Principal Software Engineer
Bluestaq US External2 months ago
Colorado Springs, CO, USAStaff+
Base Salary
$165k - $230k/yr
Responsibilities
- Own technical strategy for large segments of the product and platform or major mission-critical system areas.
- Define reference architectures, shared engineering patterns, UI frameworks, data contracts, and API standards adopted across teams.
- Solve complex scalability, interoperability, and distributed-workflow problems.
- Evaluate and guide adoption of technologies, frameworks, and architectural approaches, including build-versus-buy decisions.
- Ensure technical decisions support reliability, security, and performance at scale.
- Partner with engineering leadership, product management, and program management on roadmaps and technical investment.
- Set technical direction with strategic autonomy while remaining grounded in delivery realities.
- Delegate implementation details to Staff and Senior Staff engineers while maintaining architectural quality.
- Own the long-term evolution of key architectural components and platform foundations.
- Mentor Staff and Senior Staff engineers into broader-scope technical leaders.
- Lead cross-team trade studies and technical decisions.
- Translate mission and business requirements into technical strategies, architecture principles, and engineering priorities.
Requirements
- PhD in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field plus 10+ years of software engineering or related experience; alternatively, a master’s degree plus 12+ years, bachelor’s degree plus 14+ years, associate degree plus 16+ years, or high school diploma/GED plus 18+ years.
- Master-level technical expertise in one or more major software engineering domains, with strong breadth across adjacent areas.
- Demonstrated success defining technical strategy and reference architectures adopted across multiple engineering teams over multiple years.
- Extensive experience leading large, complex software systems from initial concept through multi-year operation and evolution.
- Strong experience evaluating and adopting technologies, frameworks, and architectural approaches at organizational scale.
- Ability to translate business and mission requirements into durable technical decisions, principles, and standards.
- Track record of mentoring and developing Staff and Senior Staff engineers into broader technical leaders.
- Outstanding written and verbal communication skills with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Experience designing production systems with strict reliability, security, and compliance requirements.
- Preferred experience with DoD or national security software requirements, RMF, FedRAMP, NIST 800-53, STIG, and classified system development.
- Preferred experience in systems-of-systems integration, multi-program alignment, engineering governance, technical publications, patents, senior leadership advising, or engineering culture development.
- Ability to use modern AI tools judiciously and handle proprietary or sensitive data responsibly.
Benefits
- Salary range is $165,000—$230,000 USD.
- Relocation assistance may be available and is evaluated case by case.
- Bluestaq will sponsor eligible candidates through the TS/SCI clearance process based on program needs if they do not already hold an active clearance.
- Applications are accepted for 60 days beyond the posting date or until the position is filled, whichever comes first.
Categories
About Bluestaq US External
Bluestaq builds data integration and management platforms that break down silos and deliver time-critical information across defense, government, and commercial environments. Its software and secure infrastructure support space domain awareness and satellite command-and-control workflows, including work with U.S. Space Force programs. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Colorado Springs, it operates globally with teams in London, Brisbane, and Canberra, and is privately held.