CACI Software Engineer Case Interview: Mission-Focused Secure System Design and DevSecOps

This case simulates a panel-style, scenario-based technical interview at CACI that blends architecture, secure coding, and DevSecOps planning with mission context. Real candidate reports indicate CACI often uses multi-interviewer panels, incorporates behavioral plus technical questioning, and may add a timed coding or short take‑home exercise around the case. ([glassdoor.com](https://www.glassdoor.com/Interview/CACI-International-Software-Engineer-Interview-Questions-EI_IE1201.0%2C18_KO19%2C36.htm?utm_source=chatgpt.com), [careers.caci.com](https://careers.caci.com/global/en/interviewing-at-caci?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) What the case covers - Mission scenario: You will design a secure, resilient data-ingest and analytics service supporting a national-security use case (e.g., processing sensor/telemetry feeds and exposing results to analysts) operating in a controlled environment (e.g., on-prem enclave or GovCloud) with strict need-to-know, auditing, and uptime requirements. The interview probes how you balance speed to mission with compliance and reliability. ([caci.com](https://www.caci.com/agile-cybersecurity-technology-solutions?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) - System design under constraints: Propose a modular architecture (APIs/services, storage, messaging/streaming, authN/authZ, observability) deployable on Kubernetes, with zero‑trust principles, encryption, least privilege, and data tagging. Expect to justify trade-offs for scale, latency, and failure modes. CACI’s materials highlight DevSecOps practices and enterprise Agile delivery (ASF) that you should reflect in your plan. ([caci.com](https://www.caci.com/asf?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) - Secure SDLC and DevSecOps plan: Outline a CI/CD pipeline (e.g., GitLab/Jenkins) with SAST/DAST, dependency/container scanning, SBOM, IaC (Terraform/Ansible), and promotion gates; describe how you’d harden images and nodes, map to NIST controls/RMF artifacts, and prepare for ATO with auditors. CACI role descriptions frequently cite these tools and practices. ([dice.com](https://www.dice.com/job-detail/ef244317-fceb-4078-9e42-e908b3a4948d?utm_source=chatgpt.com), [caci.jobs](https://www.caci.jobs/devsecops-engineer/jobs-in/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) - Code/pseudocode drill: Implement or sketch a small component (e.g., an ingest worker that validates, normalizes, and signs telemetry batches; or an API that enforces RBAC and structured logging). Expect follow-ups on debugging approach, error handling, and performance. Candidates have reported timed coding alongside panel Q&A. ([glassdoor.com](https://www.glassdoor.com/Interview/CACI-International-Software-Engineer-Interview-Questions-EI_IE1201.0%2C18_KO19%2C36.htm?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) - Behavioral and collaboration: Discuss how you’ve delivered in cross‑functional, Agile teams, handled evolving requirements from government stakeholders, and communicated risk. CACI states it evaluates behavioral, interpersonal, and critical thinking skills in interviews. ([careers.caci.com](https://careers.caci.com/global/en/interviewing-at-caci?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) - Clearance and compliance awareness: Without sharing sensitive details, explain how you’d work with synthetic data, respect need‑to‑know, and plan access controls/logging appropriate to Secret/TS/SCI environments. Many CACI postings and candidate threads reference active clearances and SCI/Poly requirements, so interviewers often probe your familiarity with those constraints. ([dice.com](https://www.dice.com/job-detail/ef244317-fceb-4078-9e42-e908b3a4948d?utm_source=chatgpt.com), [jobs.recruiter.com](https://jobs.recruiter.com/jobs/17698177766-senior-devsecops-engineer?utm_source=chatgpt.com), [reddit.com](https://www.reddit.com/r/cscareerquestions/comments/17wo2o5?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) What you receive - A 1–2 page brief describing data sources, consumers, SLAs, notional classification level, and current pain points. - A sample payload schema and nonfunctional requirements (availability/error budgets, audit, deployment target). What you’re asked to produce live (indicative flow) 1) Clarify requirements and risks (5–10 min): Enumerate assumptions, mission priorities, and success metrics. 2) Whiteboard the architecture (15–20 min): Draw service boundaries, data flows, storage choices, authZ/authN, and observability. Call out how DevSecOps and ASF-style delivery would shape your design and rollout. ([caci.com](https://www.caci.com/asf?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) 3) Secure coding/pseudocode (10–15 min): Walk through input validation, error handling, structured logs, metrics, and backoff/retries; explain your debugging workflow. Past interviews have included questions on debugging, OOP pillars, and design patterns. ([glassdoor.com](https://www.glassdoor.com/Interview/CACI-International-Software-Engineer-Interview-Questions-EI_IE1201.0%2C18_KO19%2C36.htm?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) 4) DevSecOps and compliance (10–15 min): Propose pipeline stages, gates, and controls (container/image scanning, IaC validation, SBOM), mapping to NIST/DISA expectations at a high level. Cite tools only as examples; many CACI roles mention Jenkins, GitLab, Kubernetes, and cloud. ([dice.com](https://www.dice.com/job-detail/ef244317-fceb-4078-9e42-e908b3a4948d?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) 5) Operational scenario (5–10 min): Handle an incident (e.g., ingest spike or downstream outage), describe rollback/blue‑green, and how you’d prove resiliency with telemetry and runbooks. Evaluation rubric (what CACI typically emphasizes) - Mission alignment and stakeholder thinking - Soundness and security of design; clarity on trade‑offs - Code clarity and debugging rigor under time pressure - DevSecOps depth (automation, testing, compliance artifacts) - Communication in a panel setting and collaboration mindset Logistics and format expectation - Typical case session is panel-based (hiring manager + 1–2 engineers) with behavioral and technical lines of inquiry; some teams add a 30–45 minute timed coding task or a short take‑home aligned to the case. Reported durations around 60–75 minutes are common. ([glassdoor.com](https://www.glassdoor.com/Interview/CACI-International-Software-Engineer-Interview-Questions-EI_IE1201.0%2C18_KO19%2C36.htm?utm_source=chatgpt.com), [reddit.com](https://www.reddit.com/r/SecurityClearance/comments/1c442i9?utm_source=chatgpt.com))