Principal Software Engineer

The Real-time Architectures, Integration, and Demonstration (RAID) Group focuses on transition of algorithms from concept to real-time software, providing open architecture expertise, and facilitating integration of capabilities for experimentation, test, and deployment.

The Role:

As a Principal Software Engineer you will provide technical leadership for the development, integration, and validation of real-time RF sensor software systems. You will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team to architect, guide, and implement software components, integrate algorithms into open architecture frameworks, and develop test infrastructure to validate system performance. This role emphasizes hands-on software development, open system integration, integrating software components across distributed architectures and with hardware platforms, and rigorous testing of real-time applications.

You will establish integration and test approaches, identify and mitigate technical risks, mentor engineers, and collaborate with program leadership and government customers to ensure successful delivery of mission-critical capabilities.

What you will do:

• Lead the technical design, development, integration, and validation of real-time sensor systems in C/C++
• Integrate signal processing algorithms into open architecture software frameworks
• Define, develop, and execute integration tests and system-level validation tests
• Debug software issues in real-time, multi-threaded, and distributed systems
• Lead the transition of algorithm specifications and MATLAB/Python prototypes into optimized production C/C++ implementations
• Document software designs, test procedures, results, and technical reports as well as integration plans, technical briefings, and customer-facing presentations
• Support system demonstrations and field-testing activities
• Establish and promote best practices for software quality, configuration management, test automation, documentation, and technical risk management
• Mentor and provide technical guidance to junior and mid-level engineers
• Interface with government sponsors, customers, program managers, and technical stakeholders to define requirements, communicate technical status, and present results
• Lead or substantially contribute to proposal development, including technical approach development, work‑breakdown planning, technical writing, cost estimation, white papers, and customer presentations
• Contribute to the design and implementation of user interfaces, dashboards, and visualization tools that support system observability, test execution, data analysis, and integration workflows
• Support approximately 10% travel for integration events, field testing, and customer demonstrations

Who you are:

• Active clearance at the Secret level with ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance, for which U.S. citizenship is a government requirement
• BS, MS, or PhD in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field with relevant experience depending on degree (BS + 12 years, MS + 10 years, or PhD + 5 years)
• Ten or more years of professional software development experience, including demonstrated experience leading complex software development, integration, and test efforts
• Expert-level proficiency in programming for high-performance, real-time applications
• Experience with version control systems (Git)
• Experience with Linux
• Strong debugging and troubleshooting skills
• Demonstrated experience developing or integrating real-time software for signal-processing, embedded, distributed, or hardware-connected systems
• Demonstrated technical leadership and mentoring experience
• Experience leading or substantially contributing to proposal efforts, including technical writing, technical‑approach…