Principal Software Engineer

About this role

Principal Software Engineer - (442)

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Job Title

Principal Software Engineer

Location

SILVER SPRING, MD 20910 US (Primary)

Category

Engineering, General Laborer

Job Type

Full-Time

Compensation Minimum (USD)

$110,000

Compensation Maximum (USD)

$160,000

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Minimum Citizenship Status Required

U.S Citizen or Permanent Resident

Security Clearance Required

None

Job Description

About STC

STC is a science, sensors, and systems company founded in 1979. We continually expand our Earth and Space Sciences support capabilities to NASA, NOAA, DoD, and other Federal and State agencies. Our staff support many of the operational missions that monitor the heartbeat of our planet through a growing number of Earth Observing System of Systems platforms and direct field research. We also research and investigate leading-edge observing technologies and assist in their integration into operations.

STC offers competitive benefits to include health, dental, vision, FSA, life, disability, 401K (matching), tuition reimbursement, bonus/incentive programs, and various other plans.

Overview

The EOSDIS Evolution and Development (EED) program supports NASA's Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS) in enabling global, open access to critical Earth observation data. STC is growing its EED support team and is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to provide technical leadership on cloud-native application development across the EED program.

The Principal Software Engineer drives architecture discussions, owns key platform components, and mentors junior engineers within the Platform or Integration & Analysis EED program train. This role requires expert-level proficiency in modern web and backend development, a deep understanding of cloud-native AWS architecture, and a demonstrated track record of technical design leadership on large-scale earth science data systems.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead architecture discussions and make authoritative technical design decisions for web application and platform components.
• Design, develop, and maintain high-performance, production-grade web and backend applications using React, Node.js, Python, and Java.
• Design and implement RESTful and GraphQL APIs at scale supporting earth science data access, processing, and dissemination.
• Apply deep expertise in AWS cloud and serverless architecture to deliver scalable, observable platform components.
• Champion automated testing (unit, integration, E2E) and CI/CD pipeline development; drive testing standards across the team.
• Translate complex mission requirements into robust, maintainable technical solutions within a cloud-native environment.
• Mentor and technically guide senior and mid-level engineers; review code and drive engineering quality standards.
• Participate in Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) planning events, Program Increment (PI) planning, sprint ceremonies, backlog refinement, and technical reviews.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams within a large, multi-team Agile environment to deliver cloud-native earth science data capabilities on schedule.
• Contribute to CI/CD pipeline automation, code review, testing, and documentation in accordance with program standards.

Job Requirements

• Bachelor's degree and 10+ years of software engineering experience
• Expert-level proficiency in modern web and backend development (React, Node.js, Python, Java)
• Deep REST and/or GraphQL API design experience at scale
• In-depth knowledge of AWS cloud and serverless architecture
• Demonstrated track record of technical design and architecture leadership
• Strong automated testing background (unit, integration, E2E)
• CI/CD pipeline experience (GitHub Actions, Jenkins, or equivalent)

Desired Skills and Experience

• Experience with geospatial or earth science data (NetCDF, GRIB, cloud-native formats)
• NASA, NOAA, or federal earth science data program experience (EOSDIS, NWS, NESDIS)
• AWS Solutions Architect or Developer Associate certification
• Docker/Kubernetes experience

Must be a US Citizen or Permanent Resident / Green Card holder.

We are equal opportunity/affirmative action employers, committed to diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under state or local law.