As a Software Engineer at Nakupuna Companies, you play a vital role in designing, developing, and maintaining mission-critical applications that support federal, defense, and enterprise clients. Because Nakupuna Companies operates as a family of Native Hawaiian Organization (NHO) owned businesses, our engineering teams are dedicated to delivering high-impact, culturally conscious, and highly secure technology solutions. Your work directly influences how government agencies manage data, streamline operations, and safeguard sensitive information.

In this role, you will work across a diverse portfolio of technologies, ranging from enterprise platforms like SharePoint and PeopleSoft to custom application development. You will be responsible for translating complex client requirements into scalable, secure, and maintainable software systems. Whether you are modernizing legacy systems for defense clients or building custom workflows for civilian agencies, your contributions ensure the operational readiness and efficiency of organizations that serve the public interest.

This position demands a balance of deep technical expertise and strong collaborative skills. You will find yourself working closely with cross-functional teams, including product owners, system administrators, and client stakeholders. Success in this role requires adaptability, a commitment to high-quality code, and the ability to navigate the unique compliance and security landscapes of federal contracting.

Our technical interviews are designed to assess your domain-specific knowledge, programming fundamentals, and problem-solving methodologies. While the format of your interview may vary depending on the specific team and contract requirement, the following questions represent common patterns and topics encountered during the hiring process.

Enterprise Platforms & Customization

These questions assess your familiarity with specific enterprise ecosystems, which are core to many of Nakupuna Companies client delivery contracts.

• Explain the difference between custom SPFx (SharePoint Framework) web parts and extensions, and describe when you would use each.
• How do you manage state and data synchronization when integrating PeopleSoft with external third-party systems?

Preparing for an interview at Nakupuna Companies requires a dual focus: mastering your technical domain and understanding the unique dynamics of federal consulting. Interviewers look for candidates who are not only technically proficient but also highly professional, adaptable, and client-focused.

Technical Domain Expertise – You must demonstrate a deep understanding of the specific stack you are interviewing for, whether that is SharePoint, PeopleSoft, or custom full-stack development. Be ready to explain not just how you write code, but why you choose specific architectural patterns.

Problem-Solving & Adaptability – In federal contracting, project scopes and technical constraints can shift rapidly. Interviewers evaluate how you approach ambiguous problems, structure your solutions, and adapt when faced with unexpected technical hurdles or legacy system limitations.

Professionalism & Communication – Because you may interact directly with government stakeholders, your ability to communicate clearly and professionally is highly valued. You will be assessed on how effectively you articulate your technical decisions and how well you collaborate in team environments.

The interview process at Nakupuna Companies is designed to evaluate both your technical capabilities and your alignment with the company's collaborative culture. Depending on the specific team, contract, and role seniority (such as Software Developer II or SharePoint Developer), your interview path may take different forms. Some candidates experience a highly structured, document-driven technical panel, while others engage in focused, platform-specific technical discussions.

Typically, the journey begins with an initial recruiter screen to discuss your background, career goals, and the specific requirements of the role. Following this, you will proceed to technical evaluations. These can range from a conversational Microsoft Teams chat with platform experts to a formal panel interview where interviewers ask standardized technical questions directly from a structured rubric.

The timeline above outlines the typical stages a candidate navigates during the selection process. You should interpret this timeline as a framework to pace your preparation, ensuring you allocate sufficient time to brush up on core technical concepts before the panel rounds. While the exact steps can vary based on the urgency of the hiring contract, maintaining a high level of engagement and responsiveness throughout these stages is key.

To succeed in the Software Engineer interview process, you must understand the core areas where you will be evaluated. Our hiring teams focus on specific competencies to ensure you can deliver high-quality solutions for our clients.

Enterprise Platform Development

For roles specialized in platforms like SharePoint or PeopleSoft, your technical evaluation will focus heavily on platform architecture, customization capabilities, and integration strategies.

Be ready to go over:

• Platform Architecture – Understanding the underlying infrastructure, services, and data models of the platform.
• Customization Frameworks – Designing and implementing custom components (e.g., SPFx for SharePoint, PeopleTools for PeopleSoft) without compromising platform stability.
• Integration & APIs – Connecting enterprise platforms with external systems securely and efficiently.
• Advanced concepts (less common) – Cloud migrations, hybrid architecture configurations, and legacy database refactoring.

Example scenarios:

• Designing a custom portal in SharePoint that aggregates data from multiple external APIs while maintaining strict access controls.
• Troubleshooting a performance bottleneck in a custom PeopleSoft batch processing job.

General Systems Engineering & Code Quality

If you are interviewing for a generalist Software Developer role, the focus shifts to your foundational engineering skills, coding standards, and system design capabilities.

Be ready to go over:

• Software Design Patterns – Applying industry-standard patterns to build scalable and maintainable applications.
• Database Management – Writing optimized queries, designing schemas, and ensuring data integrity.
• Security Best Practices – Implementing secure coding standards compliant with federal regulations (e.g., OWASP Top 10).

Example scenarios:

• Refactoring a legacy code module to improve readability, testability, and execution speed.
• Designing a secure user authentication system that integrates with government-mandated single sign-on (SSO) protocols.