Principal Lead Software Engineer

Principal Lead Software Engineer role based in Colorado Springs, CO. On-site, full-time day shift with no travel required. Must hold or be able to obtain a TS/SCI clearance.

About the role

SAIC is seeking an experienced Principal Lead Software Engineer to serve as the Software Lead for multiple mission-critical software development projects. Reporting directly to the Lead Systems Engineer, you will provide guidance, technical direction, and leadership across several software efforts in a rapid prototyping environment. This role balances hands-on technical contributions, team leadership, and input on software development best practices at the project level.

Responsibilities

• Project-Specific Leadership and Delivery
  • Lead software design, development, and testing for 2–4 mission-critical projects, ensuring technical excellence and on-time delivery.
  • Collaborate with stakeholders to define software requirements, architecture, and deliverables.
  • Guide development teams in implementing cloud-native applications, web front ends, and scalable back ends using Agile methodologies.
  • Act as a technical escalation point, conducting code reviews, resolving issues, and maintaining adherence to project goals.
  • Work with engineers across disciplines (DevSecOps, software, data) to build secure pipelines and deliver solutions utilizing Kubernetes, Kafka, and microservices.
• Standards and Alignment
  • Work with leadership and senior technical staff to establish and standardize software development practices across projects.
  • Define and improve development tools, frameworks, and workflows to enhance productivity, quality, and security.
  • Promote and implement secure development practices, including secure coding, vulnerability scanning (e.g., Trivy), and continuous testing.
  • Provide critical feedback on code, processes, and designs during reviews and evaluations.
• Hands-On Contributions as Needed
  • Contribute to development by writing key code, resolving complex technical challenges, and creating architectural proofs of concept.
  • Support rapid prototyping and provide engineering assistance during high-pressure development cycles.

Qualifications

• Required Qualifications
  • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field and 15+ years of software development experience, or Master’s with 13+ years of experience.
  • 7+ years of experience in back-end (Python, Java, C#, Go) and/or front-end (React, Angular, Vue.js, HTML5/CSS3) development.
  • Expertise in cloud-native architecture and multi-cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, DAF Cloudworks, GCP).
  • Proficient with DevSecOps tools Git, Jenkins, Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, Helm.
  • Skilled in building RESTful/GraphQL APIs, microservices, and event-driven architectures (Kafka, RabbitMQ).
  • Experience automating CI/CD pipelines with testing, security scanning, and deployment workflows.
  • Knowledgeable in testing tools (JMeter, Selenium, Jest) for unit and end-to-end testing.
  • Minimum 3+ years of experience leading software development teams on 2–4 projects or prototypes simultaneously.
  • 3+ years working with government, defense, and intelligence project development requirements and processes.
  • Experience partnering with Program Leadership, other technical leads, and SMEs to establish consistent standards and ensure quality across assigned project teams.
  • Strong interpersonal and collaboration skills, including experience with internal and external stakeholders.
• Desired Qualifications
  • Master’s in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field.
  • Cloud certifications such as AWS Certified Solutions Architect.

Pay

Target salary range $160,001 - $200,000. The estimate displayed represents the typical salary range for this position based on experience and other factors.