This Top Workplace for Engineers focuses on building smart teams who will shape the future.
McLean, Virginia-based Oddball, a custom software development and consulting company, ranked #1 in this year’s medium-sized Top Workplaces for Engineers list. Founded in 2015, it has 334 employees today. The company is a service-disabled veteran-owned business dedicated to digital modernization of federal citizen-centric services. As a unique digital agency, Oddball supports federal clients from design to deployment of scalable software solutions that are purpose-built for the citizens they serve and the workforces they enable.
Experienced teams of full-stack developers, human-centered designers, product managers, and project managers offer a proven record of delivery excellence in enterprise DevOps, cloud migration, user experience, continuous integration, continuous delivery, and continuous deployment.
The company focuses on several core values:
• Own it: Be accountable for your actions and your work
• Growth oriented: Emphasis on personal development and helping to identify areas of key growth for the company
• Client first: Our client’s needs and desires are what we strive to exceed every day
• Big picture: Focus on more than the individual item you’re working on, and
• Great teams: Develop a fun/positive culture and support the team, not just a focus on individual performance.
The company hires engineers across a range of disciplines, including AI/ML, architecture, cybersecurity, DevOps, full stack, front-end, and back-end engineering, as well as data science, QA automation, and security engineering. Oddball’s engineers excel in mission-driven, complex environments, where problem-solving, adaptability, and collaboration.
Building smart teams
When looking to hire engineers, Oddball is all about building teams of people who are driven by real-world challenges and want to make a difference.
“We believe the best solutions come from diverse minds working together, sharing knowledge, and learning from one another,” said Allen Goetsch, VP of Engineering for the company. “Regardless of role, we prioritize individuals who can tackle technical challenges with creativity and precision, communicate effectively with both clients and teammates, and embrace continuous learning to stay ahead in their field.”
According to Goetsch, engineers at Oddball succeed when they:
- take initiative, be accountable, and drive solutions forward
- understand how their work fits into larger systems and long-term goals
- work cross-functionally, aligning with product, security, and DevOps to build resilient solutions
- engage in technical debate — challenge ideas constructively to make sound engineering decisions, and
- stay ahead of emerging technologies, evolving standards, and GovCon-specific requirements.
Whether it’s an AI/ML engineer shaping intelligent automation, a DevOps specialist driving secure deployments, or an accessibility engineer ensuring usability, Goetsch explained that every Oddball team member is expected to think critically, lead with expertise, and build solutions that matter.
Oddball also focuses on growth opportunities for its engineers. The company is committed to helping engineers grow by offering career development courses tailored to an individual’s desired role and the skills needed to excel in their current positions.
Goetsch noted that for those interested in management, they provide leadership training opportunities.
“For individual contributors, we offer skill development programs to enhance their expertise. Additionally, we support upskilling, such as FHIR certification training, to prepare engineers for the FHIR certification exam and advance their technical proficiency. We also offer Guilds and Meetups, where engineers can connect, share best practices, and collaborate within their discipline,” he said.
“We believe that growth is an ongoing process. Engineering managers hold quarterly check-ins with their direct reports to ensure ongoing career discussions. In addition, senior leadership checks in with engineering managers on a yearly basis to assess each engineer’s performance and identify those ready for new opportunities, whether in their current project or in a new role. As our business evolves, this creates a talent pool we can align with engineering roles that match their career goals.”
Team structure varies by program and client requirements, but a typical team consists of five to seven members. This includes a product/delivery manager, engineers of various disciplines (front-end, back-end, DevOps, etc.), and UX/UI researchers and designers.
Leading and innovating
The engineering culture at Oddball fosters an environment where engineers are encouraged to engage in open debates, driving sound technical decisions.
“Every engineer has a seat at the table,” said Goetsch. “At the heart of this process, our Technical Engineering Managers build trust by providing space for meaningful discussions. This approach ensures we make the best engineering decisions for our clients.”
The company also emphasizes having engineers partner directly with clients, something that is different from some of its competitors. It is believed that this methodology builds deep trust, giving clients multiple touchpoints — not just with program managers and Technical Engineering Managers, but also with the engineers working on their programs.
Oddball has also built an engineering culture that thrives on innovation, experimentation, and continuous improvement — while staying laser-focused on delivering for clients. The company’s processes are designed to empower engineers at every level to contribute, iterate, and push boundaries in a structured way, including:
- Autonomy with guardrails — Oddball encourages engineers to explore new technologies and solutions within the scope of client needs. The company creates space for experimentation while ensuring that every effort aligns with mission-critical outcomes.
- Prototyping and proof-of-concepts — When exploring new technologies, the company embraces an iterative approach. Engineers can prototype and test ideas in low-risk environments before scaling them into production, ensuring feasibility and impact without disrupting critical systems.
- Client partnership and feedback loops — One of Oddball’s key differentiators is that its engineers work directly with clients. This frequent interaction provides real-world insights that drive meaningful innovation, ensuring the company builds solutions that matter rather than just chasing trends. It also enhances ideation, allowing engineers to contribute their perspective on what the customer has requested.
- Modern tooling and CI/CD practices — Oddball invests in tooling that removes friction from experimentation — from feature flagging to containerized development environments — so engineers can test, learn, and pivot quickly without bottlenecks.
Goetsch explained that the core of the innovation strategy is trust — trust in the engineers to think critically, in having teams challenge the status quo, and in processes to enable experimentation without compromising quality. This balance, he said, is what allows Oddball to drive forward-thinking engineering in GovCon while delivering reliable, mission-driven solutions.
Oddball also takes a walk-run approach to developing leadership skills, providing engineers with gradual, hands-on opportunities to grow. Those interested in leadership can start as a team lead in a specific area of the program — such as a team lead architect — where they gain experience guiding discussions, facilitating engineering rock tumbling sessions, and driving architectural decisions.
This approach allows engineers to practice essential leadership skills, including navigating differing opinions, driving for results, and influencing key decisions. At the same time, it gives our engineering leadership a chance to assess their ability to lead through influence collaboration, ensuring that all functions work together toward a common goal.
Shaping the future
Engineers at Oddball play a critical role in shaping the company’s future by driving technical excellence, client trust, and innovation. Their daily interactions with customers directly impact our ability to secure repeat business and win new programs, reinforcing Oddball’s reputation as a trusted GovCon partner.
Beyond technical execution, engineers collaborate with product, design, and leadership to influence strategy, improve processes, and drive innovation across our programs. Their expertise ensures we deliver high-quality, scalable, and forward-thinking solutions, positioning Oddball for continued growth in the federal space.
“We’re known for being a little odd,” said Goetsch. “What sets Oddball apart is our deeply embedded core values, which every team member embraces in their daily work. These values aren’t just words — we live by them, and we’re so proud of them that we publish them on our website. Our culture is built on continuous reflection and growth. Every quarter, employees have dedicated time with their managers to review their work, celebrate wins, and identify areas for continued growth and impact.”
Goetsch said that Oddball has built an engineering-first culture that values technical excellence, autonomy, and impact.
“That’s why we’re a top workplace for engineers,” he said. “As VP of Engineering, my goal is to ensure that every engineer here has the opportunity to grow, innovate, and do meaningful work that directly improves the lives of millions of Americans.”
For more information, visit topworkplaces.com/company/oddball.
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