestration frameworks like LangChain, LangGraph, or the Claude/OpenAI SDKs.Bonus: Experience with policy-as-code authorization (Cedar, OPA), agent identity patterns, or building developer-facing APIs and SDKs.

Why You'll Love It Here

• You'll learn fast. The problems this team works on, agentic systems, secure execution at scale, the platform layers that make agents reliable in production, are ones the industry is still figuring out, and you'll be in the room when those answers get written. You'll also have room to shape how you grow, whether that means going deeper on backend systems, leaning into AI/ML, or moving toward technical leadership over time.
• And you'll build things that actually get used. The platform you ship will be the foundation other teams build their agents on, and the work compounds quickly, what you ship this quarter shapes what's possible next quarter.

Required:

The employee must be either a U.S. citizen as defined in 42 U.S. Code § 9102; a natural person who is a lawful permanent resident as defined in 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(20) or who is a protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3); or a U.S. national (i.e. includes citizens and non-citizens born in outlying possessions such as American Samoa and Swains Island), green card holders, refugees, and asylees. Working on a U.S. visa does NOT qualify as a U.S. person.

#LI-Hybrid

(P16362_3441309)

Below is the annual base salary range for candidates located in San Francisco Bay Area. Your actual base salary will depend on factors such as your skills, qualifications, experience, and work location. In addition, Okta offers equity (where applicable), bonus, and benefits, including health, dental and vision insurance, 401(k), flexible spending account, and paid leave (including PTO and parental leave) in accordance with our applicable plans and policies. To learn more about our Total Rewards program please visit: https://rewards.okta.com/us.

The annual base salary range for this position for candidates located in the San Francisco Bay area is between:

$194,000—$267,000 USD

The Okta Experience

• Supporting Your Well-Being
• Driving Social Impact
• Developing Talent and Fostering Connection + Community

We are intentional about connection. Our global community, spanning over 20 offices worldwide, is united by a drive to innovate. Your journey begins with an immersive, in-person onboarding experience designed to accelerate your impact and connect you to our mission and team from day one.

Okta is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, marital status, age, physical or mental disability, or status as a protected veteran. We also consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and convictions records, consistent with applicable laws.

If reasonable accommodation is needed to complete any part of the job application, interview process, or onboarding please use this Form to request an accommodation.

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