SW Engineer Sr Principal

Description We are looking for a highly skilled SW Engineer Sr. Principal to take a leadership role in the design, development, and integration of complex software systems. This position requires deep expertise in software architecture, systems engineering, and large-scale software integrations. As a Principal Software Systems Engineer, you will be responsible for driving the technical direction, leading design efforts, and overseeing the delivery of high-performance, secure, and scalable systems that meet the strategic needs of the business. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure seamless integration of software, hardware, and network components. Key Responsibilities: System Architecture & Design: Lead the design and development of sophisticated software systems, including distributed architectures, real-time systems, and cloud-based applications. Define and document high-level system architecture, design principles, and technical roadmaps. Leadership & Mentorship: Act as a technical leader within the team, providing guidance, mentoring, and technical direction to engineers. Lead architectural reviews, design discussions, and ensure adherence to best practices across the engineering team. Software Development & Optimization: Oversee the design and implementation of software solutions, ensuring high-quality, maintainable, and scalable code. Lead efforts in performance tuning, debugging, and optimization for large-scale systems. Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate with product managers, hardware engineers, network engineers, and other stakeholders to define system requirements and ensure seamless integration between software, hardware, and network components. Systems Integration & Validation: Lead the integration of software systems with complex hardware and network infrastructures. Oversee end-to-end validation and testing to ensure systems meet performance, reliability, and security requirements. Kafka Integration: Design and implement systems utilizing Apache Kafka for real-time data streaming, event-driven architectures, and building fault-tolerant, scalable messaging systems. Lead the integration of Kafka into existing systems, ensuring high throughput, low latency, and fault tolerance. Innovation & Technology Evaluation: Stay current on emerging technologies and industry trends, and lead the adoption of new tools, frameworks, and methodologies that improve the development process and system performance. Strategic Planning: Contribute to the long-term technical strategy and roadmap for software systems. Ensure that systems are built with future scalability and business needs in mind. Quality & Best Practices: Establish and enforce software development standards, best practices, and quality metrics. Advocate for code reviews, continuous integration, and automated testing processes. Documentation & Communication: Lead the creation of detailed technical documentation, including system designs, APIs, and architectural diagrams. Communicate complex technical concepts clearly to non-technical stakeholders and executives. Qualifications U.S. Citizenship and an active Secret Clearance with the ability to obtain a TS/SCI. Bachelor’s degree and 14 years, or a Master’s and 12 years of experience in software engineering and systems design, with a proven track record in designing and delivering complex software systems at scale. At least 3-5 years in a leadership or principal engineer role, driving architecture, design, and integration of software systems. Significant experience with distributed systems, cloud technologies (AWS, Azure, etc.), and integrating software with hardware and network components. Expertise in system architecture, software design patterns, and large-scale system integration. Hands-on experience with performance tuning, scalability, and optimizing software for reliability and efficiency in production environments. Proven experience in designing and implementing Apache Kafka -based solutions, including real-time data streaming, event-driven architectures, and message queuing systems. Skills & Competencies: Software Architecture: Deep knowledge of designing scalable, maintainable, and high-performance software systems. Programming Expertise: Proficiency in multiple programming languages (e.g., C++, Python, Java, Go) and strong familiarity with modern development frameworks and tools. Kafka Integration: Expertise in integrating Apache Kafka into large-scale systems, including the configuration of Kafka brokers, producers, consumers, and stream processing. Systems Integration: Expertise in integrating software with hardware systems, network infrastructure, and cloud-based solutions. Cloud & Distributed Systems: Extensive experience in cloud-native architectures, microservices, and distributed system design. Familiarity with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes). Security & Compliance: Strong understanding of software security best practices and the ability to implement secure software solutions across integrated systems. Leadership & Mentorship: Proven experience leading teams of engineers, providing technical mentorship, and fostering collaboration across departments. Problem-Solving: Excellent analytical and troubleshooting skills with the ability to resolve complex technical challenges. Communication: Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical topics to both technical and non-technical stakeholders. Preferred Skills & Experience: Cloud Computing: In-depth experience with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud, particularly in designing cloud-native applications and services. DevOps & Automation: Experience with DevOps practices, infrastructure as code (e.g., Terraform, Ansible), and CI/CD pipelines. Agile Methodologies: Familiarity with Agile frameworks (e.g., Scrum, Kanban) and the ability to drive high-quality, iterative development. Networking & Embedded Systems: Knowledge of network protocols, real-time systems, and experience with embedded systems is a plus. Project Management: Ability to balance technical leadership with project management, ensuring projects are delivered on time and meet business objectives. Certifications (Preferred): Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA). AWS Certified Solutions Architect. Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) or similar Agile certifications. VMware Certified Professional (VCP). SAIC accepts applications on an ongoing basis and there is no deadline. Covid Policy: SAIC does not require COVID-19 vaccinations or boosters. Customer site vaccination requirements must be followed when work is performed at a customer site. REQNUMBER: 2415087 SAIC is a premier technology integrator, solving our nation's most complex modernization and systems engineering challenges across the defense, space, federal civilian, and intelligence markets. Our robust portfolio of offerings includes high-end solutions in systems engineering and integration; enterprise IT, including cloud services; cyber; software; advanced analytics and simulation; and training. We are a team of 23,000 strong driven by mission, united purpose, and inspired by opportunity. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, SAIC has annual revenues of approximately $6.5 billion. For more information, visit saic.com. For information on the benefits SAIC offers, see Working at SAIC. EOE AA M/F/Vet/Disability