Principal Software Engineer

At Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc. (SPA), we tackle the most complex national security challenges with high-impact technical solutions. With over 50 years of proven expertise and a track record of consistent growth, we are recognized for driving innovation and delivering value to our government customers in the U.S. and beyond. An exceptionally talented and collaborative team powers our success, united in producing Results that Matter. When you join us, you'll find opportunities, meaningful challenges, and a shared commitment to mission success. Come work with the best and make a difference where it truly counts.

We seek a Principal Software Engineer to serve as a senior technical leader in modern enterprise software systems' design, development, and evolution. This strategic engineering role is for a systems thinker and hands-on architect who can modernize complex environments, scale automation initiatives, and drive seamless end-to-end software delivery across hybrid infrastructures.

The ideal candidate is equally comfortable whiteboarding architecture with engineers, aligning technical strategy with cross-functional executives, and rolling up their sleeves to implement high-value, mission-critical systems. This role demands technical depth and strategic foresight to advance the organization's digital transformation and operational resilience.

Strategic Leadership and Automation Vision

Develop, champion, and continuously evolve the organization's enterprise automation strategy, ensuring alignment with business goals and operational priorities.
• Define and maintain a multi-year automation roadmap, prioritizing initiatives based on business impact, scalability, and feasibility.
• Research, evaluate, and recommend best-fit automation tools, platforms, and emerging technologies.

Enterprise Architecture and Solution Design

• Architect and design scalable, resilient, and secure automation solutions that integrate seamlessly with existing and future enterprise systems.
• Lead the creation of comprehensive automation workflows, including cross-platform integrations, system orchestrations, and end-to-end lifecycle management.

Technical Delivery and Execution

• Establish and enforce enterprise-wide automation frameworks, coding standards, and best practices to ensure consistency, reusability, and maintainability.
• Build and lead high-performing technical teams to design, develop, and deploy automation workflows and mission-critical solutions.
• Demonstrate strong hands-on development expertise in Java (Spring Boot) and Python to set technical direction and model engineering excellence.

Cross-functional Collaboration and Communication

• Partner closely with IT, Engineering, Product, Security, and Business Units to identify, design, and deliver automation and modernization solutions.
• Translate complex business and technical needs into precise, actionable requirements and lead technical discovery and requirements sessions.
• Communicate technical strategies and automation benefits to technical and non-technical stakeholders clearly and influence fully.

Operational Excellence and Governance

• Ensure automation solutions meet security, compliance, and risk management standards, including SSO, RBAC, encryption, and secure data handling.
• Create and maintain comprehensive documentation to support sustainment, auditing, and onboarding of automation solutions.

Required Qualifications:

• 15+ years delivering enterprise-grade software systems, with 8+ years specializing in Java-based platforms.
• Demonstrated success leading large-scale modernization efforts, including legacy refactoring, cloud migrations, and mission-critical system integrations.
• Deep technical expertise with Spring Boot, Java, and Python, including cloud-native architectures and distributed systems design.
• Proven experience designing and implementing event-driven architectures (EDA) and building integration pipelines within DevOps and CI/CD environments.
• Strong understanding of secure software design, including SSO, RBAC, and encryption strategies.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with a track record of presenting complex technical strategies to senior executives and broad audiences.

Preferred Experience:

• Experience supporting federated government systems, biometric or identity management platforms, or national-scale analytic/reporting infrastructures.
• Familiarity with high-throughput, low-latency, and mission-critical operating environments.
• Prior experience integrating ETL frameworks into modern cloud data pipelines.
• Professional certifications in Cloud Solutions Architecture, Kubernetes, or recognized enterprise engineering frameworks.
• Active or previous U.S. Government Security Clearance (Top Secret Clearable).