Bluestaq US External
Principal Software Engineer
Principal-level architect at Bluestaq defining technical strategy and reference architectures for secure data platforms used in defense, space, and government missions. The role sets multi-year engineering direction, leads build-vs-buy and technology adoption decisions, and mentors Staff-level engineers, requiring deep distributed-systems expertise and 10-18+ years of experience.
- Compensation
- $165K–$230K / yr
- Location
- Colorado Springs, United States
- Work setup
- Onsite
- Seniority
- Principal
- Employment
- Full time
- Experience
- Not specified
- Category
- Software engineering
- Posted
Skills
Must have
- Master-level expertise in one or more major software engineering domains (distributed systems, data-intensive applications, real-time systems, complex UI architectures) with breadth across adjacent ar
- Demonstrated ability to define technical strategy and reference architectures adopted across multiple engineering teams over multiple years
- Extensive experience leading technical direction of large, complex software systems from concept through multi-year operation
- Strong background evaluating and adopting new technologies, frameworks, and architectural approaches at organizational scale, including build-vs-buy decisions
- Proven ability to translate business and mission requirements into durable technical decisions and architectural standards
- Track record mentoring and developing Staff and Senior Staff engineers into broader technical leaders
- Outstanding written and verbal communication with technical leadership and non-technical executive stakeholders
- Experience designing systems meeting strict reliability, security, and compliance requirements in production
- Education/experience: PhD + 10 yrs, or Master's + 12 yrs, or Bachelor's + 14 yrs, or Associate + 16 yrs, or HS/GED + 18 yrs in CS, Engineering, or related
- May require active TS/SCI clearance; sponsorship available for eligible candidates
- Comfortable using modern AI tools with judgment, including responsible handling of proprietary/sensitive data
Nice to have
- History of defining company-wide engineering standards, reference architectures, or platform strategies that persist across product generations
- Experience leading technology evaluations, major architectural transitions, or build-vs-buy decisions at enterprise scale
- Deep knowledge of DoD/national security software requirements, security frameworks (RMF, FedRAMP, NIST 800-53, STIG), and classified system development
- Background in systems-of-systems integration, multi-program technical alignment, or cross-organizational engineering governance
- Published technical work, patents, or recognized external contributions in relevant domains
- Experience advising senior leadership on technology investment, platform strategy, or engineering organization design
- History of building high-performing engineering cultures through hiring, talent development, and technical community investment
Full description
Why This Role Matters
Principal Software Engineers define 'how we build' at Bluestaq for entire classes of systems. Your architectural decisions, reference implementations, and technical strategies become the patterns that dozens of engineers follow across multiple products and programs. You translate mission requirements and business strategy into durable technical direction, and you ensure that the most complex, high-stakes technical problems receive the depth of thinking they deserve. The work you do at this level has a shelf life measured in years, not sprints.
Key Responsibilities
- Own technical strategy for large segments of the Bluestaq product and platform or for major mission-critical system areas
- Define reference architectures and engineering patterns that multiple teams adopt (standardized microservice patterns, shared UI frameworks, cross-cutting data contracts, API standards)
- Tackle the company's most complex technical problems: tricky scalability challenges, deep interoperability issues between systems, and highly complex distributed workflows
- Evaluate and guide adoption of major technologies, frameworks, and architectural approaches with long-term implications for the platform
- Ensure technical decisions support reliability, security, and performance at scale across the full product portfolio
- Partner closely with senior engineering leadership, product management, and program management to shape roadmaps and align technical investment with mission priorities
- Operate with strategic autonomy within your domain: set technical direction rather than executing it, while remaining grounded in delivery realities
- Delegate implementation details to Staff and Senior Staff engineers while staying sufficiently engaged to keep designs sound and on track
- Take ownership of the long-term health and evolution of key architectural components and platform foundations
- Mentor Staff and Senior Staff engineers into broader-scope technical leaders capable of owning major domains independently
- Translate mission and business requirements into technical strategies, architecture principles, and engineering investment priorities
- Lead trade studies and technical decisions on new technologies, frameworks, and architectural strategies with cross-team impact
Required Qualifications
- Master-level technical expertise in one or more major software engineering domains (e.g., distributed systems, data-intensive applications, real-time systems, complex UI architectures) with strong breadth across adjacent areas
- Demonstrated ability to define technical strategy and reference architectures that are successfully adopted across multiple engineering teams over multiple years